The Savior: War of the Worlds Trilogy: Part 2: From Father to Ninja
by The Wind God of the Leaf
Summary: Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos by his side, watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence
1. CH: 0 Prologue

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heavens Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

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 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone it's the start of the next story in this three part trilogy. Not only is this the day that the original story was published but this one as well to make it special. Sit back and enjoy and happy birthday to me yeah!

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Prologue

 _ **The start of something new**_

 _ **The Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves**_

"Gahhh! Get back here you stupid brat!"

"Wait until I get my hands on you! You'll pay for this!"

"How dare you do this to the Hokage Monument boy?!"

"Look he has two little girls with him! Stop them, all of them!"

"This is crossing the line Naruto you won't get away with this!"

All of these curses and more were yelled out during the early morning air as a high speed chase was in progress through the twisting and winding rooftops of the Hidden Leaf Village. "Hahahahhaha! Oh man I should have done this years ago this is so much fun! Thanks for talking me into this sweetie!" A boy dressed in a dark blue short-sleeve shirt underneath an orange sleeveless hoodie with orange pants with blue stripes going down the seam of the pants. He had on blue shinobi sandals and the largest smile on his face. Next to the boy named Naruto on his left and right was two little girls about six years old.

Starting with the one with the largest grin in the history of grins directly on his right. She was a cute girl with long blond hair that went down past her waist, she had striking purple eyes that were naturally very large and at the moment wide open with toxic and suffocating amounts of mischievousness, happiness, and glee overflowing from them. She had on a black dress that went down to mid-thigh with white pokadots covering the entire dress. A white silk dress extended an inch below her black dress. Around her waist she was wearing a thin brown braided belt. She was also wearing grey leggings that disappeared underneath her dress. For shoes well she never really liked to wear any or socks that much either so she was normally barefooted. Around her neck however she had on a collar with a small cut off chain attached to it. This was one of Naruto's two daughters and this one in particular was his fun loving, mischief making, prankster princess, and harbinger of pure chaos, whose name ironically enough is Chaos. Chaos Uzumaki to be exact.

On his left was another cute girl with short wavy blond hair with slight curls in them. Her hair reached down to her chin. She had striking blue eyes that are very similar to her fathers in shape and color. Her eyes had a natural shine of cunning, playfulness, and intelligence visible in them at almost all times but at the moment they were displaying exasperation and wariness but underneath that was a pool of excitement, giddiness, and joy resting beneath the surface. She had on a white shirt that naturally became more ruffled as it reached the bottom. Over that she had on a red blazer jacket with black trimming and outlines as well as black buttons. Around her waist she had on a black lacy skirt that was puffy and had several layers to it. For shoes she had on black low tops. On her head she had on her signature pink ribbon bow that she got for her birthday 4 years ago. She rarely takes it off. On her back attached by thin nearly invisible ninja wire was a red hat that had a black ribbon tied into a bow. This was one of Naruto's two daughters and this one in particular was his fun loving, fashion crazy and feisty girl who loved nature and wildlife as well as him very much. Her real secret name is Sōkyoku although her alias is Iris. Her full name would be Sōkyoku Iris Uzumaki.

In Naruto's hair was his ever faithful companion for nearly his entire life and the person who knows all of his deepest secrets. The winter fairy Evangeline Chiho-Ali Dapplefrost although recently she started adding Uzumaki whenever she addressed herself especially around the girls. She had long curly and wavy blond hair that traveled down to her feet and pointed elf ears. She had expressive blue eyes just like her partner who she affectionately calls her other half. She is currently 5 inches tall and she is wearing a simple strapless yellow sun dress that naturally blends in with Naruto's hair. She was currently laughing in pure joy and excitement but her laughter was muffled by the roaring winds blowing against the 4 runaway blondes.

Running across the rooftops at high speeds Naruto with his two girls who were carrying duffle bags slung across their backs easily and surprisingly keeping up with his speeds as they all tried to escape the 6 Chūnin that use to just be 2 chasing after them. Bounding across the rooftops under the morning sun that was soon going to be the afternoon Naruto with his girls in tow were doing everything in their power to shake their pursuers. Naruto was feeling many things right now excitement, thrill, joy, satisfaction, happiness, and much more but he was also feeling a bubble of nervousness in the pit of his stomach and it was not the fear of being captured by the ninja after him. He had nothing to fear from them, not only was he confident in his abilities to get away from them but even on the off chance that they did capture him he would be sent straight to the Hokage's Office where the Hokage himself would deal with him. No that is not why he was feeling nervous. The real reason was because this was the first time Naruto has had his girls fully exposed and in the spot like so to speak. This is the first time that he has had his daughter's reveal themselves and be seen by anyone who was no in the know.

He was understandably nervous both as a father and the fact that he is overly paranoid when it comes to them and he wants to keep them away from the public eye. However today is a special day and as such he wanted to celebrate it with them with a bang.

"Alright girls lets pick up the pace a little." Naruto said as he increased his speed by a little. Despite the fact that both girls where a foot shorted than him and had way shorter legs they somehow managed to keep up with his increased speed. The amazing acrobatics and parkour skills not to mention the speed, agility, and dexterity that Naruto and the girls were showing off left the pursuing ninja both in visible and silent awe but also hard pressed to keep up with the blond bullets that were tearing up the rooftops in their bold and daring escape. "Get back here you stupid brat!" One of the ninja yelled as he started to close the gap in between them. "Time to paint the town orange girls!" Naruto called out with a grin as he unsealed paint cans and tossed them to his daughters who caught them easily. Taking the brushes given to them they started to literally paint the town orange and while they were doing that they were also reaching into their duffle bags and pulling out handfuls of feathers and spreading them anywhere where they decided to paint. The wild chase took them all over the village with their final stop apparently being the Slum's district. During this time several more ninja joined the chase. Most of them were more Chūnin but a total of 4 Jōnin joined in as well to give chase.

Unknown to them all but there was an ANBU Captain in a cat mask following them from a distance and the cat masked agent choose not to intervene but instead keep a safe distance and watch what was happening. For over an hour Naruto and his girls led the mob of ninja on a wild goose chase throughout the village vandalizing everything in sight with orange paint. The clan compounds where not spared from their pranking spree either with the Hyūga clan being the most focused on, no place of importance was spared except for the Casino but no one noticed that since they were to focused on catching the juvenile criminals.

Entering the Slum's District Naruto and the girls quickly lost their pursuers for a brief moment. "It's time girls." Naruto said with anticipation underlying his tone. As one the mob of ninja entered the area all looking for their heads. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu."** Naruto whispered out. A solid clone of Naruto came into existence accompanied by a plume of white smoke. When the smoke cleared Naruto sent his clone off.

Catching sight of 'Naruto' entering a rundown shack down the road the mob of ninja surrounded the building quickly and entered after the orange blur. Within seconds all of them met up in the center main room of the shack with Naruto standing in the center. "We got you now brat." One of the ninja huffed as he was taking deep breaths. "Yeah any last words punk?" Another asked as he took a step forward to intimidate Naruto. "Yeah, you're all stupid." The clone said as it dispelled in a plume of white smoke. "What was that?" One of the ninja asked. "A shadow clone?" Another exclaimed. "We've been tricked!" Yet another shouted out.

Suddenly all of their collective sixth senses went off but it was too late. Buckets hanging from the second floor of the building flipped over and spilled their contents all over the startled ninja below. Gallons of glue and feathers poured down from the ceiling through the rafters of the first floor and coated the shocked ninja in feathers from head to toe that would not be coming off anytime soon. However it was the color of the feathers that was strange though.

"You damn brat wait until I get my hands on you!"

"Hey what is this stuff?"

"Ack! Come on get off, get this stuff off of me!"

"Feathers? How is their so much of this stuff?"

These were the collective shouts of the ninja that now found themselves coated in a thick layer of glue covered feathers that was making so that they were sticking to everything they came into contact with. The feathers were everywhere. The ninja themselves were sticking together anytime they came into contact with each other and in the end it made for a hilarious photo in Naruto's opinion since he took one using a camera that he borrowed from the casino.

"That's that girls now on to our next stop." Naruto said from outside the building as he and his girls took off across the roof tops to their next destination. The cat masked ANBU Captain looked down at the successfully trapped shinobi and shook their head at the disgraceful display. Disappearing from his perch the ANBU took off after the Uzumaki family. A few minutes later Naruto landed outside of a particular building that every time he comes by brings up long buried feelings. He was outside the Orphanage building. Walking through the gate Naruto saw that most of the Orphans where outside in the courtyard playing a game when they spotted him and his daughters approaching. Making a lot of noise the group of orphans crowed around Naruto and started bombarding him with excited questions.

"Hey guys take a look." Naruto said as he pointed his thumb up at the Hokage Mountain that can be visible from almost anywhere in the village and following his thumb they all looked up and as one their jaw's all dropped. For a few seconds it was quite until the silence was broken by their cheers of laughter as they all started to roughhouse around in laughter. "See I told you I could pull it off." Naruto said smugly. "Now come here you guys I have something for all of you." Naruto said as he took out a scroll and laid it across the ground. Forming the ram hand sign a large plume of smoke erupted from the scroll and now sitting on top of the scroll was a large bag. Moving over to the bag Naruto opened it and inside was fresh brand new sets of clothes and other small items.

"Here you all go this is yours now." Naruto said and like magic the orphans all ran up to the large bag that was filled with new clothes and small toys. "Really all of this is ours?" An orphan Naruto's age spoke up as he walked up to Naruto with tears brimming in his eyes. "Thank you so much." The boy said in gratitude as over his shoulder you could see the older kids handing out clothes to one another and the toys to the younger kids. "Don't thank me, giving these things to you was actually Iris's idea, and when she proposed it to me I knew I just had to do it. That and she was being her normal bossy self when it came to this. No really wasn't even an option on the table." Naruto praised with pride literally flowing out of his mouth like a water fall as he placed his hands on Iris's shoulders and peered down at her from above with a proud smile on his face. However he sounded sheepish towards the end when he admitted that Iris was being pushy.

Not being able to take it anymore the boy lunged forwards and captured Naruto in a hug while silent tears fell from his eyes. "Thank you Naruto, thank you so much." The boy cried. "Don't mention it Daisuke, like I said things haven't changed. I'm still one of you guys. I'm an orphan too ya know. I know what it's like to live like this. Although things are better off for me now I'm still technically still in the same position as you guys so don't worry. Soon the Hokage will be able to help out. So in the mean time I'll just do what I can." Naruto said soothingly as he patted to other boys shoulder.

"Thank you. Hey… Listen I know I've said it before but I'm sorry for how I treated you when we were younger. It was wrong and I can see now that you are a good person." Daisuke said humbly. "It's ok. That's all in the past now. Just enjoy this stuff." Naruto said with a smile. Nodding Daisuke bent down until he was I level with Iris and Chaos. "Thank you girls so much. Especially you Iris for getting us this stuff." Daisuke thanked. Seeing this Iris bowed in a very proper and lady like way with a coy smile on her face. "You're very welcome." She replied. Seeing her act so bashful Naruto placed a hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair which earned him a playful giggle and a swat of the hand for his troubles. "Ooh! Ooh! I came up with the prank!" Chaos announced with enthusiasm. Daisuke smiled and patted her head which caused Chaos to grin happily. "And thanks for the great show Chaos."

"I'll get you guys the photo when it develops." Naruto said with a chuckle as he could imagine the ninja chasing after them still stuck in that run down building covered in glue and feathers. After a few minutes of talking and playing with the Orphans all the while lucky that none of the matrons bothered to disturb them Naruto sensed someone approaching. "Alright girls it's time to face the music." Naruto said with a chuckle as Chaos and Iris ran up to him after playing with the other orphan children. "But before we go however, isn't there something you guys should say?" Naruto said to the orphans. All of them looked up at this and they all had big smiles on their faces. "Happy Birthday Iris and Chaos!" The orphans all said together which got megawatt smiles out of the two girls.

"Naruto!"

Turning around Naruto say Iruka walking up to him with crutches. Frowning Naruto waited until Iruka spoke up. "There you are. Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in, much less how much trouble you caused?" Iruka questioned as he stood imposingly over Naruto's shorted form with a glare on his face. Frowning sadly Naruto spoke up. "Iruka you didn't have to come all the way out here to get me when you are still recovering. I was actually on my way to the old man's office right now." Naruto said thoughtfully as he kept glancing at the crutches Iruka was leaning on. Seeing this Iruka was silently touched by the thoughtfulness but he was not going to let Naruto off the hook that easily. "Don't try to change the subject. I'm out here now so it's too late for that now. Now off you go to Lord Hokage!" Iruka said in a commanding tone.

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 _ **Hokage Tower Administrative Complex**_

"Oh boy what am I going to do with you guys?" Hiruzen said with a long sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. In front of him in three chairs was Naruto who was sitting in the middle with Iris and Chaos off to his right and left respectively. "I mean honestly what on earth possessed you to do such a thing?" Hiruzen asked however he paused when he saw Naruto giving him an amused look while casting obvious glances towards Chaos who was giggling uncontrollably while trying her best to control herself. Iris had a pout and an embarrass blush on her face. Eva was also biting her lip to keep herself from giggling. She thought the whole idea for the prank was perfect and she heavily encouraged Naruto to go along with it when Chaos came up with it.

Realizing the joke Naruto was trying to tell based on his own question Hiruzen sighed again and pinched his nose. "Never mind. But enough of that. Is something funny Chaos, Eva?" Hiruzen asked as he leaned forward in his chair. Instantly Eva stopped what she was doing but Chaos was having a little more trouble with calming herself. "No grandpa." Chaos said between fits of giggles. The whole scene was completely unbelievable but Hiruzen let it go. "Now then seeing as how you vandalized the Hokage Monument and most of the village not to mention taking 12 of my Chūnin and 4 of my Jōnin on a wild goose chase I will have to meet out some type of punishment for you all." Hiruzen said as he looked each one of them in the eye. Letting out a nervous chuckle Naruto scratched the back of his head. Eva covered her head up with Naruto's long locks of hair. Iris looked away from Hiruzen's gaze and Chaos looked like she couldn't wait for the punishment to come.

"Now then you four shall clean off the entirety of the Hokage Mountain and you will make it spotless and you will not be permitted to leave until it is done." Hiruzen said firmly. "But grandpa daddy told me to do it, besides some of those people deserve it anyway. They were big meanies." Iris said with a disgruntled pout which looked absolutely cute on her but Hiruzen wasn't going to point that out. "Oh? Are you sure you only did it because your father asked you to or did you do it of your own free will, because these little feathers had to have come from somewhere?" Hiruzen said slyly as he pulled out a red and orange feather from his sleeve and presented it to the family of blonds. Seeing this Iris's face turned red in embarrassment and she looked down into her lap. "Now, now Iris a family that pranks together gets punished together my dear." Hiruzen chastised with a chuckle. Naruto was chuckling too at seeing his normally feisty and confident daughter reduced to a humbled mess at the thought of punishment.

It amazes Naruto that his normally bold and mature daughter would be cowed into submission at the thought of punishment. It was just one more thing that he has learned about Iris. "Now since it is your birthday today your punishment is light and you only have to clean the mountain. However you Naruto are not so lucky. For the next week you will be my personal Currier and you will be worked to the bone. Although I suppose I should thank you. Now the Genin squads will get a significant boost in the amount of missions they will be taking for the next few days as we clean up the mess you made." Hiruzen said thoughtfully as he leaned back in his large chair. "That's it I was thinking you would have something harsher for me old man. Oh well I can live with that." Naruto commented genuinely surprised the old Hokage didn't have anything larger in store for him. Not to brag but he would admit that he did a pretty good number on the village.

A twinkle entered the Hokage's eyes at hearing this. "Oh please forgive me for my mistake; what I actually meant was that for the next month you will be my Currier and in that time you will not be permitted to have Ramen at all." Hiruzen amended himself with a pleasant smile on his face that Naruto soon adopted as he stared back at the Hokage. The staring contest went on for a full minute in which time you could hear the sound of cracking and looking at Naruto you could literally see his body cracking in a comical way until he simply collapsed into tiny pieces on the floor with the sound of ice shattering accompanying it. Eva who wisely vacated his hair whistled in amazement. "Wow grandpa I think you broke him." Eva commented as she looked at her other half in curiosity. "Oh and as his partner Eva you will be partaking in his punishment as well. You two should know better. You must set a good example for young Iris and Chaos here." Hiruzen said offhandedly which caused Eva too simple drop out of the air without a sound except for a small little thump of her hitting the ground but that was covered up by Chaos's joyful laughter.

Chaos was laughing so much that she fell out of her seat and was having trouble breathing but you could honestly say she was in perfect health with the amount of negative energy she was collecting from her family. Iris was just shocked at seeing the state her father and older sister was in. "Now I think my work here is done wouldn't you agree girls." Hiruzen asked with a grandfatherly chuckle.

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 _ **Hours Later**_

"Alright now that that is done it's time for your party girls." Naruto who was back to normal said as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. Entering his apartment Naruto set down the buckets and other things that he brought with him after they cleaned up the Hokage Mountain. "Aria where are you?" Naruto called out. Appearing in the front door Aria bowed her head to Naruto. "Good afternoon master did you have a good day?" Aria asked politely. Showing off his normal irritation for the way Aria address him Naruto walked over to the sink to pour himself a glass of water. "Yes Aria I want you to take the girls and give them a bath. Now normally they would want me to do it but I have to clean up myself and get a few things in order." Naruto said offhandedly as he drank the water in his cup at a steady pace.

"Aww but we wanted to play **water devil** with you daddy." Iris said with a deceptive and devious smile that was hidden from Naruto because Iris was turned the other way. Naruto immediately did a spit take and Eva flew out of his hair in total shock. "Who told you about that game?!" Naruto questioned loudly in panic. Aria had a confused look on her face as she didn't understand what the significance of the game was. Smiling cutely in a shy way Iris put her finger to her lip in a gesture that nearly made Naruto collapse right there from cuteness overload. "Aunty Anko told us about that game and how you didn't want to play with her. So she told us that maybe you would play with us." Iris said cutely while oozing out cuteness and fake innocents.

Naruto knew that she really was a sweet and innocent girl most of the time; but sometimes just like now she could be quite devious and mischievous not to mention sadistic as she loves to torture him with situations that a girl her age should not know about. Sometimes she was just as bad if not worse than Chaos and that was saying something. Because as much as Naruto loves Chaos to death and beyond that point he has to admit that Chaos is definitely no saint. He would like to blame Anko for how both Iris and Chaos turned out with their mischievous teasing habits but deep down he knew that while it is partly Anko's fault for the most part that is how they naturally are.

Looking confused Aria turned to Naruto with a question in tow. "Master what is Water Devil? Is it a devil that can control water, because how would you play with one?" Looking at Aria's adorable confused face Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned in exhaustion. "I'll tell you another time Aria just get the girls cleaned up." Naruto said as he headed to his room. "Yes sir! Come on girls I'll play water devil with you." Aria said cheerfully as she walked to the bathroom with Iris and Chaos giggling along. Tripping over his feet at hearing this Naruto just gave up and slumped into his room. "I swear I'm going to feed Anko to her own snake's one of these days."

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 _ **At the Party**_

Using the downstairs room that was fixed up over the years Naruto set up all the party decorations with the help of a few Shadow Clones and the guest. "So you think they will like it?" Hinata asked as she was placing drinks out on the counter. "Yeah they will love it." Naruto replied as he placed streamers above the entrance. "Yeah it's going to be great." Henrietta said as she helped out Hinata with the drinks. Anko was setting up decorations on the couches on the other side of the room. "Yeah they will totally think this party is awesome." She replied. "Hey don't think you are in the clear Anko, we'll be talking privately after this." Naruto said with a warning glare which Anko deflected with her normal grin. "Are we going to be doing anything else in private?" She taunted back quickly. Hinata spilt the juice she was pouring into the cups in surprise upon hearing Anko's comment. Naruto retaliated by throwing an Ice Kunai that he quickly made at her head which she dodged slyly by picking up a small container of paper lanterns.

"Big Sister what is Ms. Anko talking about?" Hanabi asked in confusion. "Nothing Hanabi she is just rambling." Hinata had to say while trying to calm her red face down. Henrietta was stiffly trying to bring the drinks onto the counter. The other girls from section two were also here as well. "Is this good Naruto?" Rico asked as she and Triela were handing up the piñata to the ceiling. Seeing what they were doing and the spot it was in Naruto smiled and nodded his head. Claes and Angelica where also handing up decorations on the ceiling. They were hanging black polka dot hanging fans as well as purple tissue fans to accompany it. This was Chaos's favorite themes. On the other hand Iris had a mixture of red, orange, and a hint of white in her hanging fans as well as papier-mâché birds that were also red and orange with small green eyes. These were her favorite color and themes. In the corner of the room Shoko was setting up balloons in the shape of number six.

* * *

 _ **Hour Later**_

"Ok is everything ready?" Naruto said. He was dressed up in an Orange Yukata with a large blue Uzumaki swirl on the back. Elsewhere on his Yukata there were more swirls. Mostly on the collar, sleeves, and other areas. Both Shoko and Hinata wanted to comb his hair while dressing him up but they ran into complications when the comb comically broke when it went through his hair. When they questioned him about it he said that because Eva has taken up residence in his hair for nearly a decade it's naturally saturated with her Yōki which has hardened his hair to the point of steel. However after that Naruto laughed it off as a joke and said that his hair has always been untamable. Shoko and Hinata didn't look convinced and when they tried again with a second comb it broke again. Seeing them reach for a third Eva froze it and ended the situation mostly so she could go back inside Naruto's hair without being disturbed. She's very territorial about his hair.

Each of the girls from section 2 wore Yukata's for girls and they each settled on a dominate color. Henrietta had brown as her main theme, Rico had blue, Triela had yellow, Claes had purple, and Angelica had green. Shoko was wearing a dark purple yukata that had yellow wavy mist like designs flowing randomly throughout her clothes. Anko was wearing a surprisingly modest Yukata that was tan in color and had purple snake designs coiled around it. Silently thankful for that Naruto turned to look at Hinata and he couldn't help but blush.

She was dressed in soft looking lavender colored Yukata with navy blue accents with red flower designs scattered around clothes. With the tiniest amounts of makeup mostly centered on her eyes and cheeks it brought out her beauty. Noticing her blond haired best friend as secret crush staring at her Hinata suddenly felt self-conscious and a blush spread across her face. "Is there something on my face Naruto?" Hinata asked shyly. Being caught red handed Naruto averted his gaze and stuttered out a response an action that he rarely does. "Oh… no, what, no I was just deep in thought that's all. Sorry for staring at you like that. Um, you look good in that Yukata by the way." Naruto said with a blush now permanently on his face. _'What is going on with me, why am I suddenly acting so strange?'_ Naruto thought.

About ready to pass out Hinata used every ounce of willpower in her to stay conscious. "T-thank y-you Naruto. Y-you look g-good y-yourself." Hinata stuttered out horribly. On the other side of the counter Henrietta looked over her Yukata which was brown with teddy bear designs scattered across it and a larger bear image on the back. A small downturn of her lips was the only sign she gave off. Eva the ever observant one who was looking over at Henrietta saw this and felt something well up inside of her. "Hey Naruto look at Henrietta's dress it looks great too." Eva spoke up out of nowhere. Acknowledging his partners suggestion Naruto looked over and took in Henrietta's attire and seeing the cute display of teddy bears Naruto again couldn't help but blush as it really helped to bring out Henrietta's charm. "You look cute Henrietta, and I'm pretty sure you're going to steal away all of Iris's attention today." Naruto complimented while also mentioning Iris's not so secret love for teddy bears.

Blushing in embarrassment Henrietta thanked Naruto while on the inside she was giddy with appreciation. _'Why did I do that?'_ Eva questioned herself as she was not sure why she did what she did. Seeing what was going on Anko who was developing a grin on her face was about to open her mouth to say something but was lightly elbowed in the ribs by Shoko who gave Anko a look. Rolling her eyes Anko backed down with a resigned smile on her face. Suddenly a knocking was heard on the door. Walking over Naruto opened it and the Hokage was seen standing in the door way. Hiruzen had on his Hokage robes as usual but he seemed to be carrying extra baggage with him.

Coming out from behind the old Hokage's leg was a little boy who was around 8 years old with brown hair that was combed as cleaned up and not its usual messy style. He had a wide smile and he was missing a tooth. He had on a dark green male Yukata with little monkeys scattered randomly about. "Hey old man nice of you to make it." Naruto greeted the Hokage. "Sorry I didn't have time to change. I was just released from a meeting not too long ago. By the way I see you did a good job on cleaning up the Hokage Monument." Hiruzen said warmly. "Yeah it's alright. Besides it's always been weird to me to see you without your robes on." Naruto admitted as almost one hundred percent of the time Hiruzen is wearing his ceremonial Hokage attire. "I guess you're right. Come Konohamaru let us go inside." Hiruzen said as Naruto stepped aside and let the two Sarutobi clan members inside.

"Hey Konohamaru I see you shaped up really well today. You look good." Naruto commented as he grabbed the younger boy by his shoulder and gave him a one armed hug. Grinning Naruto squatted down and whispered into the 8 year olds ear. "Also thanks for the help with the prank earlier I couldn't pull it off without you." Naruto thanked with a brotherly smile.

"Oh whatever boss thanks to you I'm grounded for a month." The young boy said with a pout. "Aww don't be like that I'm pretty much on probation for a month. Gramps is going to work me like a slave. So we're even." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Yeah well… the prank was pretty funny." Konohamaru said with a small chuckle. "See that's the spirit now let's go."

Stepping into the room Naruto and Konohamaru joined everyone else as they waited for the girls to be ready. Immediately Naruto went over and started talking to Hinata and Henrietta with the other girls from section 2 came over and in a large group they started to talk about any and everything. Konohamaru decided to come over and he spotted Hanabi standing by Hinata being dotted on by the other girls. Hanabi was wearing a light yellow yukata with lavender flowers scattered across it in a collage. Walking over timidly Konohamaru started to talk to the young Hyūga heiress who while confident and headstrong was still actually pretty timid and shy like her older sister. Konohamaru was introduced to Hanabi and the Uzumaki girls nearly three years ago while the three girls were playing in a clearing one day. Naruto and Hinata were hanging out that day and Konohamaru and Hiruzen were taking their weekly walk around the parks. Since then he has been friends with the three girls although he has an interesting dynamic with the three of them.

With Chaos he gets along well with her and they often pull pranks on the other girls. But sometimes Chaos turns on him with her pranks. But for the most part they get along famously. With Iris it's a little more complicated. With Iris being more mature and smart it often gets under Konohamaru's skin how she can outsmart him and trick him on a daily basis. Now while Konohamaru is by no means stupid or lacking in the intelligence department he just can't compare to Iris's cunning and mischievousness. Also she tends to collaborated with her sister in tricking him into pranks. Despite the nearly two year difference in age the two get along most of the time and at other times they are at each other's throats as Konohamaru tends to annoy Iris with his pranks and antics. Now with Hanabi it is quite amusing. Ever since meeting the shy and quiet Hyūga Konohamaru has become attached to her. Even to the point of developing a slight attraction to the heiress. Although he doesn't realize it.

During his conversations with the girls Naruto briefly looked up and saw the Hokage approach Shoko who with Naruto's trained eye and experience with being her partner knew that she was now slightly uncomfortable. However with the girls engaging him in a conversation he took his mind off of things.

"Hello my dear, we haven't spoken in many years. I hope you are doing well and are in good health." Hiruzen said he approached Shoko who averted her eyes away from the wise Hokage. "Hello Lord Hokage it's nice to see you again." Shoko said. Anko noticing the atmosphere decided to stay quiet. "Yes it's been far too long. However it's nice to know that you are watching over Naruto. He needs it. I can only do so much for him. But then again it's nice to know that you are keeping an old promise and returning the favor." Hiruzen said as he slid up besides the taller woman. Hiruzen wasn't the tallest person around. "Yes I would never let anything happen to him. He's important to me." Shoko said as she looked at Naruto with an unreadable gaze. However Hiruzen caught the look she was giving Naruto and an apologetic look formed on his face. "I'm sorry." Hiruzen started to say but Shoko cut him off. "Please sir its ok. It wasn't anyone's fault but mines." Shoko said in a clipped tone yet it seemed that it was something she has told herself many times.

Seeing her longtime friend in silent distress Anko decided to move in. "So you old geezer got any new missions for me or any new news?" Anko asked as she placed her arm around the shorter man and hugged him to her side. Although the way she said news made it seem that she had a hidden meaning. "At the moment no Anko and yes there has been some news lately but here is not the place to discuss such topics." Hiruzen said as he was used to the young girl (from his perspective) hanging off of him. For a long time Anko has respected the Third Hokage and looks up (down) to him for years. After this Miss Furukawa showed up at the party wearing an elegant yukata befitting her age. Shoko greeted her nicely but when the old woman laid her eyes on Hiruzen it was like time froze in the room. Naruto picked up on this instantly. Moving over to stand with Hiruzen Miss Furukawa had on a peaceful smile that hid what she was really feeling at the moment. Naruto could feel the tension between them and it made him curious.

Suddenly all the talking quieted down when the door opened and in walked three people. Aria was the first to step into the room wearing a sea green Yukata similar to her normal attire. It was decorated similarly as well. On top of her silver haired head was her trademark witch hat that she rarely takes off. However while yes people were admiring her beautiful dress everyone's attention was stolen to the two girls holding her hands. It was Chaos and Iris and they were stunningly beautiful for six year olds. But form the adults perspective they were extremely cute.

Starting with Chaos who was pretty much vibrating with how much she was jittery she was standing out with her appearance. She had on a pitch black Yukata that covered her entire form and covering the entire dress was small tiny silvery and white glitter that was arranged in such a way that they mirrored the night sky. It was like looking into outer space as the her glittering form mirrored the constellations with how some parts of her yukata had more glitter with a misty patch to them while other areas did not. Chaos's love of pokadots and themes like them was the inspiration behind many of her dress choices. However for this occasion Chaos made a request to Naruto to make her this because after telling him a story about her love of the night sky and how it had a calming effect on her mood he knew what he had to do. With her mischievous purple eyes that were naturally large and ever observant it added to her cute factor and made her stand out even more.

Now as for her sister she had her own theme that was beautiful. Iris was wearing a yukata that was covered completely by the designs of feathers that are orange and red. Just like the feathers that are covering many parts of the village at the moment. From her appearance it would look like she is surrounded by the season of autumn with all the various shades of oranges and reds. On her head she had her signature bow. Smiling happily she and her sister who was being led by Aria walked into the small crowd of guess who all started to sing surprising in a good harmony. After signing happy birthday to the two excitable girls Iris and Chaos rushed over to Naruto who was excited just like they were. Latching onto his legs like they normally do the girls were a giggling mess as they couldn't contain their happiness. This was their first birthday party after all. For nearly an hour the girls opened up presents that were all sealed up in a scroll to save space. They got many things that girls their age would be interested in but for the most part since they were not normal girls by any means they got things that suited their unique taste.

However it came time to open up the last of the presents. Four of them to be exact. Getting quiet everyone was eager to see what Naruto had gotten the blond haired duo. Going up to them Naruto place the two presents in front of the each. "Alright girls here are the last of them I know you are going to love it." Naruto said as he sat down in front of them with silent anticipation and anxiousness welling up inside of him.

Being the ever excitable one Chaos decides to open up the first present. Ripping it open because she never had the attention span to delicately open it Chaos reached inside and pulled out two large rings that were purple in color and had three groups of protrusions that curved outwards. Each group also had three protrusions each. The rings were razor sharp and were obviously weapons. The rings were large enough that if Chaos wanted she could place them on her head and they would fit. "Dada what are these?" Chaos asked in confusion although Naruto knew by the slight redness of her eyes that she was beginning to catch on. "These are your weapons Chaos. I know it's pretty early and all but I wanted to teach you how to fight at close range since that are your weakness points, but also to make sure you're comfortable this weapon is also a long range weapon which you prefer. All you have to do is throw them like shuriken." Naruto explained. "Naruto is it wise to give her a weapon such as this." Hiruzen voiced his concerns.

"Yeah it's ok. Chaos won't hurt anyone with this right sweetie." Naruto said as he rubbed the girls head. "I promise." Chaos said with a beaming smile. "Besides you can never be too careful. I have to get them ready for the future gramps." Naruto said with a look to the old Hokage. A look Hiruzen understood and with a sigh he nodded his head. "These are so cool." Chaos said as she looked like she was going to throw one of them. Seeing this Naruto quickly took them from her much to the girls' frustration. "However we will be practicing with these first ok." Naruto said with a nervous chuckle.

Turning to Iris she also opened her box and pulled out two identical Chinese fans. They were custom made and they were red, yellow, and orange. On one side was the image of a phoenix surrounded by fire and on the other side was the same orange and red feathers that were heavily prevalent today. However on the fan it looked like the feathers were being blown around by a gust of wind. "Now these are your weapons Iris. With your growing powers over wind and your primary fire abilities I thought it would be best to use these as a medium for you to focus your abilities through. Especially when you combine it with the fighting style we have been working on." Naruto explained. Cheering happily Iris hugged Naruto with Naruto returning the hug. "Best thing yet is that it is a standalone weapon. First the metal used in the frame is razor sharp and there is a metal strip at the top of the fan that is sharpened as well so you can use it to fight other weapons. Also you can channel your fire and wind into the weapon as well through the metal. It's the same with your weapons to Chaos." Naruto added on.

"That is so cool, hey gramps how come you never got me a weapon like that?" Konohamaru commented as he gave his grandfather a pout. "At the moment you wouldn't be able to handle such a thing Konohamaru, but speaking of that those are some impressive weapons Naruto how did you come across them?" The Hokage asked in curiosity. Everyone else wanted to know the same thing. Well almost everyone else. "Oh you see gramps the thing is I made them myself." Naruto admitted. Shocked almost everyone in the room let out a loud "Huh?"

"Yeah you see I made these weapons myself. IT took me a long time to get it right but I've been working on these for quite some time now. I only finished them an about a week ago." Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. "And when did you learn to make a weapon such as these. Especially Chaos's weapon. It is quite the beauty." Hiruzen asked as he looked at Chaos's weapon. The forging process to create something so sharp yet elegant was something a child such as Naruto should not be able to do. "Well you see soon after meeting Shoko she began to teach me how to forge since she's a swords master and all. It was really tough and it took me all these years to get down." Naruto confessed. "I see." Hiruzen said as he gave Shoko a sideways glance.

"Hey girls open up the last two I know you'll love them." Naruto said. You could hear the eagerness in his voice trying to get out. Taking in her father's excitement Iris decided to go first this time. Opening the present she gasped in surprise. Inside the box was a brown teddy bear. However it was no simple teddy bear. "John Paul!" Iris squealed in excitement as she grabbed the teddy bear out of the box. It was a brown teddy bear that because of her size was a little big but it had a green collar around its neck with a little tag that said (John Paul). "How did you know?" Iris asked in glee. Her large blue eyes were staring up into Naruto's own pair but hers were ever so slowly turning green. "Well what kind of daddy would I be if I didn't even know my own daughters wants and needs?" Naruto bragged and boasted getting Iris and Chaos to giggle at the triumphant and superior look on his face. Claes rolled her eyes at this while the rest of the girls giggled at their friends antics.

Moving on Chaos decided to open hers. Reaching inside she let out an even bigger gasp than Iris. Her hands started to shake and her lips started to pucker and tremble as well. With shaking hands Chaos pulled out a pair of shoes. It was not like the normal shinobi sandals. It was a pair of sneakers that had a red strip around the front wear the toes would be. Seeing the state she was in everyone started to become worried. Iris crawled over to her sister and shook her. "Chaos! Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Naruto was also concerned but before he could speak up Chaos beat him to the punch. "How?" Looking up everyone could see that tears were starting to stream down her face. "You told me silly. Remember we were talking one day and you told me how you would like a pair of shoes. However you were adamant that it had to be a special kind and not the generic kind like the Shinobi sandals. It also helped that you drew me a picture." Naruto said softly as he rubbed Chaos cheek with this thumb getting rid of the tears that were falling. "These look just like…" Chaos began to say but Naruto cut her off. "You said you wanted them special right?" Naruto said with a cheesy grin on his face with his eyes squinted shut. Slowly a small smile spread across Chaos's face before it irrupted into a beautiful and breathtaking smile that showed of untold amounts of gratitude and love that just couldn't be comprehended.

"Thank you dada!" Chaos yelled as she tackled Naruto to the ground and rubbed her face against his. Naruto was reduced to a laughing mess as he struggled to get the 6 year old off of him. "You're welcome Chaos. You too Iris." Naruto said as he managed to sit up and scoop both Iris and Chaos into his arms.

"Hey girls." Naruto said as he grabbed their attention. "Happy Birthday." Naruto said as he gave a heartwarming smile that was filled with so much love that it lit up the entire room. With all of it directed at Iris and Chaos the two blond haired girls gained a light blush on their faces as they stared up at their father who was beaming down at them. Sharing a look with each other the girls let loose a blinding smile as they tackled Naruto back onto the floor. "Thank you daddy!" They both yelled. Laughing Naruto hugged them back just as tightly with everyone else laughing and joining in on the big pile up. "Come on girls lets enjoy the rest of the day." Naruto said with Chaos and Iris cheering in agreement. "Now who wants cake?" Naruto asked. All of the kids cheered for that.

* * *

 _ **Later that Night**_

"Girls aren't you getting to old to be sleeping in my bed?" Naruto asked as he lay in his bed and snuggled up close to him were both Iris and Chaos. "No." Both girls said in unison. Sighing Naruto just chuckled and patted both of their heads. "We're never to old dada!" Chaos exclaimed as she pressed her face against Naruto's making each of their cheeks bulge out. Laughing Naruto gently pushed her off of him and rubbed her head. "You know it's hard to believe that it's been six years since I found you two in that clearing." Naruto said as he relaxed in the bed with a far off look on his face. "Yeah it was crazy that day. I remember it like it was yesterday." Eva said as she crawled out of Naruto's spiky hair that was currently covered up by a black sleeping cap that has large white eyes with black pupils. A darker shade of black was used on a small ball used as the nose. Around the rim of the hat it was white and around Naruto's forehead were two white cotton squares that functioned as teeth. At the end of the cap which was in the shape of a cone was a small white ball of cotton that was hanging down. Naruto received it two years ago as a birthday present from Hinata as well as a pair of green goggles that she got him.

"Now you girls have gotten pretty big. From now on we are going to train like crazy. Who knows what the future might bring. So I need you girls to be strong." Naruto said calmly while staring up at the ceiling. "Don't worry daddy we're already strong but we'll get stronger." Iris said in a comforting tone. "Yeah your right. You guys are strong already." Naruto conceited with a chuckle.

"So what's next daddy?" Iris asked. Understanding what she was asking Naruto answered her. "Well I have to go back to the academy to receive my team placement and find out who will be on my team. After that I start my ninja missions." Naruto explained. "Oh! Ooh! Ooooh! Can we come with you dada? I want to go on ninja missions with you!" Chaos asked excitedly. "I was thinking of that and I don't want to be separated form you two for long periods of time so yeah you can come. We'll just have to work something out that's all." Naruto said as he was not too keen on being away from the two blonds for long. Having learned his lesson over the years on what can happen out in the field and the possibilities of not coming back to them Naruto has become quite paranoid with leaving the girls behind for long periods of time or if he is long distances away.

"But all the same I'm not just a simple kid anymore." Naruto said in melancholy. "Yeah you're a ninja now." Iris said in a sing song tone. "You're also a mafia member and you beat up bad guys." Chaos said with her normal giggles accompanying her. "And you're a magnet for trouble." Eva said from her spot on Naruto's forehead. "But most importantly of all I'm still your father and that won't change." Naruto said passionately as he kissed each girl on their foreheads getting them both to squeal in delight. "Good night my girls." Naruto said addressing all of the girls surrounding him.

"Night Naru!"

"Night Dada!"

"Night Daddy!"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu** \- A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the users chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

* * *

 **Water Devil** \- It is a swimming game in which one person will submerge another person's head underwater and when the start to drown you pull them back up and give them mouth to mouth resuscitation. It is a sneaky way to steal a kiss from someone you like. _{A good example of this is in the anime called **Baka to Test: Summon the Beast**.}_

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 _That's the end of the Prologue I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 **Published:** 6/30/2015


	2. CH: 1 School Rumble of Assigning Team 7

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back again with Chapter 1. Now their is a small mini arc that will span through chapters 1-4 and it will serve its purpose later on down the road in the story. Watch as a lot of drama and action unfolds in the next few chapters as some secrets come to light. So with that being said enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 1

 _ **The School Rumble of Assigning Team 7**_

Ring! Ring! Ring!

SMASH!

"That's another broken clock. That's the fourth one this month." Evangeline commented as she crawled out of Naruto's sleeping cap. "Well you insist that we should keep buying one. I say it's a waste of money." Naruto commented back with a yawn. "Morning Eva." Naruto mumbled out. "Morning Naru." Eva replied. Sitting up in bed Naruto had a drowsy look on his face as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes. Seeing the girls sleeping soundly next to him Naruto quietly exited the bed and went to the bathroom where he washed up and brushed his teeth. Putting on his normal attire which was his blue shirt and orange sleeveless hoody he went to the kitchen where he met up with Aria who was just entering.

"Morning Master." Aria said with a bow. She had on her normal attire with her witch hat on display. Shaking his head at his partner's antics Naruto started to gather items for breakfast. "Morning Aria, want to help me with breakfast?" Naruto asked. "It would be my pleasure." Aria quickly agreed.

After breakfast which was lively as usual with Chaos and Iris forcing Naruto to feed them with Naruto commenting on how he spoils them to much he began to gather his equipment for the day. "Alright I'm ready. I'll see you guys later. Stay out of trouble Iris and Chaos. Don't give Aria a hard time." Naruto said as he left the apartment with the girls giving Aria a mischievous look that caused the poor witch to gulp in fright.

* * *

Quickly making his way to the academy with no delays Naruto met up with Hinata at the front gate. After greeting each other they quickly started to make their way inside. "I really hope I end up on your team Hinata." Naruto commented. "Yeah just imaging the combos we could make Hinata." Eva commented as she drifted to Hinata's thick hoody. Hinata was one of the few people besides Naruto who she felt comfortable being next to. "Yeah I would hate to be separated form you both. I would miss the girl talks we would have and the little jokes and pranks you would pull Eva." Hinata commented with a giggle. "Yeah it would suck, but at the same time I'm pretty sure that our teams might do joint missions in the future so there's that and we could still train together on our own time." Naruto suggested as they made their way to their classroom. "Yeah your right. Whatever happens will be ok." Hinata said positively as they entered their classrooms.

The loud noise of preteens talking loudly filled the duos ears as they made their way inside. Some students noticed them including Shikamaru who lazily looked in their direction. "Hey guys. Naruto what are you doing here I thought you didn't pass?" The lazy genius asked. "Well you see this headband on my head Shikamaru that should answer your question." Naruto said with a chuckle as he sat down in the row below the shadow user. With Hinata sitting beside him and Choji and Shino sitting in the row above them the group of friends began to talk to each other. Hearing the sound of a stamped heading for the room Naruto and Shikamaru both sighed in unison. Entering the room in a cloud of commotion was Sakura and Ino. Struggling to get into the room while bumping shoulders with each other they finally got in by falling onto the ground. Picking themselves up they started to bicker over who stepped into the room first. When they saw that there was only one empty seat next to Sasuke the cause for their behavior they rushed over to the table fighting over who would sit in that seat.

"And that is why I lost respect for them." Naruto commented offhandedly while turning his head away from the embarrassing and self-degrading sight. "They are not giving Kunoichi good names." Hinata said with a disappointing frown. As a girl who was raised properly and strictly in the Hyūga clan the sight before her didn't sit right in her eyes. "Humans." Evangeline whispered. Tapping her jacket collar lightly Hinata frowned more. "Sorry, some humans." Eva rephrased her comment. Seeing the blond and pink haired girl still at it Evangeline got a devilish idea. Concentrating she focused in on the squabbling girls who were trying to push each other out the way. **"Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Freeze Vision."** Eva whispered. Feeling a stir in his chakra Naruto perked up just in time to see what was about to happen. Sakura and Ino who were trying to push passed each other suddenly stopped moving. Looking down at their hands which they were pushing against, they now couldn't pull them apart.

"Hey let go of my hand forehead!"

"No you let go Ino-pig!"

Trying to pull their hands apart the girls struggled. "What's going on how come I can't get loose?" Sakura yelled. Looking directly at Hinata but with his eyes darting down to her hoody Naruto turned away after seeing Eva's head poke out with a massive grin on her face. Barely keeping the smirk off of his own face he instead drew his attention back to Hinata who was giving him a look. She didn't know that it was Eva who was the culprit. Seeing the look Naruto shrugged his shoulders while sending a discreet look down to her jacket. While the others missed it Shikamaru didn't and he cracked open his eye a little wider than usual and started to pay attention.

Seeing someone who he did not want to talk to approach him Naruto let out another sigh. "So dead last what are you doing here? Last time I checked only those who graduated should be here." Kiba Inuzuka spoke up in a haughty tone as he came to stand in front of their desk. "And last time I checked Inuzuka dogs were not blind. I guess I'm a little slow on the uptake." Naruto commented lightly managing to insult both Kiba and himself at the same time to be fair. While Naruto also insulted the rest of Kiba's clan which he didn't have a problem with, he just chalked it up to collateral and said a silent apology in his head.

"What was that fishcake? I didn't quite hear you." Kiba asked with some bite in his tone. Twitching in annoyance at the interpretation of his name Naruto looked up at Kiba and showed his irritation in his eyes and next comment. "Oh and you're a deaf dog too, now that's not good. My, the only thing worst would be if you lost your sense of smell." Naruto said in an irritated tone while glaring at Kiba whose face was turning red in anger. "How dare you! You stupid blond. If you got jokes like that then how about we settled this right now!" Kiba barked out as he jumped on top of Naruto's section of the desk and stared him straight in the eyes. Tensing his muscles in preparation Naruto was about to make a comment when Hinata spoke up. "Now I think that is enough Kiba. Naruto you shouldn't egg him on like that." The indigo haired girl said in a disappointed tone directed at Naruto.

Feeling irritated Naruto glared at Kiba and leaned back in his seat refusing to look at either Kiba or Hinata. Turning to Hinata Kiba moved over so that he was perched up in front of her. "I was just stating fact. He failed; we all saw it. I don't know how he got a headband but it must have been a fluke. But enough of that. I was wondering if you were not busy after we get out then maybe I could take you out to eat." Kiba said arrogantly. Hinata backed up in her seat at how close Kiba had suddenly gotten to her. Their faces were a little too close for her.

By now everyone in class including Sakura and Ino who were still stuck together were now watching with interest what was happening. Fuki who was sitting in the top row and away from Naruto tuned in to see what was happening. Earlier she was contemplating tripping up Sakura and Ino when they passed by her after entering through the door on the second level of the class. Sasuke gave a mild interest to what was going on. Mostly to see how Naruto would react. Fuki was of the same mindset. It was no S-Rank secret that Naruto and Hinata were very close and he was overprotective of her. While it was obvious that she had a crush on him people were unsure if he had those same feelings. Sure rumors were always in abundance around the school about any and everything but the mystery behind their exact relationship has remained just that. A mystery.

Seeing Kiba so brazenly asked Hinata out right in front of his face set something off inside of Naruto. Reacting Naruto suddenly appeared where Kiba had just been squatting in a fast blur of motion. Kiba himself now found himself with a sore back laid out awkwardly on the steps next to their desk. "Sorry Kibbles but as you can see you are invading Hinata's space so please don't do that again." Naruto said in a clipped tone. It was the same tone he uses when in battle.

Now this had everyone on their toes. They had never seen Naruto move so fast before and the tone he used was not something any of the student have heard him use before; well almost any of them. Fuki completely started to openly stare at Naruto at this point. _'That tone.'_ She thought.

If Shikamaru was paying any type of attention before he was certainly paying attention now and that is what allowed him to see what was about to happen next. _'Uh-oh.'_

The student in the row below Naruto and Hinata shifted in his seat after seeing Kiba thrown to the floor. He was trying to get a better angle of the drama going on but he unknowingly made even more. Accidentally bumping Naruto who was above him everything suddenly went in slow motion. The widening of both Naruto and Hinata's eyes let both of them know what was about to happen. The slower widening of everyone else's eyes was not too far behind.

Time completely froze as Naruto's lips landed cleanly on Hinata's. Their eyes which were nearly popping out of their sockets stared into each other's which was less than an inch apart. Bracing himself with his hands against Hinata's shoulders and a quick but subtle use of his chakra at the bottom of his feet stopped Naruto from completely falling on top of Hinata and hurting her. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. _'Oh my god I'm kissing Hinata! She's my best friend I'm not supposed to be doing this! But why…why does it not feel like a bad thing? Why does it not feel wrong? Why does it feel right?'_ Naruto thought in a daze. His mind was clouded over in a haze of confusion and a mangled up knot of conflicting emotions.

' _Naruto's kissing me! He's kissing me! He's kissing me! What do I do? Should I stop him?'_ Hinata thought in her mind as she was panicking but to her credit she didn't pass out like expected. Slowly moving away from Hinata Naruto's face was burning with a blush so bright that it was contrasting with his blue eyes. His heart was racing and it felt like it would break out of his chest. Hinata to her credit again was still conscious but barely and she had managed to beat out all of her previous blushes over the years by a mile with the one on her face right now. Breathing heavily she tried to speak but nothing would come out. Naruto was trying the same thing but oddly enough his throat was dry and no words were forming as much as he wanted them too but as he thought about it he realized that his mind was drawing blank to respond to what just happened.

Shock. Pain. Happiness. These were the three most prominent emotions running through Evangeline right now in that order form largest to smallest with happiness taking last place. The total shock of seeing her lifelong friend and as they affectionately call each other their other half kiss Hinata left Evangeline speechless. One hundred percent speechless. That was the most prominent emotion running through the winter fairy's body right now. The next was pain and a lot of it. A pain entered Eva's heart and it hurt a lot. Somehow seeing Naruto kiss Hinata hurt Eva and she couldn't figure out why especially not in this very moment. All she knows is that it hurts very much. The last is a small pang of happiness. She has known about the crush Hinata's had on Naruto for years now. Over time Evangeline and Hinata have become very close, almost like sisters and just like with Naruto Evangeline have told Hinata everything about her and they have bonded in a way that Naruto wouldn't be able to replicate or understand.

While naturally very possessive and overprotective of Naruto because of her nature as a demon Evangeline never particularly minded Hinata getting close to Naruto or the feelings she had for him but again over time that changed slightly. With her age also came side effects. Her instincts over the years have started to leak through. Because Evangeline is domesticated in a sense because she's spent most of her life by Naruto she doesn't have the same instincts or habits that a normal demon would have but with time they have leaked through and it has caused her to have a slight change in opinion about her best friend's attraction to her host. The matter was then further complicated when Henrietta started to show an interest in Naruto. Like before Evangeline was indifferent about Henrietta's interest in Naruto but her instincts which have been silently building over the years have made it hard to ignore. Then when you add Aria who has a deep devotion and a slight infatuation with Naruto and Evangeline has found it very hard to ignore the building threats to her position with Naruto. It only made it worse that when Naruto pulled away from Hinata their eyes met and he saw her shocked face.

The slight happiness that she is feeling is because she is happy to see Hinata who is her first female friend and best friend at that get closer to her crush and take such a big step. But it's causing her pain in this moment. "Naruto you damn jerk!" Kiba growled out as he slowly made his way to his feet. A heated glare was on his face as he stared down his rival.

This was the scene Iruka and Anko walked in on. _'What the? The rooms actually quiet for once what could have caused this?'_ Iruka though as he limped in on his crutch. The doctor said he could get rid of it in two weeks' time. Taking in the scene Iruka spotted Naruto squatting on the desk in front of Hinata and the atmosphere around them was very thick. Anko on the other hand who had a Dango stick in her hand dropped in in shock. _'No way, don't tell me. Did they kiss? Oh my god this is just like that scene in Icha Icha School Rumble!'_ Anko thought with a girlish squeal that was out of character for her.

"Um what's going on?" Iruka called out breaking the tense atmosphere that settled down on the class. Breaking out of his shock Naruto leaped into his chair and straightened up. "Nothing Iruka Sensei, nothing's going on." Naruto said in a fast tone. He said it so fast that it was almost hard for Iruka to make out. "Nothing happened? Nothing happened! You damn blond I'll get you for this!" Kiba yelled as he was about to jump at Naruto who was not in any state of mind to fight back. Seeing this as her queue to step in Anko suddenly appeared besides Kiba who was now a few feet off the ground and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Ok that's enough Kiba, now take your seat." Anko said. "What no way. That blond idiot is going to pay for humiliating me like that!" Kiba yelled as he flailed around in Anko's grasp.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Listen do I need to feed you to one of my snakes for you to get the message. Take your seat." Anko said offhandedly although her tone did change to be more commanding near the end. Relenting with a lot of reluctance Kiba marched off to his seat. This whole exchange was missed by Naruto who was still in a daze. Even Hinata missed it too as she was in her own little world.

"Ok now that I have your attention let us begin." Iruka said as he gave a long speech in which he recapped some of the most memorable moments during this class's time in the academy since they first enrolled up until they graduated. He spoke of many great times that they all shared. He also recapped some of the most important studies and things that they learned during their time in his class. With that out of the way he got on to the main event.

"Alright class I will now announce what which student will be on which team." Iruka called out gaining everyone's attention. By this point in time both Hinata and Naruto had snapped out of their dazes and where now paying full attention to Iruka; although they made sure not to look in each other's direction.

"Ok Team 1 will consist of…" Iruka began as he called out three students names and also called out the Jōnin instructor that would form this point on oversee their training as Genin. This consistent listing went on 4 more times and then Iruka reached team 6.

"Ok then Team 6 will consist of Kasumi Fujioka, Ami Yasui, and Fuki Kawata." Hearing her named called Fuki looked up and she spotted Naruto discreetly sending her a look. Returning the look she faced forward again. "Your Jōnin instructor will be Anko Mitarashi." Iruka called out. Shocked by this Naruto looked up at Anko who had a grin on her face but it was the type of grin that had a hidden meaning to it. [I'll tell you later] Was hidden in her grin. Understanding what his friend was telling him Naruto backed down and was prepared to relax some more but then Iruka said something that got his attention.

"Ok now Team 7 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki…" Hearing this Naruto perked up completely. For a brief moment forgetting what happened earlier. "…Sakura Haruno…" Hearing this Sakura put her head down on the desk with a loud groan. Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed dejectedly "…and Sasuke Uchiha." Hearing this Sakura suddenly shot up and cheered loudly while turning to Ino who she was still stuck holding hands with and taunted her about being on Sasuke's team. With that being said Naruto now felt a slight pang of pain in his heart. Looking over at Hinata for the first time in twenty minutes he could see that she had as distressed look on her face as well. "Your Jōnin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake." Iruka called out ignoring all of the background commentary and actions.

"Now then Team 8 will consist of Hinata Hyūga…" Perking up Hinata listened in. "… Shino Aburame…" A slight tilt of his head in Hinata's direction was all Shino gave. Naruto let out a sigh but was internally grateful that Hinata would have someone like Shino on her team to back her up. Even though the two don't talk much do to Shino's reserved and quite nature the two actually get along really well and Naruto respects Shino a lot and trust that he can look out for Hinata. These positive thoughts were reassuring to Naruto and helped ease him of all the drama that unfolded earlier but his happy bubble was about to burst. "… and Kiba Inuzuka."

Upon hearing those words everyone in the class zoomed in on Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata to see their reaction. Naruto froze in his spot and Hinata had a surprised look on her face. Kiba was surprised as well but slowly a smirk crawled onto his face. "Your Jōnin instructor will be Kurenai Yūhi." Feeling confident Kiba had a remark ready. "HA! Would you look at that? What was that about being too close to Hinata now Naruto?" Kiba asked. His taunt seemed to have worked as Naruto clenched his fist and grit his teeth. Looking like he was going to say something else Iruka cut in.

"Ah hem! Anyways since Team 9 is still in circulation from last year's roster we will go on to Team 10 now which will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akamichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Your Jōnin instructor will be Asuma Sarutobi." Iruka called out. Choji's reaction was to continue munching on his potato chips. Shikamaru moaned and placed his head back on his desk and Ino whined that she would not be on Sasuke's team and she cursed Sakura for that.

"Now that is all. I congratulate all of you for making it this far. You have done exceptionally well. Now I have only a little bit of parting words for you all." Iruka said and when he was sure he had everyone's attention he continued. "Never forget that the Will of Fire illuminates us all and we must do everything in our power to protect our village and the people who live inside of it; and finally never forget your comrades. It was one of the basis on which our village was founded on. We are stronger when we work together." Iruka preached but he said his last sentence in a slightly different tone however it was so slight that no one picked it up. Naruto was still trying to calm himself down so while he heard what Iruka said he didn't register anything else in his mind at the time.

"Now then your Jōnin sensei's will be by soon to pick you up so that they can introduce themselves to you all. That is it now. It's been a real pleasure teaching you all that you know now and seeing you graduate however as I say this to you now I am no longer your teacher but your superior officer and my first order to you all is this. Serve the Village with all your heart and always watch each other's backs out there in the field. That is all." Iruka said in a commanding tone and a hard look on his face.

"Sir yes sir!" The entire class shouted out as everyone sat up straight in their seats and stared directly into Iruka's eyes with a burning passion in their eyes. Each student had as different passion in their eyes but the one thing that was the same with them all was that they were going to succeed in their goals. Seeing this with his own eyes a truly proud look entered Iruka's eyes and a proud smile made its way onto his face. Not saying anything else he bowed the best he could with his crutch and then walked out of the room with his head held high not saying a word. All the students tracked his every movement with their eyes giving him the final bit of respect that each of them felt he deserved until he completely left the classroom.

Once Iruka left the class was deathly quiet for a moment as everyone was still stiff form a moment ago. But that was until the silence was broken by Anko. "So what happen before I got here?" She asked out of the blue. Having enough Naruto leaped over his desk and silently walked out of the classroom. Feeling concerned for him Hinata followed after him. Everyone missed the concerned look on Anko's face however to cover up her tracks and protect her image she commented. "What's with him?"

* * *

 _ **With Naruto and Hinata**_

Walking into the hall Naruto kept his head down as he walked. "Naruto wait up!" Hinata called out to him as she caught up to him and blocked his path. "Naruto are you ok?" Hinata asked worriedly, her concern was evident at this point. Feeling a commotion in her jacket Hinata looked down and was just in time to see Evangeline fly out of her hoody. "What was that back there?!" The fairy yelled her face red with anger and confusion. "Eva I'm sorry it was an accident." Hinata said as she could see the little fairy was not happy with what happen back in the classroom. "Eva I know your angry with me but listen it was an accident the guy behind me pushed me." Naruto called out. He could feel his other half's anger through their bond and it was hurting him. He could sense her anger bubbling below the surface the entire time during class and that was one of the reasons why he left the class as soon as possible. He was feeling uncomfortable and confused.

"Accident?! I don't care! Y-you, you shouldn't have done that!" Eva said as she started to choke on her words. Small tears were welling up in her eyes. "How could you Naruto you stupid idiot!" Eva yelled as she started to tremble.

' _Oh my god. Eva don't tell me you…?'_ Hinata thought as she looked at Eva and how she was reacting. As a girl Hinata could see things from different prospective and it helped her to quickly get to the bottom of Eva's reaction. "Eva I don't know what to say but I'm sorry. I know your pretty possessive of me so what I did must have upset you or something but let me make it up to you." Naruto pleaded as he has never seen Eva this shaken up before. _'No Naruto it's not just because she's possessive of you. While that is part of the reason it doesn't even come close to the main one.'_ Hinata thought sadly as she finally realized what was happening with her best female friend.

"You're a stupid jerk you know that Naruto!" Eva yelled as she summoned a ball of water and threw it in Naruto's face. Stunned by this Naruto whipped his eyes and looked up to see Evangeline flying off. "Eva! Wait! Come back!" Naruto called out but his other half was already down the hallway. Hinata was shocked by this as she has never seen Naruto and Evangeline have a fight before in all the years that she's known the pair.

"Oh Naruto I'm so sorry." Hinata said. She could feel herself on the verge of crying. While not having the special bond that Naruto and Eva share Hinata has become close to the Winter Fairy over the years so much so that they can tell each other's emotions apart with relative ease. Feeling the betrayal, anger, sadness, and confusion turning inside of Evangeline Hinata couldn't help but feel guilty and disgusted with herself. _'I should have known.'_ She thought to herself in a guilty tone.

"It's not your fault Hinata. Evangeline and I are close so seeing that must have hurt her." Naruto said sadly. Hinata could see the inner turmoil churning inside of Naruto. Having a fight with Evangeline and then seeing her fly off was killing Naruto on the inside. It is a true rarity that the little fairy and Naruto are separated from each other and it was never on bad terms. _'Should I tell him?'_ Hinata contemplated. Thinking about it Hinata had a change of heart. _'No. It's not my place. It will only be better if Eva tells Naruto the truth. I can't interfere even if I want to.'_ Hinata conceded to herself on the matter.

"Are you going to go after her?" Hinata asked in concern. She really wanted to go after her little friend to comfort her and to make sure she is alright and not spotted. "No. I'm going to give her some space. I can track her down later using our bond. I don't want to anger her any further. To tell you the truth I don't think I could handle her being any angrier with me than she is now. It feels really empty not having her with me now and it's sad that she literally just left a minute ago." Naruto said in a defeated tone. "I'm sorry Naruto. I want to come with you when you go to find her ok. I want to apologize to her as well." Hinata stated adamantly. "Ok sure. I don't think I could face her on my own anyways. I just don't know why she got so angry. It looks like you might know why Hinata." Naruto asked with some hope in his eyes. "Do you?" He asked desperately.

Looking at her crush with sad eyes Hinata shook her head. "You'll know soon enough Naruto."

* * *

 _ **3 Hours Later**_

After returning to the classroom Hinata and Naruto sat back down amidst the gossiping whispers of the class and the curious and warily glances that accompanied them. After a few minutes the door slid open and two adults entered the classroom. One was a beautiful woman with wavy black hair and red eyes and she was wearing a mesh undershirt and over that she had on a white dress that looked like it was made out of bandages that had rose thorn like designs going through the middle of each bandage. She actually used regular bandages below her dress to cover up her thighs and on her arms to cover up her forearms. She also had on a red shirt that only had one long sleeve that extended all the way down her right arm and stopped at her wrist. This was Kurenai Yūhi and she was the rookie Jōnin that recently got promoted. She also worked at the academy for a short amount of time as the students recall from years gone by including Naruto and Hinata.

Next to her was a tall muscular man with a thick beard and spiky black hair. With the normal Jōnin attire on consisting of a dark blue shirt and pants with a green flak jacket over it. Although his flak jacket was a dark shade of green. The only difference was he had a cloth hanging off his waist with the Land of Fire's Kanji written on it. Currently he had a cigarette in his mouth that he was smoking on but a glare from Kurenai had him rethinking his habit in front of kids. This man was Asuma Sarutobi the son of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and uncle to Konohamaru Sarutobi.

"Will team 8 please follow me please?" Kurenai spoke up. Her voice was naturally slightly husky and carried with it a natural seductive tone that was not forced or an act. Squeezing Naruto's hand underneath the desk Hinata got up and joined Kiba and Shino who were following the rookie Jōnin out of the room. "Alright will Team 10 come with me?" Asuma spoke up. He had a slightly deep voice and it carried with it a sense of boredom and laziness.

With this Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji got up and followed Asuma out of the room. "Alright now Team 6 lets blow this joint." Anko said as Fuki and her two teammates got up and followed after Anko. Naruto managed to catch the concerned gaze Anko set him before she left the room.

With that the classroom descended into silence as the rest of the teams left with their sensei's a small amount of time later which just left Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. After 3 hours of intense boredom in which Naruto couldn't take his mind off of Evangeline and the incident with Hinata Naruto finally heard some foot steps outside of their room. Perking up all three members of the next team 7 looked up and saw the door slid open slightly and a head pop in.

"Huh? Well that's very odd. I was expecting an eraser to fall on my head or something. That's pretty strange. Well anyways my first impressions on you guys are… meh. Meet me on the roof top in five minutes." The man said as his head ducked back out of the room. His masked face and gravity defying grey hair were the only things that they saw of him. Sighing Naruto got up and headed to the door with Sasuke and Sakura following.

Once on the roof top the three Genin sat on the steps in front of their new teacher who was reading an orange book while leaning against the railing. "Ok now let's begin. How about you guys introduce yourselves?" Kakashi suggested. "What do you mean by that sensei?" Sakura asked. Some time ago she and Ino managed to get unstuck from each other much to their collective relief. Although Ino slightly wished that she could be here in Sakura's place or even be dragged here by Sakura as collateral.

' _Did she really just ask that?'_ Naruto thought in confusion. "Oh you know the usual. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future that kind of stuff so how about you go first Blondie." Kakashi spoke up. Twitching a little at the comment Naruto had a comeback. "Well why don't you go first and show us an example." Naruto suggested. "Well ok. My name is Kakashi Hatake and I have many likes and some dislikes. Hobbies well there are a few but some of them are not for kids like you. Dreams for the future… hum? I never really thought about it. So your turn Blondie." Kakashi said in a completely laid back and nonchalant tone. _'All we learned was his name.'_ Sakura and Sasuke thought together. _'This man is smart. A true ninja never gives away information that could be used against him. But why does this person seem so familiar to me?'_ Naruto questioned himself.

"Well my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, my best friends, gardening, fixing things… _'Gambling, stealing, fighting tough opponents, and most importantly of all taking care of my girls.'_ Naruto thought to himself in private. "… and taking care of others. For dislikes it would probably be the 3 minutes it takes for ramen to be ready… _'I still don't know why they call it instant.'_ "… People that harm kids and mistreat them, people who bully others needlessly, and anyone who can't tell a scroll from the Kunai sealed inside of it. For hobbies it would be eating ramen, hanging out with my friends… _'Taking care of my girls and spoiling them.'_ "… Pulling pranks and having fun with my friends. Dreams for the future. Well I want to become the Hokage so that everyone will change their opinions of me _'And so that I can give my girls and the kids of this village a safe place to live.'_ "… and raise a family one day." _'Not to mention protect my girls from whatever is out there.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he finished his introduction.

"Nice introduction Naruto. I see you have your head on straight. Now then you next broody." Kakashi commented as he asked Sasuke to go next. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't particularly like anything too much. But I do hate a lot of things. Hobbies well I rather not say. Dreams for the future. No, that's not the right word for it. I have an ambition a goal. I will avenge my family and kill their murderer. After that I will cleanse the Uchiha clan name and restart it over." Sasuke said darkly. Both Naruto and Kakashi narrowed their eyes at hearing this; although they didn't notice each other doing this action.

' _Sasuke is so cool.'_ Sakura thought in a dreamy voice. _'He must be talking about Itachi Uchiha. He wants revenge. Now that I think about it, it's been so long since Weasel and his team went on that long term S-Rank mission to hunt Itachi down. I wonder how weasel is doing. I hope he is alright._ ' Naruto thought although he was unaware of the irony and problems with this line of thought. _'Itachi why did you do it?'_ Kakashi thought sadly as he cast a discreet glance at Naruto who he saw was in deep thought.

"Ok last but not least bubble gum, please introduce yourself to us." Kakashi called out knocking Naruto out of his inner thoughts. "Oh well my name is Sakura Haruno and I like… I mean the person I like is… Things I don't like are stupid girls that get in my way and people who hurt others and senseless violence. Hobbies well one of them is… no, no, no, well a hobby of mine is arranging flowers, reading books, and helping out people. Dreams for the future well I want to uhmm… I want to become a successful Kunoichi and have a good life." Sakura said. Her introduction was a mess and every time she would stutter or cut off her own sentences was because she would glance at Sasuke next to her and start blushing bright red.

' _This girl, if she wants to make it anywhere in this profession then she's going to need a lot of work and the first thing on the list is going to be getting rid of that petty crush on Sasuke. It's only a distraction and it's going to get her or someone else hurt or worst.'_ Kakashi thought with a frown covered up by his face mask. _'Speaking of distractions what's wrong with Naruto? He's been distracted ever since we got here.'_ Kakashi asked himself as he noticed that Naruto wasn't all there.

' _Come on already. Are we done here? I want to go find Eva. I can feel her_ _ **Yōki**_ _and its greatly disturbed and agitated.'_ Naruto thought impatiently. With the introductions out of the way Kakashi told them to meet him at Training Ground 3 at 6:00am sharp and that they shouldn't eat breakfast or they might run the risk of throwing up later. When asked why by Sakura Kakashi explained that they would be taking a survival exercise where he will determine if they are worth his time to teach and if they really deserve the rank of Genin. Hearing this shocked Naruto a bit and distracted him from his earlier thought but he was shocked further when Kakashi explained that the test had a 66 percent failure rate. This was enough to distract Naruto for a moment and he went over the information he was told. Understanding the severity of the test and the consequences of not passing Naruto's face turned grim.

' _If I'm to pass this test at all let alone all three of us then I'm going to need Eva now more than ever. I couldn't and I wouldn't do this without her.'_ Naruto thought to himself with absolute resolve. "Ok now if that is all you three are dismissed. See ya." Kakashi said as he disappeared in a **Body Flicker**.

With Kakashi gone the three Genin hopefuls were left by themselves. _'I would love to know why that Jōnin seems so familiar to me but Eva comes first. I have to find her.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he suddenly shot to his feet startling Sasuke and Sakura who were about to get up themselves. Without even saying a word Naruto rocketed off the steps they were sitting at and hopped over the railing Kakashi was just leaning against. Taking off at high speeds Naruto started roof hopping while ignoring Sakura's shouts of where he was going in such a hurry.

Kakashi who was a few building away still observing his new team was a little shocked at how fast Naruto left but his shock was replaced by an overwhelming amount of curiosity and a small seed of concern. Snapping his orange book shut, he silently started to follow after Naruto while keeping his distance as much as possible.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

' _Where are you Hinata? Where are… there you are!'_ Naruto thought as he searched for Hinata. Spotting her and her team by one of the many parks that can be found all around the village Naruto jumped off the nearest building and landed in front of Team 8. "Excuse me Kurenai Sensei but I must borrow Hinata right now it's important." Naruto said hurriedly. Automatically knowing what was going on and why he was acting that way Hinata stepped forward so that she was now standing by Naruto. "I'm sorry Kurenai Sensei but I must go it's in important matter that I must attend to right away." Hinata said politely as she bowed to her team. Before Kurenai could say anything both Naruto and Hinata jumped up onto the closes roof top they could find and started speeding off. "Hey Naruto get back here! How are you just going to let them go off like that Kurenai sensei?" Kiba yelled as he turned to his new Sensei with irritation clear in is posture and demeanor. "Whatever it is it must be important and I can always ask Hinata later about it. Now come let's go." Kurenai said reasonably. What no one noticed was that Shino placed one of his insects on Hinata when she started walking towards Naruto.

"Are you ok Naruto?" Hinata asked as she was running by Naruto's side. "Yeah mostly but I want to find Eva and fast. I was starting to get a bad feeling earlier. Eva's Yōki is changing. I don't know what it means but it can't be good. I'm really worried about her." Naruto said as the anxiety could clearly be seen on his face. Hinata who is well aware of the fact that Eva's Yōki runs through Naruto's chakra network understands how he can sense her. Hinata sees it every time she uses her **Byakugan** on Naruto whenever they spar. Eva's Yōki always becomes visible whenever Naruto fights.

"You know where she is right?" Hinata asked. "Yes she's in our private little clearing we found a long time ago." Naruto revealed. "Ok then lets hurry." Hinata said as she quickened her pace.

* * *

 _ **20 Minutes Later**_

Landing in the clearing that they usually spend time with the girls in and have their picnics Hinata and Naruto could automatically see and sense that everything was not alright. Patches of bark from a lot of the trees could be seen blasted clean off and a lot of the area was damp and wet from water. "Naruto this isn't right where is Eva?" Hinata asked as she could see that Eva was obviously here. "She should be…" Naruto started to say until they both heard the sound of a large volume of water blasting into something. The next second the saw a tree on the other side of the clearing somewhere in the forest fall over. "…Over there!" Naruto pointed out as they raced over to where they saw the tree fall. Once they got there they were shocked at what they found.

"Oh my god Eva is that you?" Naruto called out barely above a whisper.

* * *

 _ ***To be Continued***_

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Well guys there you have it. Naruto's in the dog house now. It's finally happened Naruto has kissed Hinata although it wasn't exactly on the terms he wanted or even thought about until now. Kiba and Naruto also but heads again and Naruto has slipped up in more ways than one. With the formation of Team 7 and the seriousness of their survival test looming over head Naruto desperately needs to find Eva and get to the bottom of her reaction in the school. But what will Naruto and Hinata find when they get there? Stay tuned and find out.

 _ **P.S**_ \- Also for anyone out their wondering why I've portrayed Kiba this way don't worry. I'm not bashing his character or anything. In fact I quite like his character in all fairness but I wanted to take his character in a different route that isn't used fairly often in fanfiction stories. Most of the time he is on good terms with Naruto but I wanted a little conflict and friction between the two based on their personalities and how its very much possible for them not to see eye to eye and clash with each other.

 _ **P.P.S**_ \- Please leave a review about what you thought of this chapter and more importantly what you think is going to happen next.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 1 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 7/4/15


	3. CH: 2 Confessions of Water and Ice

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back with the next chapter for the story. I know I left you all with a cliff hanger in the last chapter because I wanted to try out being evil for a little bit. But enough of that lets find out what happened to Evangeline after she stormed off away from Naruto and Hinata

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I would really appreciated it if you can leave me a review after your done. It really helps a lot. Thank you.

Now onto the story.

* * *

Chapter 2

 _ **Confessions of Water and Ice**_

 _ **Evangeline's POV**_

' _HOW COULD HE!? WHY!? WHY!?'_ Eva screamed in her head as she flew down the hallway and out the school using one of the side entrances. She ignored Naruto's calls to her as she couldn't possibly turn back now. Flying into the air Eva looked back down at the academy building with a hurt expression on her face. _'Why?'_

Taking off she flew towards the many forests that are inside the massive village. Do to her small size no one spotted her. After some time she found the clearing that her small little family and friends often occupy for their picnics and general use. Huffing both from her anger and slight amount of exhaustion of crossing the village with her tiny wings Eva let out a frustrated cry.

"Why am I so angry? Shouldn't I be happy for them? I've known about Hinata's feeling for Naruto for a long time now. I've been encouraging her and him over the years so why now? Why does it hurt so badly? Why do I feel this way? Why am I so angry?" Eva questioned herself out loud. The frustration, confusion, anger, grief, and sadness could all be heard mixed in with the fairy's voice.

Chirp!

Chirp!

Chirp!

Looking up Eva could see to blue birds in a nearby tree and they were snuggled up next to each other and pressing their small beaks against each other. Seeing this display playing out in front of her something inside of Eva shifted and she gritted her teeth in pure anger. A whitish aura with a tint of blue in it appeared around Eva and coated her over. Her eyes which are normally bright blue started to turn red. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva yelled out and in front of her a large **Magic Circle** appeared before her. Now this has never happened to her before.

The magic circle was blue, white, and gold. In the center of the magic circle there was a large image of a dark blue water droplet. In the background behind the water droplet it was colored a light shade of blue. Outside the central circle there were two rings that were white in color and in the two white rings there was a diamond pattern running the length of the rings; the diamonds glowed from the reflection of Evangeline's golden dust making the diamonds color gold. In between the two rings that were rotating in a counterclockwise motion were four small white colored circles with snowflakes images in them. The circles were moving in a clockwise motion as well as the central circle. In the space that the snowflake spheres were occupying which was in between the two white and gold rings were 4 blue diamonds that were surrounded by glyphs that took the shape of half ovals and diamonds.

Out of the magic circle came a large volume of cerulean colored water that reflected the sun's rays casting a rainbow like effect on the water. Blasting into the tree where the two birds were perching several thick layers of the bark were blasted off violently. The tree wasn't that thick so when the **Yōki** infused water hit it and took away several of its layers it caused the tree to tip over and fall to the ground with a loud crash.

Huffing Eva still shrouded in the white aura screamed out in frustration. Taking several more shots Eva blasted several more trees causing two more to fall and damaging at least 8 more. Huffing Eva settled down on a thick tree branch. "What's happening to me? Is there something wrong with me?" Eva questioned herself as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"No child nothing is wrong with you." A calm voice called out. Startled Evangeline looked up to the branch that was above her and sitting calmly in that branch was someone she hasn't seen if a few months. It was Daylily the Summer Fairy that she met a few years back. "Ms. Daylily is that you?" Eva asked in shock. Eva had not seen Daylily in a few months. "Yes child it's me." Daylily said as she stared down at Eva with amusement clear in her eyes. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in months." Eva asked. She wiped away some of the tears that were streaming down her face. "I've been taking care of some business that's all. It's left me quiet busy. I recently arrived and I sensed your distress so I came to find you." Daylily explained calmly. "You did? Thank you." Eva sniffled out as she wiped more tears from her eyes. Seeing his Daylily stretched out her wings and floated down to the branch Eva was sitting on. Bugs and other little insects could be seen flying about and crawling across the trees. Some squirrels and other small animals were also seen scurrying about with a destination in mind. Next to Eva on a small little leaf a caterpillar was curled up silently watching Eva vigilantly.

"What seems to be the problem my child? A young girl like you shouldn't be crying like this." Daylily asked soothingly. "It's Naruto." Eva sobbed out. "Your host?" Daylily asked. "Yes he hurt me." Eva said softly. "He hurt you! Oh my. How come? Are you ok?" Daylily asked in concern. "He didn't hurt me physically but emotionally. I feel like he betrayed me." Eva said while pulling her knees to her chest. "What did he do?" Daylily asked. "He kissed a girl. My best friend to be exact and I don't know why but I was so furious with him. I've known about her feeling for him for a long time now and I've never let it bother me before. In fact I've even encouraged her to be more confident in herself. So why was I so angry?" Eva confessed.

"I've sensed it. Your feelings for this human have been growing over the years. You do realize that you are at that age right. You will soon be a teenager. While the life spans between Humans and Demons like us are different we both start off the same. One of our advantages is that we last a lot longer." Daylily explained calmly. Briefly Eva blushed at the implications Daylily were telling her. She is right Eva realize. While demons and humans are different with one of those differences being their life spans. They also share similarities. The humans and humanoid demons often shared similar physiologies which make it possible for them to experience certain things such as puberty if the demon had a humanlike body. However the concept itself of puberty was something that not just humans experienced but also Demons, Devils, Angels, naturally born Fallen Angels, and Yokai all experienced. It marked the period in time when they gained access to the first levels of their true power and it also marked the awakening of their species natural instincts.

For **Demons** it marks the time when that particular demon depending on what species it was started to carry out its instincts. However one thing that all demons share in common whether they are a dog demon, a fairy, wolf demon, Imp, Ogre, Cyclops, or anything else was the natural instinct that drove them to be attracted to areas with high concentrations of negative energy and emotions. It was in the very DNA of their creation to seek out infestations of negative energy and consume it in any way possible and most of those times have led to entire villages or civilizations of humans being whipped off the map. In demon society there are many types of demons who do different things but one of the most important jobs a demon can take up is becoming a contract demon.

A **Contract demon** is a profession a demon can take up which allows the demon to form contracts with humans in exchange for their souls. The demon can be form any race but once they become a contract demon they can't ever go back. They are allowed to still retain whatever species they were beforehand but they also gain the ability to form contracts and prolong their life by the total value of the soul they collect. The only down side to this is that if the demon does not consume any souls for a long period of time then they will die. They can sustain themselves on a high quality soul for untold periods of time but eventually they will die if they don't collect a new soul. While rare there have been natural born contract demons that are generally more powerful than those who choose to be turned into one. The time of puberty marks when a contract demon starts to seek out contracts with humans.

For natural born **Devils** it marks the time in their lives were they start to tempt human beings to make contracts with them in exchange for any number of things. One of the most prominent being the devil will ask the being as it doesn't have to be human to join there peerage. A small unit in which a natural born Devil is the king of. It functions on Chess like settings where the natural born Devil is the King and then they recruit other pieces to join them completing the set of 16. 15 of which will be made up of others occupying the other chess pieces besides the natural devil who will occupy the king piece in the game of chess. Most of the time a devil will wait until its chosen target is near death and then use its chess piece and demonic energy to reincarnate their victims into half devils to join their peerage.

For **Angels** this marks the time when they gain the urge to purify tainted entities whether they be human, demon, or other creature. The Angels are naturally attracted to areas of both positive energy and negative. For positive areas they watch of the area and bless it and place charms and spell on that particular place. They also grant small wishes and perform small miracles for the inhabitants of that specific area. For places with negative emotions they purify the area and bless it. They also attempt to destroy the source of the negative energy. Contrary to popular belief Angels do not kill off every demon they come across. While most demons are weak to angels and can't stand to be in their presents it's not always the case. Angels only kill of the demons that have been corrupted by the negative energy they have consumed whenever they destroy areas that are infected by negative energy. Angels leave the neutral or mild demons alone who either do not care for humans or are friendly to them.

As for the natural born **Fallen Angels** this marks the time when they attempt to make other Angels fall from grace. They also attempt to manipulate humans into leaving behind the god of their realm. Fallen Angels are naturally attracted to areas with high concentrations of negative energy as they find it prime targets to find humans that they can tempt and a good stocking ground for when other Angels and demons come to either take them out or tempt their fellow Angels. For the fallen angels that were once normal Angels they don't have to go through this however they have a chance to return to heaven.

Lastly for **Yokai** this marks the time when they embrace the natural instincts of whatever species they are. The distinction between Yokai and Demons can get blurred a lot sometime because of their many similarities but there are a few major distinctions between them. Yokai normally tend to keep to themselves but they often can be found blending in with human society or other societies. The can be attracted to areas with negative energy but they normally tend to stay away because they are aware that it often becomes heated battle grounds for the Angel, Demons, and Fallen Angels with the Devils sometimes joining in. With four of some of the most prominent races all meeting up in the same place when they all don't particularly like each other it can lead to devastating consequences. Some of the most horrifying events in certain dimensions histories can be secretly traced back to being caused by these races fighting in the background while the human or whatever sentient life forms taking the fallout because of it.

"As you can see you are approaching the time of your puberty. As demons we are naturally selfish and possessive of whatever we claim as ours but for the more sentient Demons we can control this and so can you." Daylily said. Nodding Eva looked down at her knees that were pressed up tightly to her small chest. "This girl. Are you found of her? You may call her a friend but she is not your host and even then you are not obligated to like your host either. You could just use him for his protection and be done with it." Daylily suggested.

"No I really care for Hinata. I would even dare say that I love her like a sister. We've spent a lot of time together and I know it's not her fault for developing feelings for Naruto. It's partially the same reason why I have these same feelings. If you knew Naruto the way I do then you would understand. Besides I care about him too much just to use him as a means to survive and nothing else." Evangeline confessed with small streams of tears falling down her face. "So you do care for these humans?" Daylily asked with a simple raised eyebrow and curious facial expression.

"Yes I care for them a lot. They are my family. Moments after I lost my real family when I was 4 I was immediately summoned here and I appeared before Naruto. He somehow called out to me. I literally just lost my family in the most gruesome way possible and then seeing him covered in a pool of his own blood and knocking on deaths door traumatized me further. I couldn't save my own family so I vowed that I would save his life even though I didn't know him at the time. I didn't even do it because we accidently signed a blood contract with each other, I didn't even care for that little detail. No it was when he gave me that first smile of his. I saw something in that smile and in his eyes that never left mine. It sparked something inside of me. A flame maybe. But after that I became hooked I became obsessed with him I couldn't get enough of his presence I knew then and there that I had to have him. I knew that he could be my new family and that I wouldn't have to be alone or worst yet die alone. The rest is history as they say. I vowed to spend every second of every minute of every day with him and I kept to that promise. I just wanted a family and he gave it to me and so much more. That's why I fell in love with him." Eva confessed her feelings with heart wrenching sobs accompanying them.

Crying like she's never cried before Eva let out all of the pent up emotions she's been hiding from Naruto for years. The weather around the clearing they were in began to change as it started to rain even though most of the clouds in the sky were not gray and the sun was still very much out. _'Incredible. I know we are called seasonal fairies but it takes us decades before we are able to actually affect the weather to any significant affect yet she's not even a teenage yet and she can do what takes her elders nearly a century to do. So she does have it inside her after all. I knew it.'_ Daylily thought with narrowed eyes as she gazed at the younger fairy that was unintentionally controlling the weather. A feat that she should not be capable of until she is well into her 60's or 70's.

"You consider them your family huh? Little one you do realize that as a demon you will definitely outlive them; granted nothing happens to you in that time. Another thing you should be concerned about is that you could become corrupted by the negative energy of this world and end up killing them." Daylily said while she carefully watched Eva's reaction. "I would never harm them I love them both too much." Eva said defiantly with a fire in her eyes. However even with that said there was still a cloud of doubt and pain in Eva's eyes. Even though she could defend them with her words in her heart she was still torn up with what happened.

"What about those two children what are they to you? What are they I can tell they aren't human?" Daylily pressed again while still watching Eva. "Those children are my little sisters and I would die before I let anything happen to them!" Eva said fiercely. A sudden surge of over protectiveness and love took her as she thought of the two blonds who managed to bring a smile to her face every day. Not to mention they know how to keep her on her toes. Especially Chaos. "I also don't know what they are." Eva lied as she looked at her knees again. Narrowing her eyes Daylily knew that Evangeline was lying to her. "Ms. Daylily why did you insist that I never tell anyone about you? Why did you tell me that I couldn't tell Naruto?" Eva suddenly asked as it was a question that has been eating away at her for a long time. The fact that she had to keep Daylily's existence a secret from Naruto was the second hardest thing she's ever had to do. The first being keeping her feeling from him.

"Why did you lie to me about not knowing what those children are?" Daylily shot back which startled Eva and caused her to look up at the Summer Fairy who was now standing on her feet. "But how? I… never mind. I promised Naruto that I would not tell another soul about what the girls were as long as I lived. I would only tell someone who he completely trusts." Evangeline said firmly.

Sighing with a disappointed look the summer fairy beckoned Evangeline to follow her. "Let me show you something young one." Daylily said as she flew up higher into the tree. What Eva didn't know was that Daylily summoned a magic circle earlier that summoned an object into the tree. This happened before Daylily revealed her presence to Eva.

"What do you want to show me?" Eva questioned as she wiped the last of her tears. "This." Daylily pointed out and looking over Eva's eyes widened when she say a large golden mirror that was nearly three times as tall as her. It was a circular mirror that was surrounded by a rich golden designed border. The top of the mirror had golden wings coming out of it. It also sported 4 red ruby gems on the top of it. All around the mirror in the golden border were small spheres matching the golden color. On the sides of the mirror was more winglet like designs.

"What is this thing?" Eva question as something didn't feel right about the mirror. "Look into it. It will show you what I wanted you to see." Daylily said calmly. Taking a glance at the actual mirror itself proved to be a fatal mistake on Eva's part. Evangeline froze on the spot the moment she laid eyes on the reflective mirror. "What?" Eva choked out.

Evangeline felt her entire body pulse with power. "What's happening to me?" She asked. She was starting to feel strange and she was starting to get scared. "I'm showing you your true self. I'm showing you your demonic side. This is the side that will kill your friends." Daylily commented idly as she watched what was happening to the young winter fairy.

Pulse

Pulse

Pulse

Evangeline's body continued to pulse with power as a cloud of negative emotions settled down in her mind and clogged it up and made everything hazy. Eva could feel her Yōki reserves expanding but also the haze that was settling down in her mind. Also strangely enough she felt bigger. She wouldn't call it getting fat but she couldn't properly describe what she was feeling at the moment.

[Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him]

All of these thoughts and dozens more like them polluted Eva's mind and made it hard for her to even think straight.

Pulse

Pulse

Pulse

Even more pulses of power were vibrating inside of Evangeline's body. It was becoming too much for her to handle. She could already feel her Yōki reserves are twice as large as they normally were and it was expanding even more. She could feel the buildup of Yōki inside of her body and she knew it was trying to get out. Looking around she started to see everything around her getting either closer or smaller and this disorienting perspective was flooding her head just like the echoing voices.

[Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him]

Again the voices that were very much like whispers covered up Eva's ears and made it hard for her to hear anything. Feeling the buildup of Yōki inside her reach a critical stage Eva couldn't hold it anymore.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Releasing a pain filled scream Eva unleashed the built up energy that was inside of her and instantly everything turned white. Eva flash froze the entire section of forest they were in and if it wasn't for Daylily quickly using a fire barrier spell, she was sure she would be stuck inside a block of ice right now. All of the trees were frozen solid. The leaves that often stirred in the wind were completely still as they were frosted over with demonic ice. The birds and other forest animals including the surrounding insects that Eva noticed earlier were all flash frozen as well. Some of the birds were in midflight and they fell to the ground frozen solid and when they hit the ground they shattered already being dead the moment Eva's ice wave touched them.

In the center of the ice covered forest that looked beautiful with the suns light reflecting off of all of the ice around made the place feel tranquil, despite the amount of dead frozen creatures scattered about was Evangeline. But not in the same shape as before. What stood in the snow covered clearing was a girl who looked to be around 12 years old and she was naked. Her ankle length frizzy blond hair was covering her back and sides from view but her front was exposed. Starting at her face it was pale white. Her ears were pointed and elf shaped and she had two bangs that went off and framed the side of her face stopping below her ears. Moving downward her body was slender and toned and she had at least A-cup nearly b-cup breast. Her stomach was toned and she had decent sized hips for a girl her age but they were a little bit bigger that average. She also had long toned legs as well.

However there were two striking features on this girl and one was the fact that she had 4 golden oval shaped wings with circular swirl like designs lining her winds but there was something off about her wings. The swirl like lings decorating her wings were supposed to be in gold like the rest of her wings but instead they were a sickly charcoal black and they were dropping black soot like dust that was mixing in with the small little snowflakes that were falling off of her wings every time they so much as twitched. The second was the fact that were her belly button is supposed to be there was now a sapphire gem sticking out and on it there was the symbol of a water droplet. The skin and veins around her belly button were stretched and drawn into the now glowing gem.

She was covered in the same white aura that she used earlier but his time it was a lot brighter and thicker. Her face was now settled on a snarl and her small teeth were now fangs. Her crystal clear sky blue eyes that could match Naruto's any day of the week were now jaded over by a red hue that showed nothing but anger and hatred. Furthermore Eva was now breathing really hard and gasping for breath.

"This is what happens when a demon is taken over by negative energy. This is what happens when a demon gives in to their instincts. This is your fate." Daylily said dispassionately as she watched what was happening. However she had to move out the way because Evangeline started to attack at random. Hearing her voice through all the whispers going on in her head Evangeline snarled and two mini magic circles appeared in front of her palms. They had the exact same design was before the only difference was that they were smaller. Out of each magic circle came a high pressurized blast of concentrated water that was so powerful that they cut clean through the line of trees circling them when Eva spun around to look in Daylily's direction. As one the trees around them started to fall. They were cut so cleanly that a sword could only ever dream of doing the same.

" **Yōjutsu: Dual Pressurized Aqua Beam!"** Evangeline called out in a deep voice that was not her own. _'She's even more powerful than I imagined. So I was right. When I cast her reflection in the mirror I saw it. She has what I'm looking for.'_ Daylily thought as she narrowed her eyes at Eva who just cut down over 20 trees in one move.

" **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva called out as she sent a massive blast of water in Daylily's direction. Narrowing her eyes Daylily tapped into her own Yōki. **"Yōjutsu: Floral Ember Barrier!"** Daylily called out as a Sunflower made of fire appeared in front of a magic circle Daylily summoned. Her magic circle was red in color and in the center she had a sunflower as the central design. On the four outer rings that made up her magic circle she had the same wing like designs that was on the mirror she showed Eva a minute ago.

Quickly disappearing form view by using the steam their two attacks created Daylily silently observed Eva who started to roar in frustration and growing irrational anger. Sending blast after blast of her water celebration attack Eva started blasting the frozen trees with gallons of high density water causing many of the trees to shatter under her assault. Roaring again Eva used the new move that she showed earlier and cut through several more trees. One of which was a tree next to the one Daylily was hiding behind. _'Magnificent I had no idea she would be this strong. To think that what I was looking for all this time would be stuck inside of this little fairy.'_ Daylily thought to herself very pleased with what she was seeing. "And she's barely tapping into its true power let alone hers." Daylily said in a satisfied tone.

Eva's rampage went on for another 10 minutes before Daylily could sense two people enter the clearing just ahead of Eva and her. Deciding to get a closer look Daylily who de-summoned her mirror after it served its purpose went to the edge of the forest and looked into the clearing and what she saw shocked her but then a sadistic smile that did not match the kind smile she showed Evangeline earlier settled down on her face. "What do we have here?" The summer fairy asked herself; a chuckle escaped her as she saw Naruto and Hinata looking around the clearing. Before anything else could be seen by Daylily they all heard a loud sound of water hitting against something and it was coming from the direction Eva was in. Seeing Naruto and Hinata race off towards Eva Daylily smile cruelly.

* * *

 _ **With Evangeline**_

[Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him], [Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him], [Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him].

These thought suffocated Evangeline as she tore into everything and anything that stood in her way. As she unleashed more and more attacks she could feel her Yōki increasing instead of decreasing like one would expect. She was getting stronger. More power was being produced from her body at a faster rate than she could safely get rid of and it was showing with the destruction that she was causing. Random pulse of her power flash froze anything that came in contact with her power.

"Oh my god Eva is that you?" Evangeline heard through the smoke that was choking her mind. Turning around Eva came face to face with two people she didn't want to see right now in her anger induced mind.

"YOU! You did this to me! I hate you! JUST DIE!" Eva screamed as she sent a large blast of her water celebration at Naruto and Hinata.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration** \- A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and more heavier that normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

2.) **Magic Circle:** A magic circle is a focal point for individuals with magical powers. The Magic Circle will take on the appearance of whatever the caster is most aligned to. It is a physical manifestation of the users affinity as well as the type of spell being used. Using a magic circle will generally increase the power of the attack being used but it also comes with the downfall of only being able to attack in a linear pattern for whatever is in front of it. This is not always the case but it generally tends to happen.

3.) **Yōki -** It is the energy that all Demonic entities including monsters use. It is an energy that they are born with and grows steadily as the demon grows. However unlike other forms of energy Yōki is controlled by your emotions. Your emotions and state of mind determines not only your skill but your proficiency and power in using Yōki. In comparison Yōki is a lot thicker than Chakra and much more potent. It also has the side effect of effecting the surrounding nature. Such as causing unexplainable violent storms to suddenly appear within seconds and causing the surrounding wildlife to die off or grow depending on the situation.

4.) **Yōjutsu: Dual Pressurized Aqua Beam** \- A new move that Evangeline just learned after her sudden transformation. By creating small magic circles in each of her hands Evangeline fires a thin high pressure jet of Yōki enhanced water that is so powerful it can cut through almost anything in its path. The cut is so precise and clean that even some swords couldn't replicate the same effect.

5.) **Yōjutsu: Floral Ember Barrier** \- The first technique employed by the Summer Fairy Daylily. She summons a red magic circle that has the symbol of a sunflower in the center of the circle. The outer rings take the shape of the mysterious mirror she summoned to transform Evangeline. Out of the created Magic Circle comes a shield of fire that takes the form of a giant sunflower. The barrier is strong enough to stop Eva's ice wave that flash froze the entire forest they were in at the time. It should be noted that Evangeline was in a demonic rage and her powers were rapidly increasing by the second. That further shows the strength of the fire barrier.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Well there you have it guys and girls things are heating up. For one we now know that Daylily isn't exactly as nice as she was pretending to be. Two Eva has been secretly holding back some repressed feelings for a certain someone. Three Eva has undergone some dramatic changes in a very short amount of time. We also learned some things about the other races and the fact that they can even go through puberty. *Blushes*

One she's human sized now. Two her appearance while the same compared to her normal size is the same now she has some extra differences. Three she is a lot more powerful than ever before. Four what is that stone growing out of Eva where her belly button should be?

A lot of questions people I know. A lot of questions indeed.

Stay tuned and find out what happens between Naruto and Hinata with the now enraged Evangeline. The next chapter should be out by this coming Friday or the Weekend.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 2 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 7/12/15


	4. CH: 3 Lavender Ice vs Wrathful Water

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hello everyone I'm back with the next chapter and a chapter I think you guys have been waiting for. Now it's going to be Naruto and Hinata versus an enraged Evangeline being fueled by her demonic energy and broken heart. What will happen to the two pre teens as they try to calm down their little fairy who has been a constant in their life.

Do you think Naruto can properly defend himself against the last person in the world he would ever dream of having to fight. Will he hold back or will he actually try to fight back. Well lets all read on and find out.

Here we go...

* * *

Chapter 3

 _ **Lavender Ice vs. Wrathful Water**_

 _ **Village Hidden in the Tree leaves Forest**_

"Hinata move!" Naruto shouted as he backflip out of the way of his partner's sudden attack. Taking a leap back Hinata joined Naruto in dodging the high density water attack. "Eva what's going on?!" Naruto asked urgently as he had never seen Eva like this before. He took in her appearance. She was completely naked and if it wasn't for the situation that they now found themselves in Naruto was sure he would have passed out from a nose bleed at seeing how beautiful Eva looked naked. It was one thing growing up with her and taking baths with her every day for the last 8 years but in his defense she was 4 to 5 inches tall which is really tiny and he never looked at her in that way before; but now she was a regular sized girl and an extremely beautiful one at that. But with that being said Naruto looked at Eva now and it was all in her body posture and face; it screamed rage and anger. However he did notice that she was huffing and breathing hard. However the main thing he noticed was the white aura surrounding her and her red eyes.

"What happened to you Eva?" Naruto asked as he could see that his partner was completely not herself. "This is your fault Naruto!" Eva yelled in a deeper voice. Sending a large blast of water at him Eva watched as he again dodged out of the way. "Eva I know you are upset and we're sorry but you're taking it too far. This isn't you!" Naruto yelled. "I don't care! **Yōjutsu: Icicle Barrage!** " Eva announced. In front of her another magic circle appeared but this one was slightly different. It was an inverse of colors and symbols. In the center of the magic circle there was an image of a white snow flake and the back ground around it was light blue. The two rings surrounding it still had the golden colored diamonds in them but now the rings were blue instead of white. The space in between the two rings was white and the glyphs were in blue. The 4 diamond like gems were also still blue. The 4 spheres now contained the image of a water droplet. One for each sphere. This was Eva's ice magic circle while her other one was for her water attacks.

Out of the magic circle came nearly three dozen icicle spears and they were moving twice as fast as they normally would. It would appear that with the addition of the magic circle it had the added benefit of enhancing the strength, speed, and power of Eva's attacks. The only downside is that Eva can only attack in a linear pattern or whatever is in front of her magic circle. "Hinata get back! **Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu: Bo staff!** " Naruto called out as his trusted Bo staff appeared in between his palms when he clapped his hands together. Getting in front of Hinata Naruto then in an impressive display of dexterity and speed deflected all of the icicle spears that Eva sent at him. "Eva please stop! What's gotten into you?" Naruto yelled.

"Why did you do it?" Eva screamed as Naruto could feel her about to attack again. Sending another barrage of icicle needles at them Naruto was prepared to deflect them again. "My turn Naruto!" Hinata called out as she jumped in front of Naruto while activating her Byakugan. **"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"** Hinata shouted as her hands became blurs as she intercepted all of the icicles coming at her. When her fingers came in contact with the needles she would send a burst of her chakra into the ice causing it to shatter. Seeing this Eva became even angrier. "I'll kill the both of you!" Eva declared. However she suddenly started to hold her head in pain.

[Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him]

This same mantra was still replaying over and over in Eva's head. Suddenly her body started to pulse in power again. "Hinata get back Eva's Yōki is starting to rise again." Naruto warned his shy friend who took the message and back flipped away just in time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Eva screamed again as the area around her in a thirty foot radius suddenly flash froze with icicle spikes and jagged pieces sticking out of the ground. _'What is happening to her? Her Yōki reserves are rising at a staggering pace. Her reserves have already doubled since before all this started today. Her body shouldn't even be capable of holding that much Yōki. Eva told me already that she's a bit of an anomaly among fairies. Eva told me she already had way more Yōki than normal for her kind. I just assumed that it was because she was bonded to me and my massive chakra reserves mixed with her, but seeing this now I'm not so sure anymore. All this power is coming from her body and that's not good.'_ Naruto thought to himself with worry clearly written across his face as he saw Eva settled down again.

Looking over Eva's body again Naruto saw the sapphire stone sticking out of Eva's stomach that was glowing menacingly at the moment. _'What is that?'_ Naruto thought with narrowed eyes.

* * *

 _ **At the Casino**_

Shoko was spending some time with Claes and Angelica when she felt it. _'This Yōki! Impossible! It can't be her! She's dead!'_ Shoko thought to herself in horror. She was playing with Angelica who was having one of her bad days with her condition. She was confined to her room and taking her medication that Shoko gave her earlier that day. Shoko dropped the cup she was drinking from onto the floor where it broke and spilled its contents. "Ms. Shoko! Are you ok? What happened?" Claes asked in worry. She was reading one of the many books that she had in her massive collection. Although the book she was currently reading was one Naruto picked out for her. She would never admit it to his face of course but Naruto did have a good taste for books. "I'm sorry girls but I must go!" Shoko exclaimed as she bolted from the chair she was sitting in and out the room with both girls looking on in worry. Shoko was already out of the Casino in seconds and she took to the roof top racing towards the forest. _'Please god let me be wrong.'_ Shoko prayed.

* * *

 _ **In the Clearing**_

"Eva you have to calm down!" Hinata called out as she came up besides Naruto. "Shut up! I want you to just die!" Eva yelled while looking directly at Hinata. Hearing this Hinata flinched back with shame and sadness forming on her face. Forming another magic circle again and seeing that Eva was going for the same attack again Naruto got an idea. Forming hand signs he called out to Hinata. "Hinata get ready!"

Looking at her friend and seeing the hand seals that he was forming Hinata knew what Naruto had in mind especially with the types of attacks Eva was throwing around. **"Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as he spit out a large volume of water into the area in front of him. Jumping into the water in front of Naruto Hinata with her Byakugan active went through a short sequence of hand seals. When Eva launched her barrage of icicles at the duo Hinata was ready. **"Water Style: Water Senbon Jutsu!"** Forming needles of her own out of the water around her and using her Byakugan to guide them Hinata managed to intercept again all of Eva's icicle attacks.

Seeing this Eva's anger seemed to increase. "HINATA!" Eva screamed as she created as huge amount of water out of her Yōki and by also pulling water molecules from the air around them. Sending the large wave at them Naruto switched places with Hinata and acted fast. **"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"** Naruto bellowed as he sucked in a large volume of air and exhaled it right into the oncoming wave of water that slowed it down but it didn't stop it. **"Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu!"** Naruto roared out as he slammed his hands into the ground with a grunt of exertion and a wall of ice formed from the puddle of water Naruto created earlier. The water slammed into the ice wall and cracked it in several places but the wall didn't break.

Turning to Hinata urgently Naruto spoke up. "Listen Hinata this is starting to look bad. I won't be able to use either my Ice Style or Water Style directly against Eva as she will only turn it against us. We need to subdue her somehow without hurting her." Naruto spoke up. "I know but it's going to be nearly impossible. As a Hyūga I'm a close range fighter and you and I have only come up with a few long range attacks to help me with that. There's no way I'll be able to get close to Eva as she is now." Hinata said in a silent panic as her shortcomings were not making her feel any better about the situation they were in now. Seeing her panic Naruto was about to comfort her but he suddenly grabbed Hinata pulled her down just as a thin beam of water cut clean through the ice and nearly took off both preteens heads. Sensing the danger was not over Naruto grabbed Hinata and jumped away just as the ice wall exploded into dozens of shards that nearly cut into them. Eva was right there where the ice wall use to be and she was glaring right at them. When she saw Naruto with Hinata in his arms her face contorted into a fierce snarl of primal rage.

" **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Hydrokinetic Magic!"** Eva called out as she used one of the techniques that are unique to only Winter Fairies. The Yōjutsu that she has been using have been techniques that she has created over the years. Her species techniques on the other hand are ones that come instinctive yet they still must be practiced and mastered. Turning the large ice patches of ice that are in the area into water and combining it with the left over water present Eva telekinetically controlled it to form into a large fist. "How does she have this much power? She was never this strong before." Hinata called out. At this point in time she was actually scared. She could feel the raw and potent demonic killing intent rolling off of Evangeline and it was all directed at her and Naruto and it was that fact that scared her. The fact that Evangeline was trying to kill them scared and hurt Hinata in ways that she couldn't even imagine. Naruto while apparently holding himself together was actually worse off than Hinata.

Naruto was in emotional turmoil as he could sense and feel Eva's rage, despair, and raw emotions through their bond. Something that doesn't happen often. But more importantly the fact that she would even raise her fist to him to hurt him at all nearly caused Naruto to collapse to his feet the moment they first got there. The mere thought of Evangeline ever hurting him or him having to attack Evangeline in anyway never crossed Naruto's mind in the 8 years that he's known the winter fairy. The notion itself was laughable and just not possible in his mind yet he finds himself in this situation now and it's taking a lot out of him just to defend himself.

Preparing himself Naruto stood up. "Hinata get behind me! **Acceleration Punch!** " Naruto called out to Hinata. Digging deep inside of him Naruto managed to call on his Acceleration technique which surprised him somewhat as he expected it not to work since Eva's Yōki is a part of the technique. Naruto's fist collided with the water fist Eva created and a huge explosion of kinetic energy and water formed and shook the clearing sending Hinata and Naruto flying back and sent Eva spinning out of control until she slammed into a nearby tree. Slowly getting up while holding his head Naruto looked around as saw that the entire clearing was drenched with water and was very wet. "Hinata are you ok?" Naruto asked the indigo haired girl who was nursing her head. "Yeah I'm ok." She said as she leaned on Naruto who helped her back to her feet.

Looking over to where Eva was Naruto could see her getting to her feet. The white aura around her suddenly grew larger and the trees around her immediately froze over in an instant. "Eva please stop! If you are that angry with me for what I did then attack me and I won't fight back or defend myself. But please calm down and control yourself. That power of yours whatever it is, it's hurting you. I can feel it you're in pain and I can't stand to see you like this so please calm down!" Naruto pleaded as he dropped to his knees. Tears were starting to fall down his face. He could feel the immense pain that Eva's body was going through and it was hurting him emotionally.

[Kill him.] [Make him suffer.] [Punish him for hurting you] [Hurt the girl] [Hurt all of those who would dare threaten your position with him] [Destroy them before they claim him]

The same mantra again was still playing over and over in Evangeline's mind but this time it was a lot louder and demanding than earlier.

Pulse

Pulse

Pulse

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Eva screamed again and this time over half of the field and surrounding forest was instantly flash frozen completely solid by a thick layer of ice. "Oh my god." Naruto whispered out in awe and fear as all he could see was white. All around him was nothing but ice and he could feel the pain Eva was feeling and it was worse now.

"Naruto what do we do?" Hinata asked with panic clear on her face. She knew that if this continued then they wouldn't be able to stop Eva or worst that power of hers might end up hurting her. "I don't know." Naruto whispered hopelessly.

* * *

 _ **With Daylily**_

' _Magnificent this power she is displaying is wonderful. To think that all this time the power I was after was sealed away inside of this child. The same power her wench of a mother had. But this child can't control this power for long and she will run the risk of killing herself if she doesn't stop soon. I will probably have to seal her off soon.'_ Daylily thought to herself as she watched the battle that was happening before her.

The Daylily now was a stark contrast to the one that was comforting Eva earlier and even back when they first met. It was obvious at this point that Daylily wanted something from Eva and she only got close to her to find it. She was secretly enjoying the despair that she could see Naruto going through and it pleased her.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

"Naruto help me please. It hurts. It hurts really badly." Eva called out weakly. Shocked by this Naruto with his great vision could see that Eva's eyes were no longer red but back to their sky blue color that he loved to look at. "Hang on Eva! I'll figure something out!" Naruto called out to his partner desperately. Suddenly the Aura around her came back roaring to life and Eva released another ear piercing scream with another pulse of power. Suddenly all the ice in the area turned to water and started to rise in the air. Before long a small lake sized mass of water was floating in front of both Hinata and Naruto.

Backing up slowly both Naruto and Hinata were shocked to see such a massive volume of water staring them down. "Hinata run." Naruto said barely above a whisper as he knew that at the moment he could do nothing to stop Eva's attack. Starting to form his Acceleration Cloak Naruto had the plan to pick up Hinata and run so that he could dodge the incoming attack but he never got the chance as Eva dumped the whole mass of water in their direction. "Hang on!" Naruto called out as he tackled Hinata to the ground with him on top of her covering her entire body. He then poured as much chakra to his limbs as possible to anchor himself to the ground. However Naruto didn't feel the rush of a ton of water falling on top of him.

" **Psychic!"** A voice called out and suddenly the sound of rushing water stopped. Looking up Naruto and Hinata were shocked to see that the large mass of water that was about to crush them had stopped. Looking closer Naruto could see that the water now had a slight pink glow to it. Turning to look behind them Naruto saw Aria in her witch costume with Iris and Chaos by her side and they had worried looks on their faces. "Aria what are you doing here and why did you bring the girls it's dangerous here?" Naruto called out as he reprimanded the witch for her actions. Even though he said that there was no bite in his tone and he was immensely grateful to see her here.

"I'm sorry master but they were the ones who told me you were in danger." Aria force out. Her face was contorted into a look of concentration and it looked like she was struggling to hold back the large volume of water. "Girls how did you know I was in danger?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. "We could sense your emotions and your chakra was greatly disturbed. We could also sense Eva's Yōki as well and her emotions." Iris called out as she stepped up to Naruto and fussed over him for injuries. Before he could comment on that Aria suddenly fell to her knees with a pained grunt and the tower of water above them came crashing down. Before he could react Naruto saw a small blond blur speed past him and the next thing he knew Chaos was in front of him and her eyes were red.

" **Aegis!"**

A light blue hexagonal bubble shield suddenly appeared around Chaos and she quickly expanded it to encompass her sister along with Naruto, Hinata, and Aria. The large wave of water crashed into the shield like a bomb shaking the ground and flooding the entire clearing. "Chaos how did you do that?" Naruto asked in shock. Turning around to look at her father Chaos had a confused look in her red eyes. _'She acted on instinct.'_ Naruto surmised. Lowering the shield they suddenly found their legs wet with water. Looking over to Eva Naruto could see that his partner was on her last legs. She was drenched in sweat and she was beyond exhaustion. "Eva!" Naruto yelled as he ran up to Eva with the others following close behind. "Naruto… stay away!" Eva warned as another shockwave of energy left her body. Reacting far too slow to move back Naruto braced himself thinking he was going to be frozen but suddenly Iris jumped down in front of him and slammed her fist into the ground with a small grunt of exertion and all around them a wall of flames erupted out of the ground stopping the ice wave in its tracks.

Smiling proudly at both his girls Naruto ran up to Eva and grabbed her as her knees buckled under her now exhausted body. "Eva I got you." Naruto said gently as he dropped to his knees in exhaustion. "Naruto why?" Eva whispered out as she struggled to look up at her lifelong partner. "Because Eva you're special to me. I would never let anything happen to you. I'm sorry for everything that happened. It's my fault and I will understand if you're still mad at me." Naruto said as he looked at his other half with a sad face. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I never meant for things to go this far." Evangeline said as she struggled to stand up in Naruto's arms. "No lie down and rest ok." Naruto said as he took his hand and pushed her back down. "Daddy what happened to Eva?" Iris asked although Naruto could see her eyes were narrowed and was slowly turning emerald.

"I don't know sweetie but I'm going to find out." Naruto said. "Naruto I can feel it. This power inside of me… it's out of control. I can't hold it in." Eva choked out in pain. "I know I can feel it to. Whatever it is it's unbelievably powerful. I don't know if this will work but I'll try." Naruto commented as he placed his finger on Eva's stomach right on top of the sapphire gem and closed his eyes in concentration. Naruto could feel it. A vast well of power that was trapped inside of Evangeline's body. He started to suck out Eva's Yōki and store it inside of his body. Because of the unique bond the two share Eva's Yōki runs throughout Naruto's chakra network and because she's been connected to him for years his body has had to adjust to it and Naruto's body now naturally produces Yōki as well as chakra. Another side effect would be that they can both remote access and control the others energy whenever they are in close proximity to each other. That's what lets the duo perform combos and that is what allows Naruto his great chakra control that he has now. He knew that if he didn't have Eva by his side then his control would be beyond horrible to the point of nonexistent.

Acting quickly Naruto channeled as much of Eva's excess Yōki as he could into his body and Naruto could feel that the power inside of her was calming down. Now that Eva was exhausted it helped in the process. "Naruto I'm sorry." Eva said as tears started to streak down her face. "Shhhh. It's ok I'm the one who should be apologizing." Naruto said with a tender look on his face and a soft tone. Upon seeing this Eva blushed and looked away from him. Seeing her red face Naruto foolishly mistook that for her being angry. "Are you still angry at me?" Naruto asked while looking down. "No… I'm just so… I don't know anymore." Eva said agitatedly. Her head was a cloud of uncertainty and confusion at the moment. She couldn't properly convey her feelings and thoughts.

After a few minutes went by in which Hinata rested up and Aria tended to her minor wounds Naruto finished sucking up all of the excess Yōki in Eva's body. "How do you feel?" Naruto asked the exhausted Winter Fairy. "I feel better. All that anger and rage I was feeling earlier is gone too." Eva stated. "That's good to hear." Naruto said right before he suddenly grunted in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Naru!"

"Naruto!"

"Daddy!"

The girls yelled out in shock when they saw their friend and father fall to the ground. "I'm ok. I'm ok. It's Eva's Yōki that's all. It's really potent and powerful. Not to mention really heavy. I just need a few minutes to adjust to it that's all." Naruto wheezed out as his body started to slightly tremble.

[Kill them.] [Kill all of them] [Make them suffer.] Naruto heard these whispers in the back of his head. _'What is this? Is this what Eva was hearing in her head?'_ Naruto questioned himself as he shrugged off those faint whispers from disturbing him.

Leaning Naruto up against a nearby tree Aria checked him over and did a basic healing spell to help his recovery. "There that should help a little." Aria said as she knelt by her superior's side. "Thanks I can feel it helping me already." Naruto said in appreciation.

"Eva how are you feeling?" Hinata asked as she crouched next to Naruto and looked down at her friend. Seeing Hinata looking at her with worry and concern deep in her lavender eyes Eva flinched and turned away from her in shame. "Eva it's ok. I'm not mad. Can you stand?" Hinata asked as she got Eva to look up at her who then shook her head yes. "Can we talk in private?" Hinata asked patiently. Eva seemed to contemplate this as well as the others. After a moment the winter fairy shook her head yes. Gently picking the weak fairy up Hinata took off her large jacket and helped Eva put it on. Hinata looked to Naruto and the blond haired boy who was currently in a lot of pain nodded his head telling Hinata to don't worry about him and to go on ahead. Seeing this Hinata with Eva leaning against her shoulder for support walked off into the forest that was missing over half of its trees. Only a handful of trees remained as most of them were flash frozen and then turned into the water Eva used in her rampage.

' _I hope they'll be ok.'_ Naruto thought before he grunted in pain again.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Yōjutsu: Icicle Barrage -** A technique that Eva uses. It is almost identical to her other move. However the main difference is that this is fired from Eva's magic circle and the speed as well as the number of icicles is greatly enhanced.

2.) **Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu: Bo staff -** A Jutsu created from the combination of both Naruto and Evangeline's team work. By molding chakra mixed in with Eva's Yōki into his hands Naruto can create any object he wants out of Ice. Depending on how much chakra he puts into the Jutsu will determine how durable the creation is. The only change in this variant is Naruto calls out the name of the weapon he is going to use. It helps his concentration and allows him to directly summon the weapon of his desire.

3.) **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms -** A manoeuvre of the Gentle Fist fighting style. It is essentially a halved version of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but seems to be no less effective. This technique is used to close off the flow of chakra through thirty-two chakra points of an opponent's chakra pathway system. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.

4.) **Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu -** A basic water style Ninjutsu where the user molds water nature chakra into their mouths and spitting it out into a small scale wave powerful enough to sweep grown men off their feet and knock down light weight objects not tied down or secure to the ground.

5.) **Water Style: Water Senbon Jutsu -** Using the chakra control granted by the Gentle Fist, Hinata concentrates her chakra until water vortexes are created around her. Those vortexes shoot water blasts which turn to needle-like water. By using the Byakugan, this technique can be used with great precision to hit very small targets such as bees which Hinata developed and practiced the technique on with Naruto's help or in this instance of the chapter to match objects of similar size such as Evangeline's ice senbon needles. [This is a Jutsu Hinata used in the Anime. I didn't make this one up for her.]

6.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu -** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

7.) **Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu -** An Ice Style Jutsu that Naruto uses. He slams his hands onto the ground and pumps a sizeable amount of chakra into the ground beneath him. Out of the ground in front of him a large thick wall of ice will appear that is very thick and highly durable. Because of the fact that Naruto's chakra is in fact mixed in with his own Yōki that his body creates the Ice wall's durability is further enhanced. However it can crack if hit with a high amount of pressure and velocity such as Eva's giant water wave. Also it can be cut in two by Eva's thin beams of water from the attack that she just learned.

8.) **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Hydrokinetic Magic -** A technique that allows Eva to freeze anything in her line of vision. It is a move that she instinctively knows and it is one of several that all of the winter fairies are capable of using.

9.) **Acceleration Punch -** The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of make up. Also at this time Naruto is limited to using this technique twice per use of the cloak.

10.) **Psychic -** A magic attack used by the young witch Aria Indigo this attack is a telekinetic attack that allows the user to pick up objects and move them around with their minds or even blast people and objects around with powerful force fields. So far the move shows no weaknesses however it can be said that the power of the move is dependent on the skill, power, control, and emotional state of the user. Or in other words the power of the move is only as powerful as the user.

11.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to. It is unknown at this time how durable and powerful Chaos's shield is but it was strong enough to stop the small lake sized mass of water Eva attempted to dump on them. The shield didn't crack or waver in the slightest so it can be assumed at this time that the shield is quite durable to sustain the high pressure of the water being dumped on it.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Well guys there you have it. I hope that fight and the emotion lived up to your expectations. There are several questions to be answered.

What is that gem on Evangeline's stomach?

Why did Shoko have that bizarre reactions upon sensing Evangeline's power?

What was Daylily talking about when she mentioned Evangeline's mother? What is her connection to her?

Also what is it that Hinata wanted to talk to Evangeline about?

All these questions will be answered as the story progresses but at the very least the last question will be answered next chapter.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter guys and getting it out to you all. So I would greatly appreciate a lot of reviews. Personally I care more about the reviews and how they allow me to know what you thought of the chapter and the ability it gives me to interact with you all more than the Favorite and Follows. Don't get me wrong I'm really grateful to you all whenever I get favorites and follows but I just feel like reviews are more important and it allows me to see what's going on in your heads and it actually allows me to respond to you guys as my readers more.

With that being said the next chapter will be out really soon. Next week I'll be on a week long vacation so I'll be taking a short little break from the story so I'll give you guys the next chapter after this really quickly to make up for it. So expect the next chapter really soon guys. Thanks for the support and have a great day. Stay safe everyone.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 3 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 7/17/15


	5. CH: 4 A Heart to Heart Girl Talk

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back and here's the next chapter. So last chapter we had Naruto and Hinata fend of a demonically rampaging Evangeline who was under the influence of Daylily's mysterious mirror. Eva was left weakened after the battle but now there is time for reconciliation.

What did Hinata want to speak with Evangeline about and what will come of the conversation they will have? Lets find out.

It's time for A Heart to Heart Girl Talk

* * *

Chapter 4

 _ **A Heart to Heart Girl Talk**_

 _ **Emerald Forest (Hidden Leaf Village)**_

Finding a stray log lying out in the scattered patches of trees Hinata sat down and sat Eva down next to her. After a few minutes of silence Eva grew impatient. "Well? What did you want to talk about?" Looking over at her longtime friend Hinata wore a sad smile on her face. "Do you hate me?" Hinata asked simply. Caught completely off guard by this seemingly random question Eva couldn't come up with a proper response. "What?"

"Do you hate me for what happened earlier today? While it was an accident it was a serious blow to our friendship and as your best friend I should have seen all the signs a long time ago." Hinata said in her soft voice, but even now it was more subdued than normal. "What signs? What are you talking about?" Eva said defensively. It was a poor defense and they both knew it. "That you're in love with Naruto. Or should I say you've been in love with him for a long time." Hinata said in a factual tone.

"I…I…I don't know what you're talking about." Eva denied while turning away from Hinata who still had a sad smile on her face. "Eva you don't have to lie to me. But I'm starting to think that it's deeper than what I said. I'm right aren't I?" Hinata pressed when she saw Eva flinch. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Eva raised her voice as she started to tremble. Looking her friend over for a few minutes Hinata came to a conclusion. "You're self-conscious about yourself aren't you?" Hinata spoke up not knowing she hit close to home. "SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU!" Eva screamed as she sent a blast of water that knocked Hinata off the log she was sitting on. Falling to the ground Hinata whipped the water off her face and looked up to see a giant ice spike floating dangerous above her with an enraged Evangeline standing above her with a furious expression on her face.

"You know nothing at all! Do you know how hard it's been recently? I've always loved him but recently it's starting to change. I want him. Need him. I love him so much but how can he love me back when I'm only five and a half inches tall. I'm not even taller than his hand. I'm tiny and he'll never look at me the same way he looks at the rest of you! All he's ever going to see me as is his partner and other half but never as someone like you. Someone who he can connect with and love!" Eva shouted at Hinata who visibly looked shaken and was taking in Evangeline's verbal lashing.

' _She's held this back all this time hasn't she? She's never told anyone not even me.'_ Hinata though on the verge of tears. By now Evangeline was shedding copious amounts of tears as she cried her frustration out. "You've kept this in all this time. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Hinata asked as she sat back on the log. The ice spike dissipated and turned back into water when Eva started crying. "Why should I? You want him just like I do." Eva retorted.

"Eva we've never out right talked about it or mentioned it but you've always encouraged me to get closer to Naruto, you've even instigated many little accidents and scenes between us over the years so you know I would have encouraged you all the way." Hinata said as she gently placed her hand on top of Eva's whose hand was in her own lap. Eva didn't resist but all the muscles in her body were tense. "Humans are greedy and selfish and they don't like to share! Why would you want to help me?" Eva said indignantly. "And you're not?" Hinata shot back quickly causing Eva to pause in her words. Seeing her subdued Hinata continued. "I know humans are greedy and selfish and we're not perfect; and while I know I'm a good child and I was raised properly I know I am just like any other human. Maybe better than some but I'm not perfect and neither are you." Hinata said getting Eva to shed more tears.

"Maybe it's selfish of me to say this but I want you to be happy with Naruto even more than me, but then again that wouldn't be selfishness now would it?" Hinata drove home her point. Eva was left shaking and gritting her teeth while squeezing her fist tightly. "Damn you Hinata… since when did you become so outspoken? What happened to the shy Hinata?" Eva asked while giving Hinata a mixed looked between amusement and pride. "I have you and Naruto to thank for that." Hinata complimented while rubbing Eva's hand with her finger. A sad chuckle that was trying hard to sound cheerful came from Eva who seemingly relaxed into Hinata's touch. "Cheeky too." Eva through in. "Now I have you to solely take responsibility for that." Hinata shot back with a chuckle getting an honest one back from Evangeline. "I never meant for this to happen." Eva suddenly said after a few minutes of silence.

"I know. Earlier you said that I don't know what it's like to feel self-conscious. You already know that my father has put me down all these years and has pretty much thrown me to the side. He pushed me so hard but when I didn't give him results he threw me to the side and stuck me with Kurenai sensei, and she just started teaching at the academy back then remember? He then focused heavily on Hanabi who also struggled but luckily I was able to be there for her and get her out of the compound as many times as I could. It saved her from becoming cold like him. That's why she's still so shy and innocent now." Hinata said fondly towards the end. "Yeah I like Hanabi the way she is now. Hey remember that time your father made you fight her to see who would receive the training to become the clan heir?" Eva asked excitedly.

"Yeah I remember it like it was yesterday." Hinata commented. "Remember how Naruto and I ran a little late so you ended up fighting against her and you lost on purpose because you hesitated." Eva narrated. Shaking her head yes Hinata smiled at the memory. "Remember how your father was about to pass his judgment when me and Naruto set off all of those flash bombs in the compound and blinded everyone." Eva said with a proud smirk on her face. "Yes I remember. I covered Hanabi's eyes at the last second. Everyone else was flailing around blindly. Father couldn't figure out what was going on so he locked down the entire compound. He completely forgot about our match and the results as he launched an investigation into what happened. It got so bad that the Hokage had to get involved." Hinata choked out as she was trying not to laugh. "Yeah well we snuck into one of the most secure clan compounds in the world without being caught and we managed to ambush them and spring a trap on all of them." Eva said with pride clear in her voice. "To this day father still doesn't know how it happened or by who. No one knows for that matter. No one except us of course." Hinata said with a little mischievous chuck. Some of Evangeline's personality has rubbed off on her over the years and helped her break out of her shell.

Hearing this both girls started to laugh at the ridiculous situation. After a few minutes both girls calmed down and settled into a calm silence. "Look at us laughing and kicking back like nothing happened." Eva spoke up suddenly with a sad chuckle. "Isn't this how it should be between us?" Hinata questioned. "Yeah it should." Eva remarked. "What happened then?" Hinata asked. "I don't know. Somewhere down the line I started to feel jealous but I kept it inside. I didn't like feeling that towards you and Henrietta. It made me feel bad. But I couldn't help it. You guys get to do a lot of stuff with him that I can't do. I'm so small and I can't do anything." Eva said as this time she held back her frustrated tears.

"But think of it this way. You are closer to him than any of us ever will be. The love he has for you is something that none of us will ever come close to having. You hold a place in his heart that neither I nor Henrietta can ever reach. You know more about him then he knows about himself and you definitely know more about him than either of us. Besides you do things with him that me or Henrietta have never done with him or can't do." Hinata said maturely with a soft tone that really got through to the little winter fairy who wanted to cry again at Hinata's words.

"I knew from the very moment I figured out that I liked Naruto that if the future ever allowed it and we somehow got into a relationship that went pass our friendship that I wouldn't just be entering a relationship with him but with you as well. I've known forever… for as long as I've known you two that Naruto Uzumaki isn't made up of just one individual but his full identity is actually made up of two people. Him and you Eva. You two have always been together and you both make up the identity Naruto Uzumaki. You don't realize it but you two really are each other's other half. You two are one half of the same coin." Hinata said passionately that had Eva crying once again but these were tears of joy at hearing what her friend had to say and what she really thought of her.

"Can we start over? I don't want you to be mad at me anymore." Hinata asked, although there was a slight undertone of longing and desperation. "Yeah I would love that. Don't tell anyone this but I need you in my life. I love you so much and I don't want to lose our friendship." Eva said desperately.

"I remember I had a family once. Most likely full of brothers and sisters and a mother and probably a father. But they were all viscously killed right in front of my own eyes and before I could even have a moment to lose myself in despair or insanity I suddenly found myself standing in a pool of a young boys blood who looked like he was knocking on deaths door. I couldn't do anything to save my family so I vowed to save him and I did. I also unintentionally formed a blood contract with him but I didn't care. Then suddenly he returned my act of benevolence and gave me the one thing I wanted in that moment. A family. He took me in and genuinely cared for me and wanted to know everything about me. I never felt so loved. I repressed all my memories about my biological family; I don't remember their faces or even their names, they are practically strangers to me now. But then he came along and gave me a family to move on with." Eva confessed with a smile of joy on her tear stained face. At this point Hinata was crying silent tears as she listened to her best friend speak.

"Even then Naruto was a boy and I was a girl and because of that we still lived in two separate worlds despite how close we had gotten. Then you came along with your shy self. I truly enjoyed every minute of teasing you and just hanging out with you. I finally had a girl to hand out with and share and keep secrets with. Up until that point I never dreamed of keeping any secrets from Naruto so it felt nice to do girlish things and break the rules like that. I could now do things that I couldn't do with him because he was a boy and he would never truly understand and remember this is Naruto were talking about here. He may be really smart and sharp for a boy his age but he's still as dense and a rock when it comes to social issues." Eva joked as she made fun of Naruto. Hinata couldn't help but laugh although she was still crying. She too understood how dense and idiotic her crush could be sometimes. While yes she kept her feelings from him concealed it still didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"In my entire life I've never had a girlfriend before and someone who I could trust but you filled that void for me and made me feel special, just as special as Naruto did, it also helped that you excepted me right off the bat that day back in the forest instead of being afraid of me." Eva added in. "You're welcome. But to be honest there was no reason to be scared of you back then. I thought you were really cute instead of scary like what everyone believes a demon to be." Hearing this Eva blushed a very bright red that Hinata immediately noticed. Extremely embarrassed and bashful now Eva tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you. You're the only other person besides Naruto who really has called me cute. It makes me feel good about myself." Eva admitted while poking her fingers together just like Hinata still does whenever she's embarrassed.

"You're welcome." Hinata said with a smile on her face. "You know when you add in the fact that Naruto and I found Iris and Chaos and the craziness in trying to take care of them made it feel like I had a family. I felt like I belonged somewhere. I really felt like I was in heaven and it only got better when Henrietta and the others came into our lives." Eva continued as she leaned against Hinata's shoulder and let the indigo haired girl rub her hair like Naruto does often. "But now that I think about I know no matter how good I am I know I'm not getting into heaven. You know with me being a demon and all." Eva joked which had Hinata chuckling with her.

"So friends?" Eva spoke up after both she and Hinata descended into a calm silence for a few minutes. "Yes more than anything I want us to put this behind us. So yes friends again." Hinata said honestly. Falling back into her normal personality Eva got a mischievous look on her face. "Well if were friends again how about we take it a step further. How about from now on we can be girlfriends?" Eva suggested while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Hinata who had a huge blush on her face. "Eva!" Hinata cried in embarrassment. Even though Hinata knew that it was an innocent suggestion from Eva {Mostly innocent. Eva's a demon after all.} the thought of Hinata as a girl saying she had a girlfriend in any context made her feel embarrassed especially since she was raised in the Hyūga clan and she lived a sheltered life so connotations and innocent suggestions like that even after all this time still makes her embarrassed.

"Come on please! Pretty please. Oh say you'll be my girlfriend. Oh please say you'll go out with me! I can't bear the thought of you rejecting my love for you!" Eva pleaded and whined as she started to act dramatic in her performance. Eva got down on one knee and acted like she was proposing to Hinata. Red in the face and seeing the ridiculous performance going on in front of her Hinata gave in to peer pressure as she just couldn't refuse her friend. "Ok. Ok. We can go out." Hinata said although she whispered it out in embarrassment. "What I can't here you?" Eva questioned, she was determined to milk the situation and this was also her own version of payback and revenge for what started this whole situation. What can you say Eva's a demon so she isn't above getting petty revenge or being vindictive to others?

Mumbling out her response again Hinata looked away from Eva who saw this and decided to jump into Hinata's lap and place her hands around the shy girl's neck and now her face was in front of Hinata's face. "What I couldn't hear that speak a little louder!" Eva egged Hinata on. "I said I accept your love and I want to be your girlfriend!" Hinata yelled out after a few more times of Eva teasing her. Replaying what she said in her mind Hinata was about ready to pass out as she blushed crimson red. "Aww I knew you always had secret feelings for me! *Muyah* I love you too Hinata." Eva cheered as she kissed Hinata on the nose just like she does with Naruto whenever they share a tender moment together. Hiding her face with her hands Hinata couldn't look up with her glowing red face. Seeing her friend in that stated Eva started to cheer and skip around the log after jumping out of Hinata's lap.

"I have a girlfriend! I have a girlfriend! I have a girlfriend!" Eva cheered happily. Moaning in embarrassment Hinata peeked open her eyes to see Eva with a real sincere smile on her face that held nothing but joy and happiness in it as appose to earlier where her face was nothing but an angry snarl of rage and anger. Slowly removing her hands from her face a small content smile worked its way onto Hinata's face as she slowly started to laugh. It started out as a giggle but then it slowly morphed into joyful laughter that soon infected Eva and had her laughing as well. For a full five minutes Hinata and Eva laughed and every time it looked like they would stop or if one of them looked at the other they would start laughing again.

Eventually they calmed down and let another calming silence overtake them. Soon it was broken by Hinata. "So tell me what happened, why did you fly into that rage earlier?" Thinking it over Eva eventually replied. "Ok I don't fully understand it myself but this is what happened." Eva said as she went on to explain everything that happened since she left Naruto and Hinata in the hallway. She then took it a step further when Hinata asked who Daylily was. Eva told Hinata about how they met and since then how Daylily would hang out with her and also teach her how to control her powers better and also how to develop and create new techniques. Hearing all this Hinata thought it over. "So she did something to you or rather that mirror she had you look into triggered something inside of you." Hinata summarized. "Yes. Before I lost control I heard her say something about this is what happens when a demon can't control their powers. She was basically saying that what happened back there is my true self." Eva said with a shiver. She did not want to go through that again.

"It would seem to me like she wants something from you Eva. I would be very careful around her if I was you. This is something you should tell Naruto. What if she somehow uses the mirror on the girls? Who knows what would happen." Hinata cautioned. Widening her eyes Eva realized she never thought of that. Having no clue what could happen that possibility scared Eva more than she would admit.

"Yeah we should tell the others." Eva agreed. "So Eva what do we do about are feelings for Naruto? Even if it is Naruto I don't want any boy to come between us and mess up our friendship. We took a deep blow to our friendship today and I don't want that to happen again." Hinata admitted. "Well humans and demons can both be greedy and selfish but let's not be like everyone else. Let's share him. The very last thing I want to end up doing is becoming one of those useless fan girls in our class. I would rather fight an angel then do that." Eva joked as both of them knew especially Eva herself that if she was to ever go against a strong angel that actually wanted to kill her then it could with little difficulty.

"What about Henrietta or Aria for that matter. While I know Aria doesn't like him that much she still has some form of feelings for him. What about them shouldn't we tell them and all talk about this?" Hinata asked. "Meh… they'll be fine." Eva said while shrugging her shoulders. "Eva!" Hinata said in a chastising tone. "What? Oh come on you act like that's the meanest thing I've ever said." Eva remarked dismissively. Putting her hands on her hips and giving Eva an adorable pout Hinata glared hard into Eva's eyes. After a few seconds of this Eva playfully rolled her eyes. "Oh alright sweetie we'll tell them just as long as you all know that I'm first when it comes to him then it's all good." Eva said haughtily while getting under Hinata's skin with the sweetie comment. Seeing her blush Eva knew she got her good.

"Well what if I want to be first?" Hinata questioned with a rare challenging smirk on her face. It looks like Eva really rubbed off on her over the years. "Over my dead wings!" Eva shouted a war cry as she started to blast Hinata with water. Hinata ran away squealing at getting hit by the freezing water. "Get back here!" Eva yelled out playfully as she chased down her best friend all the while she violently ignored the tiny whispers in the back of her head.

[Kill her.] [Kill her now.] [Kill her now that she has her back turned to you.] [Kill her now that she thinks you trust her.] Eva violently ignored all of these comments and more as she allowed herself to get lost in the moment. What Eva didn't notice however was that she was shrinking and soon she started to trip over her own feet that were now getting smaller and smaller. Eventually Eva fell down inside of Hinata's big jacket that now really was far too big for Eva's small body that was now back to her original normal size. The gem on her stomach was also gone as well.

Seeing the clearing coming up Eva called out to Hinata. "Hinata wait!" Slowing down Hinata turned and saw what happened to Eva. "Eva what happened your back to normal?" Looking herself over Eva saw that her body returned to normal. With her normal body back it also came with some baggage such as Eva's self-consciousness. Eva unknowingly adjusted to her human like body really quickly without noticing and now that she was back in her own body it brought back all of her inner turmoil. Walking back to Eva Hinata picked the little winter fairy up off the ground and grabbed her large cream colored jacket and but it back on. Letting go of Eva Hinata let the little fairy float in front of her face. Looking Hinata in the eye Eva suddenly became self-conscious and embarrassed. Looking down at the ground while poking her fingers together in the same gesture that Hinata still does Eva spoke up. "Hinata I have a question." Looking at her friend with curiosity in her eyes Hinata gestured for Eva to speak up.

"How was it?" She meekly asked as her face was turning red. Not understanding Hinata asked Eva to elaborate. "How was it to kiss Naruto?" Eva asked while a massive blush broke out all over her face. "OH!" Hinata said as she understood what Eva was asking. Suddenly finding herself doing the same think Eva was doing Hinata struggled to come up with the right words. "It felt amazing." Hinata said bashfully. "Oh… that's great." Eva said awkwardly as the two girls got quiet. "We should get back to them now." Hinata suggested. "Yeah we should." Eva agreed still not looking at Hinata.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

"I wonder what all that was about?" Naruto asked after Hinata took Eva into the forest. "I'm not too sure sir. I just hope Eva's ok." Aria said in a worried tone as she stared off to where Hinata and Eva went. "Yeah I hope so. I've never seen Eva angry like that before. I know it's more than me and Hinata kissing that made her react that way. I can feel it. I know something else is at play here." Naruto contemplated. He could feel that something was not right. The reaction Eva gave them back at the school was more appropriate and he could understand why she would act that way. Naruto wasn't completely ignorant to girls' feelings especially when he's quite the ladies' man himself. He and Eva share a bond closer than anyone else and he knew that she must have felt threatened by how close he and Hinata got with that kiss. He knows that Eva tries to suppress it but she is naturally selfish when it comes to his attention. Over the years he never really minded as it made him feel special and important to her. But the reaction a few minutes ago when she attacked him was not the Eva he has spent the majority of his life with. She was different and he wants to know what caused it.

"Daddy you kissed Hinata!? Where was my kiss?" Iris demanded with a gasp of surprise. "Oh please not now Iris, besides it was an accident that nearly drove me and Eva apart." Naruto said with a moan or regret. Seeing her father not in the mood for their normal bickering Iris sat in his lap and pressed her head to his chest. "I'm sorry daddy. I didn't mean it. But don't worry about it Eva's fine. She's my big sister and she can pull through anything. Something like this won't pull you two apart. Your bond is stronger than that." Iris said encouragingly. Smiling warmly down at Iris Naruto was about to pet her head when he winced in pain and discomfort. Seeing this Iris got worried.

"Hey don't worry about it. It's just the excess Yōki in my system now that's all. I should be fine by tomorrow." Naruto tried to reassure Iris but she was having none of that. "Dada is being stubborn." Chaos said with a giggle off to the side. But it was obvious to Naruto that she was just as worried for him as Iris was. "Here let me help you." Iris said as her hands started to glow brightly until golden flames coated her hands soon after. **"Sacred Fire."** Iris said calmly as her eyes flashed green for a brief moment before returning to blue.

Placing her hands over Naruto's stomach where your chakra core is in the human body Iris started to massage that area. The fire on her hands didn't even burn through his clothing or skin but it still carried the same about of heat as any normal fire and the warmth it was giving off right now was soothing to Naruto. "What are you doing?" Naruto asked his daughter although he made no moves to stop her. The warmth from the fire in her hands was leaving him to relax to move. All of his muscles turned to jelly as he slumped against the tree he was leaning against. "I'm helping out with the excess Yōki in your body. I'm guiding it and smoothing it out. It's clumping up in your Tenketsu or your chakra points. I'm smoothing it out and unclogging your chakra points. That's what's been causing you pain." Iris explained as she pumped her fire into Naruto's chakra core and then had her fire spread to the rest of his chakra points in his pathway system. Most of Eva's Yōki was already stored in Naruto's core and it recently became choked up so now that she pumped her fire directly into his chakra core most of the problem was taken care of.

"That's great sweetie, but how did you guys know we were in danger?" Naruto questioned. "A bird told me." Iris said simply. "A bird?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Yes big sis attacked two little birds earlier and they cried out. I heard their cry and I used my powers to see what they saw through their eyes. When I saw how Eva was acting I told Aria something was wrong. I then knew something bad was happening when those same birds came back and witnessed your fight." Iris explained as she finished up with her healing. "Wait you can not only talk to and hear birds but also see what they see through their eyes? Since when?" Naruto asked incredulously. This was news to him since Iris never told him about this ability of hers before. "Since forever kind of. How do you think I always know where you are? I mean yes I can sense you since I'm bonded to you and all but that doesn't tell me what exactly you are doing. I only know where you are and how far away from me you are. With my birds I can track you and see exactly where you are and what you're up too." Iris explained with pride in her voice.

Naruto had a shocked look on his face and so did Aria since she didn't know this either. Chaos who was leaning against Naruto's shoulder just laughed mischievously since she's known all along. She's used Iris's birds to plot out her pranks on people. It's a very handy skill to have and Chaos made sure to abuse her sister's powers for her own needs for years. Naruto was just looking at Iris with shock written clear on his face. "Come on daddy you can't tell me you never noticed the little birds that would sit on the window seal of your classroom or the abnormal about of birds that would be in the trees whenever you are outside in the school courtyard practicing with the other students. Or like when I was still an infant and I would cry and a lot of birds would show up at the window." Iris pressed.

Naruto jaw dropped at this as he now just remembered that Iris was right. There was always at least one bird in the window whenever he was in class and there were many birds out in the court yard when he's sparing with the other students. "You've got to be kidding me." Naruto said in a resigned tone as he wanted to face palm but his muscles were still too relaxed to move. "That's way pass stalkerish Iris." Naruto deadpanned. Huffing with a scandalous look on her face Iris had a comeback. "Don't say that! I'm only looking out for you daddy. I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm trying to protect you." Iris said in an offended tone. "Yeah but still that's really creepy." Naruto said but when Iris glared at him he turned his head so that he wouldn't feel guilty.

Hearing a rustle in the bushes Naruto turned to see Hinata and Eva come back into the clearing with smiles on their faces although he could see that they must have had an awkward moment based on the way they were moving. "Everything good now?" Naruto asked. "Yep everything's fine now. No wait it's better than good. Guess what Hinata and I are dating now." Eva said and she watched as Hinata tripped over her own two feet. "Hahahaha! I got her again." Eva laughed at Hinata's embarrassment. Instantly Naruto's mind went somewhere else and he started to blush. "Oh Naru you're a perv." Eva said as she caught Naruto blushing.

As Naruto, Hinata, and Eva started talking about everything that happened and coming to a resolution they heard a large rustling of leaves and out of a nearby tree that was still standing appeared Shoko. She landed in front of the small little group she had a hidden panicked look on her face and she was breathing really hard. "Guys what happened? Is everyone ok?" Shoko asked quickly as her veteran eyes took in the battlefield around her and she understood to an extent what happened. "Shoko we're fine. Everything's ok. But how did you know we were out here?" Naruto asked since he could tell Shoko rushed here. "Never mind that. Evangeline did you lose control?" Shoko asked as she looked directly at the fairy. "Yes but I didn't mean too. Naruto and Hinata managed to stop me." Eva said with shame in her voice. "What did you feel? Are you ok? Were there any changes to your body?" Shoko asked with a hidden urgency. Narrowing his eyes Naruto felt something wasn't right. "Shoko what's wrong, it seems you are concerned for something." Naruto asked his sharp mind figured that Shoko was looking for something specific.

"I'm just concerned for you that's all. A demon rampage is nothing to laugh at and you guys could have been killed if Eva was allowed to continue her assault." Shoko said as she expertly deflected Naruto's question. Naruto knew this but decided not to pursue the issue. After telling Shoko what happened in which time she kept on sending glances at Evangeline Naruto finally got the older woman to relax. "Ok I understand. Go home and rest up." Shoko said as she sent another glance at Evangeline. The little fairy saw the glances Shoko was sending her the entire time and Eva had a curious yet guarded look was on her face as she looked at the older woman. Shoko's gaze was that of someone looking at a person but seeing something passed them or looking at them and seeing another person in their place. Naruto motioned for the group to start walking so they could leave the destroyed clearing.

Iris and Chaos were playing with each other while dancing around the older children. Soon however they began to leave and as they walked away from the clearing Iris glanced back at a certain tree off to the side of the clearing and for the briefest millisecond her eyes changed from her sky-blue color to a blazing emerald that held all of her power as a Goddess. Her face contorted into a fierce warning glare as she looked at that particular tree but just as quickly as she did that her eyes changed back and she started smiling again. Noticing something was wrong Naruto looked down at Iris who was turning her head away from the tree. "Iris is something wrong?" Naruto asked. "Nope nothing's wrong daddy." Iris said innocently.

* * *

 _ **With Daylily**_

Daylily who was hiding in a nearby tree and was watching everything that was going on suddenly got a terrified look on her face when Iris looked in her direction. The image of white fire engulfing the entire clearing suddenly filled up Daylily's vision as a pair of large emerald colored eyes that held untold and unknown eons of power and wisdom slowly opened up above Iris's head who was glaring straight into her eyes with a look that was easy enough for anyone to understand. It was a message. A warning to back off. Just as suddenly as all of this came it disappeared and Iris was smiling again. _'Shit did that brat see me or something? I've masked my presence so how? And what was that image I saw?'_ Daylily questioned herself as she calmed her beating heart.

' _I must keep an eye on those kids. They are not human that's for sure.'_ Daylily thought to herself as she saw the small family leave the clearing. A few minutes went by as Daylily sat on the branch to catch her breath. Whatever Iris did to her took its toll on the fairy. When Daylily rested up and was about to leave she sensed a presence behind her. "What took you so long to return Kurruk?" Daylily questioned as out of the shadows of the trees a familiar man came into the light.

Standing tall at an imposing 5'9 was a man who looked to be around 20 years old and he had the trade mark pale eyes of the Hyūga clan and he also had the classic aristocratic scowl planted firmly on his face. Wearing clean and crisp white robes the man had a Leaf Head band tied around his forehead. His brown hair was left flowing behind his back stopping between his shoulder blades with his hair gathered and tied near the end with a thin silk tied.

"I'm sorry milady but there were several complications that I ran into." Kurruk explained. "Continue." Daylily drawled out. "When you sent me to capture the boy when he stole the Forbidden Scroll of Seals he tricked me with a Shadow Clone disguised as the scroll. I took it with me and when I returned to base it managed to spy on some of my meeting with Lord Ryūra milady. My guess is that it ran out of chakra to keep up the transformation. When it was discovered I tried to apprehend it quickly but it turned out to be an **Exploding Shadow Clone** and it took most of the base out with it. We managed to flee the area. The explosion also wiped away the evidence we had there but also some valuable merchandise." Kurruk explained.

"I see. But I can sense that this is not all you have to tell me." Daylily said although going by her tone you could tell she wasn't happy. "Yes… well after escaping from the explosion I decided to rest a few miles down the road from the base but I was stopped by two individuals." Kurruk explained. "Oh and who were they?" Daylily questioned impatiently. Taking a deep breath Kurruk continued. "They were the rouge S-Rank missing ninja's Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki." Kurruk explained. Now having Daylily's full attention as she turned around to look at him Kurruk seemed to shrink down. "Itachi interrogated me milady and I fell victim to his Sharingan prowess. I didn't give up any important information but I did talk about the boy." Kurruk said in a subdued voice.

Taking a deep angry breath Daylily gritted her teeth. "And now he will be keeping his ears to the ground for any moves we may make. Just great." Daylily complained. "I'm sorry milady." Kurruk apologized. "It is too late for apologies now. Take me back to base and bring Ryūra to my chambers. I must contact that mongrel Minos and talk with him. Stupid fallen angel scum." Daylily commanded although she mumbled the last part under her breath letting out her apparent distaste for Fallen Angels. "Yes milady." Kurruk said as his skin literally started to peel off in layers revealing his so called skin to be familiar layers and rolls of bandages that now circled around his and Daylily's form before they disappeared from the clearing under a swirl of bandages.

* * *

 _ **With Kakashi**_

"Well now that was interesting. I think I should go inform Lord Hokage about this. Oh Naruto you make my job so difficult for me sometimes." Kakashi said as he witnessed the entire battle between Hinata, Evangeline, and Naruto. Closing the orange book in his hand Kakashi disappeared from the clearing in a **Body Flicker**.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Sacred Fire** \- A move that is unique and a special ability of the _Phoenix Goddess_ _Sōkyoku_. This unknown ability allows the _Supreme Goddess of Life_ to create golden colored flames that is more unique and potent than her normal red hot fires. With these flames Sōkyoku is able to heal any injury no matter the severity and she is more that capable of bringing people who have died back to life with these flames. These flames have strong and potent side affects though. Anything that the flames engulf will not only be healed back to perfect health but they will also regress atomically back to a point in time when they were in their prime or at there very absolute peak. This aspect suggest that Time/Space abilities and aspects are involved in her flames as well. These affects are not limited to living organisms either. Anything that the flames touch including but not limited to by any stretch of the imagination are inanimate objects and nonliving things. The extent to which Sōkyoku's Sacred Fire flames can operate have yet to be revealed. However there are much more things her flames can do.

2.) **Exploding Shadow Clone Jutsu** \- A variation of the normal Shadow Clone Jutsu. By packing extra chakra into the clone and disrupting it so that it becomes volatile the user can remotely detonate the clone when it's in range of the target. The thing about the jutsu is the clone looks exactly like a regular clone. Their is no distinguishing features that would suggest that the Exploding Clone would be any different than a normal Shadow Clone. The only difference is in the structure of the clone's chakra network. One is slightly unstable before it blows while the Shadow Clone remains stable throughout it's lifespan. Only a Byakugan or Sharingan can tell them apart and even then it will be difficult.

3.) **Body Flicker Jutsu** \- A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

* * *

 ** _Authors Note (A/N):_** Hey everyone how was that? Did you all enjoy the emotional talk between Hinata and Evangeline. I spent a lot of time on writing that conversation so that it could all come out the way I wanted it too. I hope you all got it the way I wanted it to be told. A lot has happened in this chapter so lets all take a moment and recap.

\- Hinata and Evangeline reconcile after this whole episode of drama and craziness.

\- Naruto is now aware of Daylily.

\- Hinata and Evangeline are now Girlfriends. {This plot point will be kept in the story for future little comedic events among other things.}

\- We now know that Evangeline has secretly been holding back some emotional issues of vulnerability and self consciousness.

\- Shoko was acting weird with her questions as if she was hiding something or at the very least she knew something.

\- Iris has gained even more control over her healing abilities and she also inadvertently had to reveal to Naruto that she has been spying on him for a long time and that Chaos abuses her powers a lot for her own little schemes.

\- We also learn that two girls can be mature about their feelings and handle them properly and responsibly.

\- We also learn that Daylily is up to no good and worst yet she somehow knows Minos of all people. Chaos's old master.

\- We also learn the mummy's real identity. It's Kurruk Hinata's body guard assigned to her by her father.

\- Finally we learn that Itachi is also in on the action that is going on and will be happening in the future.

That is a lot of things that all add up. It raises many more questions but I'll leave that to you all in the reviews. This raps up the little mini arc concerning Evangeline and her feelings however the topic itself is far from being closed. Its only the beginning. Since I'll be gone for about a week or so I'll be giving you all this chapter and another one to cover up for my absence.

So with that being said I really enjoyed writing this chapter a lot as it allowed me to delve into the characters emotions and thoughts a lot more and it allowed me to develop the personalities and characters as people. It's a great learning experience for me especially since I like those emotional stories that some authors on this site manage to pull off really well.

The next chapter will be out 7/21/15 and that will be the last chapter for more than a week or so.

Thanks everyone for the support and stay safe.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 4 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 7/19 /15


	6. CH: 5 Team 7 and the Bell Test

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. This will be the last chapter before I go on my little vacation so I hope you enjoy. Now with the drama in the Uzumaki family over and behind them Naruto must now tackle the Bell test so that he can become a Genin. Do you think he can do it?

Lets find out.

* * *

Chapter 5

 _ **Team 7 and the Bell Test**_

' _So it's time huh?'_ Naruto thought as he made his way into Training Ground 3 at 5:45am which was 15 minutes early as appose to the 6:00am sharp time as designated by his sensei. Upon seeing the training ground Naruto couldn't help but smile as the place was beautiful and full of life. A wide open field took up one area of the training ground with three log stumps situated side by side off to one side by the forest. On the other side opposite of the log post was a large black kunai shaped monolith that Naruto didn't know the purpose of yet. In the middle of the training ground there was a wide river that split the training ground in half with another smaller field on the opposite side that while small was still large enough to actually train and perform activities in. The river had many stones and rocks peeking out to the water and the river was substantially deep extending down maybe 50 feet. Seeing the entire training field with the shady colors since it was early dawn made mixed in with the dew still hanging onto the grass and trees made for a perfect picture.

Through the entrance he used which was partitioned off by a tall metal grated fence Naruto could see that the fence wrapped around the entire training ground and let him know the entire area that Training Ground 3 encompasses. Seeing as how he arrived 15 minutes early Naruto sat down and leaned back against one of the log posts. "Hey Eva are you ready for this? Where going to have to give it our all." Naruto asked as he sat with his legs crossed. He brought along a backpack that he set down next to him. In it he had many supplies he thought he may need and he was fully armed with a Kunai holster on his leg and his back pouch carrying even more along with shuriken, smoke pellets, rope, ninja wire, and a few small scrolls. Naruto was armed and ready for anything Kakashi would throw at him.

"Yeah I'm ready. But I wonder why Kakashi sensei asked us to meet up here at six in the morning. I'm still tired." Eva said as she lay down in Naruto's untamable spiky blond hair. "I wonder that same thing but hey we use to go out for our runs around this time years ago so it's nothing new." Naruto said with a chuckle remembering the times him and Eva would be out breaking into stores early in the morning and taking as much supplies and food as they could carry. However they had their morals. They only hit stores that refused to sell them anything when they were little or stores that often had bad customer service and prices. In Naruto and Eva's minds they deserved to get robbed.

"Yeah but we haven't had to do a run in years. We have everything we need and we can just walk into a store under a **Transformation Jutsu** now." Eva whined as she like Naruto were naturally not morning people even after having to adjust for the sake of Iris and Chaos since they would normally wake up early in the mornings as infants. "Oh don't complain Eva it will be fine we can rest up later on today." Naruto said with a chuckle getting a pout from Eva.

Since the stressful event which occurred yesterday Naruto and Eva have slowly tried to get back into their normal routine and put what happened behind them. After getting home Naruto and Evangeline had a long talk that lasted for hours and they did their best to resolve the issue. She also mentioned the Fairy Daylily and her part in what happened and Naruto voiced his suspicions that he knew something like that were going on for a while. He never mentioned it out of respect for her privacy. In private the two talked for hours and Eva broke down and apologies for what happened.

Checking the time using a watch that Naruto _[earned]_ a few years back Naruto saw that it was now 5:55 and then he heard a noise. Coming from the same entrance as he did was his teammate Sasuke Uchiha and he was five minutes early. Naruto watched as the boy who was wearing a blue high collared shirt with his clan's symbol on the back, beige shorts with a kunai holster on his leg and blue and beige arm warmers sat down in front of the stump next to him. "Good morning." Naruto said politely with a nod of his head. Sasuke saw this and nod back at him out of respect.

While Sasuke and Naruto never really interacted much although that was mostly because Sasuke would shoot down Naruto's advances to reach out to him he still respected the blond haired boy simply for his fighting prowess in their sparing match. None of the other boys and much less the girls in their class could give Sasuke a good workout in their spars except Naruto and sometimes Kiba and his clan's excellent Taijutsu skills. Whenever Naruto would try to reach out and be friendly Sasuke would decline although he tended to do it politely unlike how he handles the rest of his fan girls and others who tries the same thing. Naruto took this as a sign that Sasuke respected him and he left it at that.

However there was one time when 4 older Genin tried to jump Sasuke because of his popularity and because they wanted bragging rights, this happened back when they were in the academy and despite Sasuke's advanced skills he was quickly losing especially since it wasn't a spar and the Genin were not fighting fair. Naruto who was walking by witnessed this and jumped in and him and Sasuke showed off impressive teamwork and beat all four of the older Genin in under two minutes. After giving Sasuke a roll of bandages to help cover up some minor wounds he sustained he smiled at Naruto although it was a microscopic smile that was barely noticeable. Sasuke nodded in his first show of respect to Naruto and verbally thanked him before walking off. That was the last time he ever verbally thanked him but between the two boys they each remembered it.

Five minutes passed and Sakura showed up at 6:00 and she looked like she just got out of bed. Her hair wasn't perfect like she would normally have it and her clothes had wrinkles in them. Sakura was wearing a red qipao dress with white circular designs with short sleeves and a zipper, tight dark green spandex biker shorts, standard ninja sandals, and her headband was in her hair which she used to replace her red ribbon that she used to accentuate her face. "Good morning Sakura." Naruto called out as the 12 year old girl took the other log post next to his. "Oh good morning Naruto." Sakura said politely. Again while Naruto hasn't had much interaction with Sakura which was mostly her fault since she focused more on trying to talk to Sasuke much to Naruto's secret disappointment it didn't stop Naruto from being polite to the girl whenever they had to talk to each other in class. Sakura who had nothing against Naruto personally was polite to the blond haired boy as well.

The three Genin hopefuls stayed in silence for 15 minutes before they each felt the beginning stages of boredom set in. Stretching out his senses Naruto searched the entirety of the Training ground and felt no sign of their late sensei. Although Naruto wasn't particularly expecting to find the man since he's a Jōnin Naruto knew he should be decent at hiding his presence. Sighing Naruto crossed his legs and placed his fist together in his lap. Naruto then closed his eyes and calmed his breathing down. Sasuke looked over out of the corner of his eyes but otherwise he didn't comment. Sakura did however.

"What are you doing Naruto?" With his two teammates here he couldn't talk to Eva so with boredom setting in Naruto decided to meditate and talk to someone else. "I'm meditating Sakura. You should do some basic exercises to loosen yourself up before Kakashi sensei gets here. There's no telling what he will have us do." Naruto advised as his breathing started to even out. Sakura didn't look like she wanted to do any exercises this early in the morning but she had another question. "What about you shouldn't you do some exercises?" Taking a moment for his breathing to finally even out Naruto answered his teammate. "I already did some before coming here."

Seeing Sakura about to ask another question Sasuke cut in and told her to stop bothering Naruto. She relented and the clearing was thrown into silence.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Mindscape**_

Appearing in his mindscape Naruto found himself at the center of his inner world with the World Tree as he took to calling it over to his left and the mountain with the golden gate at the bottom to his right. While curious about what was behind that gate Naruto traveled up the tree and quickly reached the bird cage that housed the great phoenix and his daughter's true form the Goddess Sōkyoku. "Hello! Lady Sōkyoku you there?" Naruto called out into the darkness that was the phoenix's cage. Suddenly two massive green eyes opened up in the void and Naruto could hear earthquake like footsteps that nearly had him loose his balance. Small candle like fires bloomed all around the cage brightening it up just enough for Naruto to see Sōkyoku. [Hello again father.] Sōkyoku voice sounded out.

"Sorry I haven't been around to talk to you for a while. You must have been lonely so I apologize." Naruto said with a bow of respect. [Wait, wait, wait! How many times must I say not to bow before me?] Sōkyoku said with a blush growing on her beak. [Although you are right I suppose. It's been a little lonely without anyone to talk to.] The phoenix rambled as it paced back and forth in front of Naruto. It's a habit he noticed she would do whenever she's embarrassed. Chuckling Naruto sat down on the floor. "Your embarrassed again Sōkyoku." Naruto commented.

[I am not. That's simply preposterous!] Sōkyoku said with a huff and all the flames in the cage got twice as bright before settling back down. Sitting down and tucking her legs underneath her massive frame Sōkyoku towered over Naruto as she peered down at him from her superior height. [So what is it that you wanted to discuss?] She asked. "Well anything really. I was bored and I remembered that I hadn't spoken to you in a while so here I am." Naruto admitted. [I see. Well ask then.] Sōkyoku replied. Feeling bashful Naruto agreed. "Ok this may seem random but what type of accent do you have? I've never heard anything like it before and I'm noticing that it's starting to mix in with Iris's voice now." Naruto asked curiously.

Turning her large head to the side like many birds do Sōkyoku contemplated the question. [Well that's an easy enough question I suppose. It's a language called English. British English to be exact. It's also mixed in with another language called French. Both languages are European in nature so I guess you can say I have a European accent.] Sōkyoku explained. "I've never heard of those languages before and what's European?" Naruto asked his curiosity now peaked. Giggling at the cute curious face Naruto was making the Goddess spoke up. [But of course you wouldn't know of a language such as that. Your world speaks only Japanese with no other languages being mixed in which I've always found odd but I never gave it to much thought.] Sōkyoku conversed. "Huh? So what are those languages then?" Naruto asked.

More than happy to answer the questions Sōkyoku explained the history behind the two languages but didn't elaborate too much on the people that used them. Naruto noticed this fact but he decided not to question it. Their conversation lasted for a long while and it was starting to wine down but Naruto still had something else to ask. "Well Lady Sōkyoku I was wondering since I'm teaching Iris a unique fighting style to compliment her powers; I was wondering if you would teach me something sometime?" Naruto asked as respectfully as he possibly could. Seeing this display a playful look entered Sōkyoku's eyes. [But I am Iris] She said with a giggle. "Oh, uh yeah I keep forgetting that." Naruto said embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. [My answer is yes but perhaps another time; besides tell me how is that little speed technique of yours coming along?] The ancient Phoenix asked.

"Well it's coming along great; I'm almost at a breakthrough to increasing my speed in the technique." Naruto admitted with an excited tone. [That's great to hear.] Sōkyoku complimented. "Yeah thanks, I was thinking of expanding this technique and make it an entire branch of skill all on its own. I'm thinking of calling it **High End Skill** and since learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu I was thinking of coming up with more techniques for this. The one that I started out with which was named Acceleration will be the base for this branch. It will be called Accelerating Turn." Naruto explained his ambition. [That's a very ambitious goal that you have in mind. Do you think you can pull it off?] Sōkyoku asked curiously. "I know I can it's me were talking about here." Naruto said with confidence flowing from every word he spoke. [That's what I like to hear… oh well would you look at that you sensei is coming. A pity I was enjoying our talk.] Sōkyoku said with a disappointed tone. "It's ok I promise I'll talk to you tonight how does that sound?" Naruto asked in a tender fatherly like tone as he stood up and rubbed one of Sōkyoku's massive feathers.

Jumping to her feet with an earth shattering earthquake Sōkyoku's beak was bright red. "Oh ok, you should get going now!" The phoenix said as it consumed Naruto in a plume of fire erasing him from his mindscape and bringing him back to the outside world. Once Naruto was gone Sōkyoku shrunk down to her human form while pacing back and forth. "Why did I react that way?" Sōkyoku asked herself. "Why did it feel so nice to have him talk to me like that?" She wondered as she sat by one of the thick golden bars of her cage. Sōkyoku pouted after a while of not finding the answer she was looking for. She would admit that she didn't think too long or hard on it but that was mostly because she was too embarrassed and she was impatient. It also didn't help that she could hear Chaos's giggling from outside her cage mocking and making fun of her.

* * *

 _ **Real World**_

Once back in the real world Naruto suddenly jerked awake while blinking rapidly. His sudden actions scared Sakura since Naruto didn't move in the last 3 hours. _'Sōkyoku can be so weird sometimes. She's so easy to embarrass for a goddess.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a mental chuckle. He suddenly spread out his senses and sure enough he could feel Kakashi's chakra signature enter the training field he then sensed that it suddenly flickered and in seconds Kakashi was standing in front of them again scaring Sakura at his sudden appearance.

"Yo!" Kakashi said with a lazy wave. "YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screamed in frustration since it was currently 9:00 so that meant that they were forced to wait for three full hours just like yesterday for Kakashi to show up. "Oh sorry well you see I got lost on the road to life." Kakashi said with his eye shutting in such a way that let you know that he was smiling underneath his mask. All three Genin hopefuls each gave Kakashi a blank stare. _'This guy here. Why does he seem familiar to me?'_ Naruto thought to himself. He chose to ignore the lame excuse Kakashi used.

Before anyone could comment further Kakashi walked over to the center log post that Naruto was using and placed a timer on the top of it. "Ok everyone here is the rules for this little exercise of ours. The clock is set for 3 hours and once it goes off your time is up now here is your objective." Kakashi explained as he then reached into his pocket and produced two small silver jingle bells attached to a small red string. Kakashi then tied the bells to his waist. "Your objective is to get one of the two bells that I have on my person." Kakashi said lazily. "But Kakashi sensei there is only two bells." Sakura pointed out after seeing only two bells. "When times up the person that does not have a bell will lose and be tied to the post where everyone else will eat their lunch and you will go hungry. Oh I almost forgot the person that fails will also be sent back to the academy." Kakashi explained and this got everyone's attention. _'So that's how it is? But something doesn't feel right about this.'_ Naruto thought suspiciously.

"Ok now that everything's been explained when I say go the match will begin. Oh and if you don't come at me with the intention of killing me where I stand then I can guarantee you that you will not get a bell." Kakashi warned with a smile.

Hearing this all three Genin tensed their muscles in preparations. "Ok 3…2…1… go!" Kakashi said and like that all three Genin took off to hide. After a moment Kakashi hummed in approval. "They hid well." He complimented.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

' _Ok here we go. Now the question is how am I going to get a bell from him?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he gazed down at Kakashi from a tree. _'I don't particularly want to fight him, but then again I can't fully do that without going all out against him and that will reveal my powers to everyone. I don't want that. So what to do.'_ Naruto strategized as he watched Kakashi stand in the middle of the clearing. "What's the plan Naru?" Eva asked her partner. "I'm not sure Eva. I don't want to reveal our powers so soon. But we will have to fight him if we want a bell." Naruto explained. "Well then let's do this." Eva suggested as she explained her plan to Naruto.

* * *

 _ **With Kakashi**_

' _So who's going to attack first?'_ Kakashi contemplated as he already found out where everyone was seconds after they finished hiding, now he was just waiting for someone to make a move. Suddenly to his right he heard and saw movement as Naruto came out of the tree line walking towards Kakashi at a calm pace. Once he reached Kakashi Naruto waved his hand in greeting. "Hey Kakashi sensei nice morning isn't it?" Naruto struck up a conversation. "Yes you're quite right it is a nice morning. You know your quite different than the other two, you know you should have stayed hidden with the others right and plot out a strategy to get the bells from me." Kakashi offered his advice in an amusing tone. "Yeah you're right and I did come up with a strategy." Naruto said as he smiled. Intrigued Kakashi decided to indulge Naruto. "Oh and what might that be?"

"Can I please have one of the bells Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked politely with a nice smile on his face.

' _Huh?'_

That was the collective thought on everyone's mind as Naruto dropped that random bomb on everyone. Recovering Kakashi responded to Naruto in an unsure sounding tone. "Um Naruto when I said you had to get a bell I didn't mean you just come up and ask for one." Kakashi stated. "Well you never said we couldn't so how about it Kakashi sensei can I have one?" Naruto asked again. "Uhhhh… No." Kakashi deadpanned at seeing Naruto's insistence.

"Well that was worth a shot I guess." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders as he suddenly and without warning violently explodes engulfing the area around Kakashi in a large explosion of fire.

 **BOOM!**

' _What they heck? Naruto blew himself up?!'_ Sakura questioned in her mind as she simply couldn't understand what was going on. _'What on earth? How did he do that?'_ Sasuke thought as he clenched his fist tightly. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Kakashi jump out of the cloud of smoke with smoke trails clinging to his body. _'Now I wasn't expecting this. He's got more tricks… wait it's not over.'_ Kakashi thought as he saw multiple shuriken fly out of the cloud of smoke and race towards his position. Taking out a kunai Kakashi deflected the shuriken thrown at him. Landing on his feet and skidding across the ground Kakashi came to a stop by the river and waited for Naruto's next move.

' _Now!'_ Naruto thought as he and four other shadow clones jumped out of the river and attacked Kakashi from behind. Falling back Naruto let his clones go ahead of him. The first clone came in with a simple punch to see how Kakashi would handle it and as he expected Kakashi deflected the punch without wasting any movement whatsoever. Using the same arm that just blocked the first clones punch Kakashi deflected a jumping roundhouse kick from another Naruto while simultaneously jumping over a sliding kick and roundhouse kicking the fourth clone who was coming in from his left side in the face dispelling it easily. Lashing out with a viscous and fast knife chop Kakashi struck the first clone in the neck and elbowed the second clone in the face both dispelling them instantly. Round house kicking the last clone Kakashi stood back up and watched the original Naruto who was also watching the exchange in front of him go down.

"Pretty good. I must admit I'm impressed. To be able to use the **Shadow Clone Jutsu** at such an age is really good." Kakashi said as he eyed Naruto carefully. "Thanks." Naruto said as he blurred from the spot he was in. Getting on guard Kakashi blocked a fast leg sweep by Naruto and stepped back to avoid a rising leg sweep with his other leg. Jumping to his feet Naruto quickly threw a shuriken at Kakashi's waist were the bells were but Kakashi caught the shuriken on his finger and with a flick of his wrist sent it back at Naruto who sidestepped it but also taking his eyes off of Kakashi for a split second and that was all it took for Kakashi to bury his foot in Naruto's stomach which sent the 12 year old flying back to the river side.

"Ok I take that back that was better than good. I'm starting to like you but I'll let you cool off for a minute I have to go play with your teammates after all." Kakashi said before without warning his body was littered by over a dozen shuriken and kunai courtesy of Sasuke who thought he had an opening. Widening his eyes Naruto watched as Kakashi's body exploded in a plume of white smoke and suddenly a log was in his place.

" **Substitution Jutsu."** Naruto muttered as he could no longer sense Kakashi in the area. He was most likely after Sasuke who they both knew threw those weapons. "Well that could have gone better." Eva said sarcastically. "Yeah but we weren't even serious with him. We could have pushed him much harder if we were actually fighting at our full strength." Naruto said as he sat up while holding his stomach in slight discomfort. "Yeah so what now? Going head on didn't work and we can't team up to bring out our full power so what's next?" Evangeline questioned. "Well I guess we have…" Naruto began to say before he was cut off by a loud girlish scream.

"And that was the pink haired girl." Eva deadpanned. Sighing Naruto got up and headed in Sakura's direction. Once he got there he saw her lying on the ground unconscious. "What happened to her?" Eva asked without much care in her voice. Looking at Sakura carefully Naruto reached out and touched her shoulder and pulled it back. "She's under a weak Genjutsu." Naruto explained. "Oh great." Eva commented dryly. "I'll wake her up." Naruto said as he placed his hand on her forehead. **"Genjutsu: Release."** Naruto said as he sent a pulse of chakra into Sakura that woke her up from the Genjutsu she was under. "Huh! What's going on? I saw Sasuke and he was hurt and…" Sakura started to say before she was silence when Naruto placed a hand over her mouth. "Enough Sakura. You were under a Genjutsu. It wasn't real." Naruto soothed.

Sitting up Sakura looked around and then at Naruto and more specifically the hand that was on her mouth. Wanting to scream Sakura instead slapped Naruto's hand of her mouth. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sakura yelled in fright. "Waking you up from your Genjutsu induced dream." Naruto deadpanned. Before Sakura could ask any more questions Naruto made the universal sign of be quiet by putting a finger over his own lips.

"Listen we don't have time for talking. Kakashi is most likely engaging Sasuke right now and if we have any chance at getting a bell for ourselves then we must move now." Naruto said in finality. "Ok, but wait what about Sasuke?" Sakura asked. "I don't know; we all can't get a bell so one of us has to go down." Naruto said was he stood up. "But that's not fair." Sakura said with worry in her tone. "It can't be helped." Naruto said as he was going to say more but a small boom and what looked like a fire was coming from the direction of the side field. "Come on we have to move." Naruto said as he took off to the field with Sakura behind him.

Reaching the field Naruto and Sakura saw no sign of Kakashi or Sasuke. Narrowing his eyes Naruto took out a kunai and cautiously walked into the clearing with Sakura bringing up his rear. Walking around a small patch of trees that was blocking his view Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his and blinked his eyes, when the scene in front of him didn't disappear he did it again a few more times to make sure what he was seeing was real.

Sasuke was literally buried alive. The only visible part on his body was actually his head. It was taking everything in Naruto's power not to laugh at the sight. Eva was covering her mouth as best she could so she wouldn't blow their cover by laughing to death. "Huh Naruto why did you stop?" Sakura asked as she came up from behind Naruto. Sakura saw Sasuke's head and she stopped dead in her tracks. Naruto could see the gears in her head turning at the sight and after that she simply fainted. Naruto reached out and grabbed her before she hit her head on the ground. "Good grief. What is with her?" Eva asked in slight annoyance. "I know. She's going to need a lot of work. But she has potential." Naruto said supportively although he himself is slightly annoyed with his teammate's performance so far.

"If you say so. I'll believe it when I see it." Eva said disappointedly. Carrying Sakura over to where Sasuke was Naruto squatted down in front of Sasuke with a grin on his face. "Yo Sasuke I see you stuck your neck out for the team." Naruto laughed at his own lame joke. Growling in anger Sasuke wasn't too happy right now. "This isn't the time for you jokes Naruto!"

"You're right I got ahead of myself." Naruto laughed once more. "Your jokes aren't funny Naruto!" Sasuke barked in anger. "Yeah, yeah I know I'm not that much of a jokester. I prefer pranks and I have to say this is the perfect setup for one and I'm kind of jealous I never thought of it." Naruto said as he pumped chakra into the ground around Sasuke to loosen it up and free the boy. Naruto added Water Nature Chakra to the mix to make the process go faster. Grabbing Sasuke by the head Naruto yanked the last Uchiha out of the ground with mud and dirt sticking to his body.

Taking a small break Naruto woke Sakura up and the three Genin hopefuls gathered around each other and rested up. "Ok so going at him all by ourselves didn't really work now did it?" Naruto stated sarcastically. "Then what do we do? All of us can't get a bell." Sakura added in. "I have no intention of going back to the academy. I've come too far." Sasuke said firmly. "I second that." Naruto added in loosely. "Well we have to get the bells somehow; and even if we do who is going to keep them?" Sakura pointed out one of the big problems. "Well whoever gets it gets it but it's clear to me that none of us can get one on our own." Naruto chided. _'Well I might but I would have to go all out with the intention of hurting Kakashi and even then it's still a might. He's a lot stronger than what he's letting on.'_ Naruto thought to himself privately as he looked at both his teammates.

' _Wait teammates? Why put us on a team of three if only two can pass. That doesn't make any sense. I've never seen a Genin squad of only three members before. That team from last year… what was their team name again. Oh yeah Team 9 they have four members if I remember correctly. Three Genin and a Jōnin not two Genin and one Jōnin. So what's going on?'_ Naruto thought with narrowed eyes as things were not adding up.

"Hey guys have you ever heard of a two man squad led by a Jōnin?" Naruto spoke up while waiting for their answers. Looking confused but still willing to answer Sakura spoke up. "Well no not really I always thought it was three." Sitting up Sasuke joined in. "Something's not right about what Kakashi said to us." Putting his hand on his chin Naruto turned the gears in his mind. "What did Kakashi tell us yesterday about the exam I wasn't listening?" Naruto asked. "He said that out of the 27 graduates from our class only 9 will be Genin." Sakura said slowly as she started to get it.

"Then that's it we've been tricked. Through any normal test if you're eliminate 18 of the graduates you will be left with 9 but let's say we pass but only two of us. Wouldn't that mean 8 Genin instead of 9?" Naruto theorized. "He lied to us." Sasuke said as he punched the ground. "Yep I don't think the test is about getting the bells. The bells are just a tool. He wants us to fight each other. Individually we can't take him on as we all just experienced but he can't fight all three of us." Naruto said with conviction in his voice. "But he took you and those weird clones of yours down easily." Sakura added in with uncertainty in her voice.

"I wasn't really trying and those clones had the same moves and thought the same as me. Plus they are dispelled with one hit. We are three different people with three different ways of thinking and our advantage is that we won't pop form a single hit." Naruto said with a smirk on his face. "I think I get it." Sakura said excitingly. "I see what you're saying so we should work together. But what do you have in mind?" Sasuke said as he looked at Naruto with a hidden curious look on his face. He wouldn't admit it but he was curious about what was going on inside of Naruto's mind.

"Sakura do you know any Genjutsu?" Naruto asked. "Um not many, I only know a few basic ones. But they are all weak and they won't work on someone like Kakashi sensei let alone beat him." Sakura said dejectedly. "Who said anything about beating him?" Naruto said with a smirk on his face.

"Here's what we will do."

* * *

 _ **With Kakashi**_

"So what are they up too? They've been in the forest for a while now." Kakashi said as he pulled out a brown covered book with a lighter beige color in the center of the book where the title was. "Not my first choice but why not." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. After a few minutes he heard rustling in the bushes and looking over he saw Naruto come out the bushes for the second time today. "Coming to talk again Naruto?" Kakashi mused. "Yep. You bet." Naruto said with a smile. "I hope you don't blow up on me again." Kakashi said with fake worry in his voice. "No, no none of that. I was just wondering if the offer for the bells was still on the table." Naruto asked. "No I'm sorry their not." Kakashi refused although on the inside he was prepared to jump away. "That's a shame. So what are you reading? It seems like you aren't paying attention to me." Naruto said as he casually strolled around Kakashi with Kakashi being on guard. "Oh but I am paying attention to you Naruto." Kakashi said in a cryptic weird tone.

"I see so does that mean I have to fight you for the bells then?" Naruto questioned. "You're more than welcome to try." Kakashi offered with an eye smile. "Then I'll take you up on that offer." Naruto replied with his own smile as he blurred from his position and appeared above Kakashi with a falling axe kick in mind. _**'Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu!'**_ Naruto shouted in his mind as his foot made contact with Kakashi's outstretched forearm. The second his foot touched Kakashi's arm the grey haired Jōnin immediately felt his arm start to get really cold and numb. Kicking off Naruto launched a barrage of punches and kicks at Kakashi that he either dodged or blocked. _**'Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu.'**_ Naruto thought. Each time he managed to get one of his attacks blocked by Kakashi he would start to lightly freeze the man's body. It was not enough to be visibly noticeable on the surface but he was rapidly cooling down the older ninja's body with each hit.

In the cover of one of the nearby bushes Sakura and Sasuke were about to make their move. "Do it now Sakura." Sasuke said as he got ready. "Right. **Genjutsu: Perception Delay.** " Sakura called out as she focused in on Kakashi and nailed him with her Genjutsu. Jumping back from landing another barrage at his sensei Naruto saw Kakashi twitch and that let him know what to do next. Putting his finger in a cross shaped pattern Naruto called out. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Next to him 6 clones appeared around him. Quickly throwing down a smoke bomb immediately afterwards Kakashi found himself trapped in a large cloud of smoke. Jumping out of the smoke Kakashi suddenly came face to face with 7 Sasuke's and several of them were going through hand signs.

" **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"** Sasuke called out. Out of Sasuke's mouth came a medium sized fire ball that was actually pretty big for a kid his age and it also takes quite the bit of chakra for the average kid their age to accomplish. Next to him several other clones that looked like him went through hands signs as well and blew out a gust of wind that fueled the fire ball making it 4 times the size as it originally was.

Kakashi disappeared as he was consumed by the raging flames of the massive fire ball. Landing on the ground Sasuke threw several shuriken into the fire storm raging in front of him. Naruto who was on the other side of the massive bonfire saw Kakashi exit the flames with his flak jacket badly singed with many other burn marks littered across his body. Seeing several of Sasuke's thrown shuriken emerging from the fire as well making their way to Kakashi Naruto knew now was his chance. _'Alright girls I only need a little.'_ Naruto prayed as he closed his eyes and when he opened them they were a darker shade of blue that glowed with a whitish color for a brief moment. _'Now!_ _ **Accel Turn!**_ _'_ Using Acceleration which he renamed Accel Turn Naruto closed the gap between Kakashi and himself in less than two seconds. While Kakashi was reacting to the thrown shuriken coming at him Naruto blurred past him while snatching the bells right off of his belt.

Naruto timed it just perfectly so that the large wall of fire would hide him from Sasuke's and Sakura's view. Also with Kakashi focused on the incoming shuriken that were on fire he wouldn't be able to see or react to Naruto until it was too late. Skidding to a halt Naruto grinned as he held the bells in his hands. "Gotcha." Naruto said triumphantly. Naruto's silent victory was cut short however when he heard Sakura let out a startled cry.

Whipping his head in Sakura's direction Naruto saw Kakashi holding Sakura in a light chokehold with an eye smile on his face. "What?" Naruto questioned in shock. Hearing the sound of popping Naruto saw the Kakashi he swiped the bells from go up in smoke and so did the bells in his hands. "Looking for these? Well these are the real ones. Trying to pass with fakes won't really do you any good Naruto." Kakashi said with another eye smile while holding up the actual pair of bells attached to his waist. You could clearly hear the amusement in the older Jōnin's voice as he gazed at all three of his students.

' _He's really good.'_ Naruto admitted. He could feel his respect for the grey haired Jōnin going up as he fell into Kakashi's trap. "Now what to do, you guys have made this difficult for me." Kakashi said contemplatively just as the clock he left on the stump rang signaling that time was up.

"We lost didn't we?" Sakura asked dejectedly. "Well not necessarily. You guys did pull together towards the end but you Sakura didn't contribute enough to the effort and you didn't even try coming for the bells on your own. After starting you went looking for Sasuke and while I'll give you some points for that you didn't go looking for him with all the right reasons in mind. So with that being said you will be tied to the post and Sasuke and Naruto will get to eat their lunch." Kakashi explained.

Sakura was shocked by this and tried to protest but Kakashi swiftly tied her to the log post and handed Sasuke and Naruto a bento. "Now as for you two you both did excellent. You Sasuke came close to getting a bell you even managed to touch one during our scuffle and you showed an impressive display of the Fire Ball Jutsu as well, but you decided to go it alone and didn't come to Sakura's aid earlier. But with that being said you will be getting a bento." Kakashi said as he reviewed Sasuke's performance.

Turning to Naruto Kakashi spoke up. "Now Naruto I'm quite impressed by your performance. You academy scores place you towards the bottom of your class but at the same time you've scored at the top of the class for physical and practical application of Ninja skills. But with that being said your use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu was impressive for someone your age and quite frankly it shouldn't even be possible for someone your age. Your battle skills are quite advanced and your combination of Shadow Clones and the Transformation Jutsu during the battle was a wise tactical move. Also you went to the aid of Sakura and helped not only her and Sasuke out. I'm also to assume that you came up with the strategy to attack and steal these bells from be am I correct?" Kakashi asked as he also reviewed Naruto's performance during the test.

"Yes I did." Naruto answered simply. He was curious about where Kakashi was going with his analysis. "I see, good job on that Naruto. As you can see Naruto I have a lot of good things to say about your performance today and I'll admit that it was great but I have one big problem with your performance." Kakashi stated as he looked directly into Naruto's now shocked eyes. Sakura and Sasuke were also looking on in both shock and anticipation.

"What did I do wrong Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked as he wanted to know what Kakashi was trying to hint at. "Oh it's not what you did wrong Naruto, it was what you were going to do wrong that has me concerned. You are elusive, clever, sneaky, and a pretty good thief. Those are all excellent qualities in a Shinobi and they will be skills that you would need in the future but I'm afraid they have no use to you in the way that you employed them. So let me ask you this Naruto. Let's say the bells you snatched earlier were the real ones. Who were you going to give a bell to?" Kakashi asked simply but the implications were clear to everyone there.

Widening his eyes in shock Naruto understood what Kakashi was trying to say. Sakura and Sasuke were also looking at Naruto but the look on their face was clear to Naruto. They also wanted to know the answer to that question. Thinking it over Naruto suddenly looked down in shame. "I don't know Kakashi sensei; I don't know who I would have given it to." Naruto admitted as he realized he didn't know who he would have given the second bell two. He wasn't vindictive or greedy enough to step over someone else and achieve his own goals. Ok so in some cases he would but not now in a situation like this when he's been in school with his two teammates for the last 4 years. 6 with Sakura since she entered the academy at age 6 and then transferred over to the Shinobi core classes two years later.

Naruto didn't want to cheat Sakura out of a chance of becoming a Shinobi if he didn't give her a bell. He would admit that his soft spot for cute girls and just girls in general was making it hard to throw her under the carriage so to speak and the fact that he knew she had potential was another reason why he didn't want to turn his back to her. Now while he would admit that Sakura wasn't the prettiest girl in the world and he was not attracted to her he would be lying if he said she wasn't at least cute so that was complicating things for him.

As for Sasuke Naruto respected the boys fighting ability and he understood that Sasuke wanted revenge on his older brother for massacring their entire clan. Sasuke worked hard during his time in the academy to reach where he is now and Naruto didn't have it in him to undermine his fellow teammate and get in his way. Naruto simply didn't have it in him and he didn't want to be that type of person either.

Looking at himself he may have gone through some very tough hardships to graduate especially on the day of graduation but in the end Naruto realized that Sakura if she didn't graduate she would end up with a civilian job or re-apply for the academy, Sasuke would very well still be placed on a team as it would undermine the villages military strength to keep a skilled Ninja off the roster and as for himself Naruto knew that he always had the Mafia to fall back on if anything happen and an even more disturbing thought that he recently learned and put together is that it would be foolish of the higher ups to keep him in the academy since as the village's Jinchūriki he is the village's secret weapon and a symbol of the military might the Leaf Village possess which is further amplified since he is the host to the Nine Tails. It was a slightly depressing thought to Naruto that some people in the village only viewed him as a weapon. He wasn't naïve enough to believe that some people didn't view him that way. He knows it's true.

"And that is why none of you are ready. However you three interest me so I'll give you another shot after lunch to prove to me that you have what it takes. With that being said I'll be back in a few minutes I have to go grab something's." Kakashi said calmly as he starts to walk away. Stopping Kakashi looks over his shoulder and gives the three Genin parting words. "Oh and don't feed Sakura you two or you won't like the consequences." Kakashi said with a cheerful eye smile as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

After a few minutes Sasuke dug into his lunch as Naruto opened his and started to play around with it. He couldn't get what Kakashi said out of his mind. Thinking about it he realizes that he has more growing up to do and he felt slightly ashamed of what his actions implicated. _'I'm going to have to do things a little differently from now on.'_ Naruto told himself. Hearing Sakura's stomach growl from obvious hunger Naruto felt guilty and pity for the girl. "Hear Sakura eat up." Naruto said as he turned to his tied up team mate. "What are you saying Naruto. Kakashi said you can't feed me." Sakura exclaimed but it was clear on her face that she wanted to eat the bento. "You will need your strength when Kakashi sensei gives us a second chance and we can't do that with you on an empty stomach." Naruto pushed.

Seeing this Sasuke sighed as he also turned to Sakura. "Here." Sasuke said simply while not looking at Sakura. The pink haired girl had hearts in her eyes as her crush offered his lunch to her. After a few minutes of them bickering who would feed Sakura since she was tied up Naruto dumped the responsibility on Sasuke. He didn't feel comfortable feeding Sakura for a few reasons.

One he didn't know her that well even if they have been in the same class together for six years.

Two he was a little shy about the thought of feeding someone his age especially a girl.

Three when he thought about it the image of Hinata, Henrietta and surprisingly enough Eva would briefly flicker in his mind greatly confusing him.

Four he was avoiding female contact with other girls around his age because despite the long talk they had Naruto and Eva were still walking on egg shells since yesterday and he didn't want to upset her again. Being completely honest with himself Naruto's heart couldn't bear having Eva angry at him again.

Finally five, Naruto would admit it was a petty reason but he adamantly refused to feed anyone else besides Iris and Chaos and that was because of his childish view that he must baby them and spoil them. It was a petty and childish reason and he knew it but he didn't care. The only way he would do that for someone else would be if they were very sick or incapacitated and couldn't help themselves. Since Sakura was fine and it was just a test Naruto was sticking by his word.

Being fed Sakura could feel her stomach being sated. This feeling wouldn't last however as the sky around the clearing darkened and a crushing presence surrounded them. Looking up the three pre-teens saw Kakashi walking up to them with a furious expression burning in his only visible eye. _'This chakra is very strong. It's overwhelming. I say it's about the level a veteran ANBU agent would have. It's still not quite up there with Shoko's when she releases her chakra but still it's powerful.'_ Naruto theorized as Kakashi suddenly dwarf them. _'This is bad what's going to happen.'_ Naruto thought. Sasuke and Sakura were of similar thoughts and Sakura was panicking. She didn't want the two boys to suffer for helping her.

Naruto wasn't fairing any better. All of his instincts were screaming at him because they were reacting badly to Kakashi's presence and killing intent. His instincts were telling him to either attack or retreat from Kakashi.

"I thought I told you not to feed her?!" Kakashi said furiously. Standing up partly because his instincts were getting hard for him to control in the face of Kakashi's encompassing killing intent and partially to shield Sakura form Kakashi's wrath Naruto stood defiantly in front of his sensei. "I know you told us not to feed her but if we were to take the test again Sakura would be left in the same boat as before. She wouldn't be useful to the team and this time it wouldn't be by bad choices on her part." Naruto said. "He's right. She needs her strength if we are to continue. She's in this just like we are." Sasuke added in his own piece.

"I see. Are you ready for your punishment then?" Kakashi said in a menacing tone as his killing intent soared to another level. Naruto was already stockpiling his chakra to perform three techniques on instinct just in case. Sakura had tears in her eyes as she was not use to any kind on killing intent and she was close to urinating herself out of fear.

"You all past." Kakashi said happily as the dark clouds and his killing intent disappeared so fast that you would have to wonder if they were even their to begin with.

"What?" All three Genin asked in bewilderment.

"You all pass." Kakashi repeated. Seeing their confused faces Kakashi smiled as he explained to them the true purpose of the Bell test. Suffice to say they were all shocked as they all started to think back to their time in the academy and how Iruka and all the teachers would stress the importance of teamwork and realization set in as they remembered all the discreet hints Iruka would leave them like a skilled ninja, ever so slowly preparing them for their future.

Seeing them starting to get it Kakashi untied Sakura and brought all three of them over to the memorial stone where he showed them some of the names of the Shinobi who lost their lives in service to the village. Giving them a speech Kakashi finished it off with a line that has been with him for a very long time.

"So guys this is probably going to be the most important lesson I can teach you guys and it will be worth more than any Jutsu you learn." Kakashi said as he got their full attention.

"Those who break the rules and regulations will be regarded as trash in the Shinobi World; but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash." Kakashi said in a melancholic voice. He sounded as if he both heard and spoke these words close to his heart and judging by the faraway look on his face it would be safe to say so. _'This man. Those words were great. They are definitely something I could get behind. Believe it.'_ Naruto thought to himself in his mind using that verbal tick he picked up from Chaos a long time ago.

After saying his piece Kakashi waved goodbye saying he had somewhere to be. The man disappeared in a Body Flicker. Sighing Naruto looked at his two teammates who were looking contemplative about Kakashi's words. Before he could say anything Sasuke started to walk away and Sakura suddenly perked up and started to follow the last Uchiha pestering him for a date. "Back to square one. Here I thought that Kakashi sensei's words would have at least stuck in their heads." Naruto said with a sigh as he was left in the clearing. "Meh… it was too much to ask for." Eva spoke up suddenly. "Yeah, worth a shot though. Oh well lets head home Eva." Naruto said as he picked up his bag and left the clearing.

Kakashi who was up in a tree closed the brown book in his hands. The title of the book read: "The Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja" in bold Kanji. "Naruto Uzumaki, let's see how interesting things are going to get." The silver haired Jōnin said as he placed the book back into his pouch and pulled out a familiar orange book that read: "Icha-Icha Paradise."

"Now what page was I on?"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Transformation Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. The user coats themselves in a thin layer of chakra that projects the image of someone or something else onto the user. While simple the technique can be used in multiple ways and advanced users of this technique can mask themselves in the guise of other objects that don't typically match their body size, shape, weight, or height. Also advanced users can also change of their voice and mannerisms to match that of the thing they have transformed into.

2.) **High End Skill -** Naruto firmly believes that he can increase the speed of his Acceleration technique. He believes that he's only scratched the surface of the techniques power and speed. As such he has dedicated himself to coming up with variations of his original base technique Acceleration. The first branch will be a direct off shoot of the base technique and as such when using it he calls it Accel Turn. However Naruto believes with some creativity and ingenuity as well as his stubbornness and drive he can create other branches that use variations of Acceleration. So with that in mind he decided to name this new branch of skills and potential skills under the banner of High End Skills because of the difficulty and skill needed to use them.

3.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the users chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

4.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

5.) **Genjutsu: Release -** The most basic of chakra control techniques as well as the beginning tier in Genjutsu. The jutsu simply involves you injecting your own chakra into another person's chakra network to disturb it and wake the person up from a Genjutsu that they may be under at the time.

6.) **Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu -** A move used by Naruto that allows him to freeze an opponent's feet or any object that his feet come into contact with.

7.) **Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu** _ **-**_ A move that is identical to Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu. However this jutsu is not limited to Naruto's feet. Any body part that Naruto uses to strike an opponent with will freeze the person's body instantly. However Naruto can control the temperature of his ice so that he can either rapidly cool down a persons body just by touch or outright freeze the person solid.

8.) **Genjutsu: Perception Delay -** A basic genjutsu that causes the target's perception of reality to slow down. The target will feel everything going in slow motion. However the effectiveness of this jutsu depends on the skill of the caster. This technique like most genjutsu are mainly used as tricks and delay tactics as well as distractions.

9.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

10.) **Accel Turn** _ **-**_ The name of Acceleration. This is the first level of Acceleration that Naruto has been using for years. Naruto believes that he can increase the speed of Acceleration to new levels and as such he with that believe firmly in mind has dedicated himself to creating a whole sub group of skills for that technique alone.

* * *

 ** _Authors_** _ **Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so I hope you enjoyed that show down. Team 7 is now formed with a few bumps along the way. This was a really interesting chapter to write so lets review.

\- For starters Naruto has come back to visit Lady Sokyoku to speak with her.

\- He learns some interesting history lessons from her.

\- He speaks his mind about his ambition to create his own sub group of techniques.

\- We learn that Sokyoku despite being an ancient Goddess is easily embarrassed amongst other things.

\- Moving on to the fight just as expected we find that Kakashi is no push over and was just toying with them easily.

\- We learn that given the opportunity Naruto will tell some bad jokes.

\- We learn that Naruto despite how good he thinks he is still has some growing up to do as well as some conflict with his own morals.

\- We also learn that Naruto has a rather bais and childish view on who he would ever dare feed and why.

\- Kakashi gives Team 7 his most important lesson speech.

\- Lastly we find a little scene with a certain book at the end of this chapter. It also refers to an earlier statement made in this chapter.

So there you have it guys that was Team 7 and the Bell Test. At least my version of how it went. Now some might shake their heads at the jokes I had Naruto telling to Sasuke but I'm the kind of person who if one of my friends found themselves in some crazy weird situation like that I would be the first one to start making the most jokes about them. Mostly because if the situation was reversed they would probably do the same to me. After that I would definitely help them out and probably get punched in the process.

Also Naruto decided to spend some time with Lady Sokyoku and she gave him a history lesson on the different languages and accents. When writing this I thought that if you had the chance to speak with an Ancient Goddess for an unlimited amount of time then asking "What are the secrets of the Universe?" or some other stereotypical question like that would be boring and lame. So I had Naruto ask her a question that would naturally be born from someone's curiosity especially if they were witnessing a change in their child and the only one who could possibly have the answers you were looking for was that Goddess.

So other than that I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll admit it was a weird one to write and it was quite challenging in some aspects. Especially since I didn't want to fall into the general mold of how the Bell Test is usually depicted in many Fanfics and while I know it can't be completely avoided I tried my best to make it original or at the very least something that fits in with the rest of the story.

So with that being said I hope you guys really liked this chapter. This is the last one for a little bit since I'm going on a long awaited vacation with my family. Once I get back in about a week or so I'll resume with all of my content. So thanks everyone for the support and don't forget to leave a review. They really help and are greatly appreciated.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 5 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 7/21/15


	7. CH: 6 Punishment, Cemetery, and Tora

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back from my little vacation and I'm happy, refreshed, well rested, and all around in a good mood. So last time where we left off Naruto has just finished his Genin Exam with the rest of Team 7 and Kakashi and through his perseverance he and the rest of his team passes. Now with that being said Naruto is eager to return home and share this good news with his two daughters but what surprises await him when he finally makes it back to his apartment?

Lets all read and find out.

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Chapter 6

 _ **Punishment, Cemetery, and Tora the Cat**_

Returning home via the use of his Accel Turn Naruto suddenly appeared on the balcony of his apartment. "I can't believe we actually did it Eva. We passed." Naruto said excitedly as he moved to open the balcony door that would lead him straight into his room. Suddenly Iris popped open the door and zipped out before closing the door behind her with a loud bang. "Hey daddy we weren't expecting you home so soon. How did your exam go?" Iris said in a slightly fast pace. "Um it went well… sweetie what are you doing out here in your pajamas and why are you breathing hard?" Naruto questioned slowly as he took in his lady like daughters appearance. Her normally pristine hair that she forces him to maintain for her was a mess and she had on a yellow t-shirt with a brown bear on it and the shirt went down all the way to her knees. Underneath that she had on shorts in a black color. She didn't even have her pink bow or Jean Paul in her hands as she normally would. Ever since getting that bear she's constantly had it in her left hand all day every day.

"Oh no reason at all daddy. I uh felt like sleeping in today and so I didn't change, and uh… um I sensed your presence and it startled me so I raced to answer the door. Yeah that's it that's why I'm breathing hard." Iris said hastily with her eyes having a hard time looking Naruto in the face. Naruto instantly saw through his little princess's lies and he got a suspicious feeling she was hiding something from him. Bending down so that he was face to face with the little girl Naruto put his face close to hers. "Iris…? Are you hiding something from me?" Naruto asked in a chiding tone. It was the tone of a parent picking at their children so that they would admit they were the one who stole from the cookie jar.

"What! No daddy I'm not lying to you. I would never lie to you." Iris said a little frantically as she kept sending discreetly glances back at the apartment door. Naruto saw all of this and more and so he hummed to himself and stood up. "Ok, but would you care to explain to me why you have one of your feathers in your hair?" Naruto asked as he picked an orange and red feather out of Iris's hair. Apparently she forgot it was in her hair or she was not aware it was there to begin with because the second she saw it in Naruto's hands her skin turned pale. "Um… daddy I don't know how that got there." Iris said defensively. Giving her a mock disapproving look Naruto looked her in the eye. "Iris you know you have never been able to lie to me a single day in your life right? I know you're lying to me now so you might as well come clean." Naruto said so he could alleviate the stress on his daughter's shoulders.

Naruto has always known since day one that Iris couldn't lie to him whenever she was guilty of something to save her life. She was simply incapable of lying to him especially to his face. She was too devoted to him and to shy and demure to do something like that. Despite her mischievous and manipulative personality that holds no malicious intent Naruto knows that Iris is a shy submissive girl that doesn't like to anger or disappoint him and it always stresses the poor girl out when she causes a problem and then tries to lie about it to cover it up.

Hearing this Iris looked down at her feet in shame. She herself knew better than anyone that she couldn't lie to her father. She didn't have it in her. Stepping aside Iris let Naruto have enough room to open the door. _'Alright I guess I'll see for myself.'_ Naruto said as he opened the door and stepped inside.

 **BAM!**

Naruto was knocked to the ground and sprawled out halfway in his bedroom and halfway on the balcony. Looking up Naruto saw Chaos jumping down from above the door frame with a pillow in her hand and he could see that he was covered in orange feathers. "Ow." Naruto said as he rubbed his sore face. Chaos really hit him hard. "Can't have a simple day can we?" Eva asked from within Iris's hand. The blow was so strong Eva flew out of Naruto's hair and Iris caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Oops." Chaos said bluntly as she held the deflated pillow in her hand. Iris had a shocked look on her face and her jaw was hanging loose as she looked between her father who was rubbing his sore nose and her fraternal twin sister who had a sheepish look on her face. "You were trying to ambush me?!" Iris asked incredulously. "I knew you would have dodged. I didn't know it was daddy though. Sorry Dada." Chaos said as she bent down by Naruto and poked his cheek. "What is going on?" Naruto said as he looked over Chaos's shoulder and his eyes slowly widened as his jaw unhinged.

His entire bedroom was covered in Iris's orange and red feathers. Not a single spot was untouched by her feathers. Even the ceiling had feathers sticking out of it. "Hey Naru what is… oh holy crap what happened?" Eva asked as she jumped on top of Naruto's head and with her height advantage she could clearly see into the apartment. "That's what I want to know. Girls why is the room covered with your feathers Iris?" Naruto demanded as he looked over at the blue eyed six year old who looked down at her feet in shame. "Um… we kinda had a pillow fight daddy… and it kinda got out of hand." Iris mumbled out not once looking at Naruto. As if to prove her point right as she finished saying that Aria barged into the room with large pillow in hand. "Hey girls I found more pillows from… uh oh." Aria said cheerfully until she caught one look at Naruto and she stopped dead in her tracks. The pillows in her hand slid out of her grasp as she looked like a deer caught in the head lights.

"Boy you guys really did a number on the place." Eva whistled in appreciation while nodding her head in approval.

"Um… daddy how much trouble are we in?" Iris shyly asked while trying to look Naruto in his eyes. Sighing Naruto drawled out. "A lot sweetie… a lot." Getting up and walking into the apartment Naruto stepped over layers of red orange feathers. "We're sorry daddy we… ACHOO!" Iris tried to apologize but instead she ended up sneezing and the most interesting thing happened.

A gust of wind accompanied her sneeze and while that was unnatural that was not the most unique thing about it. Alongside the noticeable gust of wind was also a spray of fire that dissipates into embers and those embers turn into Iris's orange and red feathers. So now Iris who was standing on the balcony had a small pile of red feathers gathered around her feet.

So by sneezing not only does Iris's blow whatever is closest to her body directly in front of her away but she also creates her feathers from the flames she also produces. It's a strange phenomenon that Naruto doesn't quite understand and it's a process that has been going on ever since she could actively sneeze. Of course she could also create her feathers in large abundance without sneezing but she prefers not to do that all the time. Another unique thing about the feathers is that whatever they touch slowly starts to return to a pristine or perfect state. Seeing this one day Naruto placed one of Iris's feathers on a dying plant and within a few minutes the plant was twice the size of a normal healthy plant of the same type and the plant itself was more healthy than any other plant Naruto had lying around. This greatly shocked Naruto and since then he's been testing out what else her feathers could do.

As for Chaos when she sneezes, a small plume of black and blue flames spray from her nose and mouth just like Iris but the difference between them is that Chaos doesn't create feathers. She causes a small case of bad luck, misfortune, and overall just bad accidents to happen within a 100 feet of her. To simply put Chaos can create chaos anytime she sneezes. Because of this fact she often times will do this on purpose just to see what type of domino effects she can cause and in turn Naruto tends to watch her closely to make sure she doesn't do anything that might hurt someone. However Chaos is pretty aware of this fact and she makes certain to be cautious of this sometimes. Mainly if children are around but for everyone else they're fair game to the little terror known as Chaos.

"Sir I'm so sorry I didn't…" Aria started to say but she stopped talking when Naruto held up his hand. "Bad Aria you were supposed to be keeping them out of trouble." Naruto said softly as he patted the Witch on the head. It was a simple scolding pat on the head but Aria still looked down in shame. "I'm sorry master but the girls were having so much fun. I didn't have the heart to tell them to stop." Aria explained. Walking up to Naruto Iris looked at Naruto. "I'm sorry daddy but I woke up this morning feeling really happy for some reason and I challenged Chaos to a pillow fight and it got carried away." The little girl explained. "This morning around what time?" Naruto asked out of the blue. "Around 6:20 or something like that." Iris said although she really didn't understand why her father would ask that question. _'That was around the time when I entered my mindscape and started talking to Sōkyoku. So does that mean that event had something to do with Iris's sudden mood swing? Sōkyoku was very happy that I talked to her, I haven't seen her that happy in a while so that could be it. Her happiness could have affected Iris today. Well…with that in mind I guess this situation is my fault.'_ Naruto theorized.

Coming out of his inner thoughts Naruto smiled a gentle and warm smile as he bent down to Iris's level and patted her head. "I understand. Come on let's all clean this mess up." Seeing her father's gentle face a small shy and bashful smile worked its way onto Iris's face. "Are we still in trouble?" She asked cutely. "Yes. Yes you are. You three can't have dessert tonight understand." Naruto said with authority in his voice. Even though he knew he had something to do with what happened he still had to put his foot down and enforce the rules and letting Iris and Chaos off the hook every time they did something wrong would not be teaching them responsibly.

"Aww. But dada why." Chaos whined as she loved dessert time. Iris and Aria also voiced their complaints but after Naruto said he might take away dessert for tomorrow they all wisely stopped complaining and just accepted the punishment.

"Ok after this I have somewhere I need to go so let's clean this up." Naruto said as he and the girls started the cleanup of the feather filled apartment.

* * *

 _ **Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves Cemetery**_

It was early afternoon and the Leaf's cemetery was mostly empty with only one or two families being present. A lone boy however was all by himself in front of a simple headstone and he was kneeling in front of it with a white tulip in his hands. This boy was actually Naruto Uzumaki. Placing the flower down Naruto brushed his hand over to headstone. "I'm back here again. I know I only really come here on my birthday but I thought this was a special occasion. I graduated and not only that but I'm a ninja now. Can you believe that? I am finally a full-fledged ninja. It was a long road and I wasn't sure where it was going to take me but I made it." Naruto spoke to himself with a soft whisper. After a few minutes of silence he spoke again. "I still remember the promise I made to myself all those years ago. When I become a ninja I'm going to work hard and become the Hokage so that I would have enough power to change the world. I was going to start with the Hidden Mist Village. I was going to stop their civil war so that no more orphans had to come into this world. I still remember it and I'm going to see it through." Naruto said as small tears formed in his eyes and he blinked to get rid of them. "Oh yeah a few days ago Iris and Chaos had their birthday. You should see how big they've gotten. It shocks me how big they are. I also had a bad fight with Eva but we got through it like we always do. But I'll admit that it was a close one." Naruto said as his emotions were becoming blurred.

"Look at me I'm rambling again… I don't have much else to say so I guess I'll go I guess… take care alright. I'll bring you something cool on my birthday." Naruto rambled out as he gripped the headstone a little tighter before loosening his grip. Getting up Naruto with his head down walked away from the endless rows of headstones and went to the entrance of the Cemetery where someone was waiting for him.

Looking up Naruto was shocked to see Hinata standing there with Evangeline on her shoulder. "Hinata Eva what are you doing here?" Naruto asked in shock. Smiling sadly Hinata responded. "Hey Naruto. I dropped by your apartment a few minutes ago to see if you passed your test with your sensei. Aria and Eva were there and they told me you left to the cemetery. We all knew why. So I came to see if you were ok." Hinata explained as she shyly placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder. Both girls had worried looks on their faces. "Yeah I'm ok. I just needed a minute alone that's all." Naruto said as he started to walk away from the entrance with Hinata falling in step with him. "You sure blonde?" Eva asked as she hopped over to Naruto's hair. "Yeah Eva I'm fine." Naruto reassured. They all walked away from the cemetery but none of them noticed Sakura in the cemetery and she walked up to the headstone that Naruto was just in front of. On the headstone it read:

{Kenichi Mogonomaru}

"Who is this?" Sakura asked herself. She was passing by the cemetery when she spotted Naruto all by himself and feeling curious she silently entered the graveyard and found a place hidden from her blond teammate that was close by. While she couldn't hear Naruto's words she could clearly see that he looked like he was crying. _'Oh my god. His age!'_ Sakura cried out in her mind in shock. On the tombstone it showed the age of the deceased and it showed that the boy only lived to be 5 years old.

' _Naruto there is more to you then I thought.'_ Sakura contemplated as she watched Naruto interact with Hinata at the gate to the cemetery before walking away. Sakura would admit that she never paid Naruto any mind while in the academy but she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about the mysterious boy that many of the students didn't know the background of. Naruto wasn't exactly too fond of talking about his past while in the classroom.

* * *

 _ **A Month and a Half Later**_

"Fox in position." A boy's voice could be heard of the static of a radio. "Cherry blossom also in position." A girl's voice could be heard responded next. "Avenger in position now." Another boy's voice could be heard over the radio. "Scarecrow on standby. Get ready to move on my mark." An adult voice said as it contained a haze of laziness to it. "Target identified ready to engage." Fox reported. "Ok on my mark. 1…2…3… GO!" Scarecrow commanded.

Out of the bushes in a small clearing an orange and blue blur raced out into the middle of the clearing where a small shaggy brown cat with a red ribbon on its right ear was resting. It had a black line running down her forehead with three lines running across it and amber colored eyes. The blur swept up the cat into its embrace and when the blur stopped moving it revealed that it was Naruto who was dressed in his normal ninja attire. His blue shirt underneath his orange hoody as well as his pants and kunai holster. His headband was tied around his forehead. Naruto had to extra accessories as well. Around his neck he had on a black collar that had a small chain attached to it. And around his waist secured next to his hip pouch was a small brown teddy bear head attached to a small black strap that was wrapped around his waist. When asked by his teammates why he carried it around since it wasn't a weapon and it was useless Naruto gave them a small mysterious smile and said that it was far from useless. "I got you!" Naruto exclaimed as he wrapped his hands tightly around the cat's small frame.

"Target acquired and identified." Naruto radioed into a wireless headset attached to his head. "Copy that on our way." Scarecrow stated. Squirming around in Naruto's grip the cat glared up at Naruto and without warning took out its claws and started to scratch at Naruto's face.

"Ow! Cut that out. OW! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Naruto exclaimed in pain as his face was scratched by the angry cat. Jumping into the clearing was Naruto's two teammates. Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. They were both wearing the same clothes as the ones they wore on the day they were assigned to teams. With a final barrage of angry scratches the little cat clawed its way out of Naruto's grasp and shot off back into the forest before the other two preteens could do anything to stop it.

"Way to go idiot you just lost our target." Sasuke said in an annoyed tone of voice. Sakura sighed as she was already exhausted from what appeared to be a long task. "Way to go Sasuke. Showing up at the last second and not being any help." Naruto shot back in equal annoyance as he jumped to his feet. "Don't bother helping I'll go get that stupid cat." Naruto declared as he charged off into the forest after the wayward cat. "Don't worry I wasn't going to help anyways." Sasuke commented to himself. "I'm tired of chasing that cat around. I swear it's a demon or something." Sakura panted in exhaustion.

With Naruto who was chasing down the cat he was gaining on the brown blur that was navigating its way through the thick forest with ease. "I swear I'm going to freeze that little demon cat when I get my hands on it!" Naruto exclaimed to himself with an aggravated huff. "I'm with you on that one Naru. That little demon cat thinks it can get away with mocking us then it has another thing coming." Evangeline commented from Naruto's hair.

[Kitty cat!] Chaos's voice sounded out in Naruto's head. Suddenly Naruto's form became blurred and distorted and out of nowhere Chaos appeared on his back while her arms were around his neck. "Chaos what are you doing out?!" Naruto cried out in shock as he almost lost his balance from tree hopping. "I want to catch it dada!" Chaos shouted excitedly as she used Naruto's shoulders as a springboard to propel herself forward towards the now scarred demon cat. "Chaos wait up!" Naruto exclaimed as he lost his balance and had to swing from a close by branch and using the momentum from the branch he propelled himself forward into a forward momentum backflip that got him back on course.

[Oh boy there she goes again.] Iris sighed as Naruto heard her voice echoing in his head now. Suddenly Naruto's body erupted into a blend of red, orange, and golden flames that didn't burn him. Out of the flames came Iris and she was also hanging onto Naruto's back. "I got her daddy!" Iris declared. Naruto slowed down this time to let Iris jump off his back and seeing her rocket forward after her twin Naruto just sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I bring them along on these simple missions." Naruto mumbled to himself. "Because you were considering not to when you found out that D-Rank missions were pretty much just chores the lazy people in this village don't want to do. You tried explaining that to the girls but then Iris caught you in her stare and you caved in." Eva explained cheerfully. With an indignant huff Naruto increased his speed. "You didn't have to remind me."

"Come here kitty!" Chaos shouted as she closed in on the brown haired devil. Leaping out of a nearby tree Chaos swept the cat up into her arms all the while giggling profusely. "Caught you!" Chaos cheered as she held the cat up to her face with an innocent and happy smile on her face. The cat took one look at Chaos and strangely enough an annoyed looked crossed the cats face. The expression was human like in quality. The cat's eyes glowed red and then it started to scratch Chaos's face with her sharp claws. This was the scene Iris came upon as she jumped out of a nearby tree. Landing on the ground with Jean Paul in her hands Iris stopped dead in her tracks and watched on as her sister was mauled by the possessed cat. A sweat drop could be seen rolling down the back of Iris's head as she didn't know what to do.

Forced to let go of the angry cat Chaos fell on her back as the brown furred cat raced at Iris with an angry hiss. Jumping into the air the cat tried to maul Iris but she simply sidestepped the brown blur. Turning around Iris reached out with her hand when she saw the cat coming in for a second attack. Iris grabbed the cat by its collar and embraced it against her body. Using her hand she started to rub the spot in between the cat's two ears. "There, there good kitty. Good kitty." Iris soothed out as she sat down in the grassy forest and rubbed the now surprisingly tame cat's ears. Looking up Iris saw her father jump out of the same tree she came from and landing on the ground she could see that he was moving to check on Chaos who was now sitting up rubbing her scared face. "Chaos are you ok?" Naruto asked in concern.

Pouting cutely Chaos balled her fist up with an aggravated huff. "I couldn't catch the kitty cat dada. It scratched me and ran off." Chaos complained. "Oh Chaos don't worry about it. Look your sister has the cat…" Naruto tried to calm Chaos down but when he looked at Iris and the now much more subdued cat getting along like old pals a deadpan look crossed his face. _'That little brown demon. After all the trouble that thing caused me!'_ Naruto complained in his head.

Looking at her family who had scratches on their faces, her father who had an annoyed look on his face and her sister who had a pout on her face and Iris tilted her head to the side cutely. "What?"

"Scarecrow this is Fox. Capture Tora the cat mission is complete. Target is acquired." Naruto radioed in over his headset with a tired sigh. "Copy that Fox. Meet us at the rendezvous point. Scarecrow out." Kakashi's voice replied.

"Come on girls lets go." Naruto said with another sigh.

* * *

 _ **Hokage Administration Tower**_

"Another job well done Team 7. Capture Tora the cat mission is a success. I'll mark that down for you. Here is your pay." Hiruzen said with a grandfatherly smile as he was donning his Hokage robes. Next to him was Iruka Umino. Since the Academy school year was over he was transferred over to the Administration Center to do admin work. Many of the other Chūnin academy sensei's found themselves doing this as well. Hiruzen was sitting behind a long desk that spanned the length of the large room they were in. The room was big and it was opened to the outside as it lacked one of its walls. Instead columns supported the weight of the room and it led out into a courtyard with many flowers and grassy area.

All along the desk there were many other Chūnin and staff members attending to other clients and teams coming in to handle their business. "Old man we are not doing that mission again!" Naruto declared with an eye twitch. He looked off to the side and saw Madam Shijimi the wife of the Land of Fire's Daimyō. Madam Shijimi is a corpulent woman with dark brown hair that she keeps in three separate poofs. She wears pink lipstick, pink nail-polish, and purple eye shadow. She also wears many different colored rings. Right now she was squeezing the life out of the cat in an overly dramatic display of affection at having her beloved cat back. "Oh Tora I'm happy your back. Now we can go home and dress you up… OH NO TORA COME BACK!" Madam Shijimi wailed in desperation as Tora bolted out of the large woman's grip the second it heard it was going to be dressed up.

"Well seeing as how it's still early in the day I have another mission for you." Hiruzen chuckled as he watched Tora run pass his desk and out into the freedom the court yard provided. Turning to look at the Hokage Naruto and his teammates had riled up looks on their faces. "No, no, no. We are not catching that stupid cat again." Naruto denied while crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh come now Naruto it couldn't have been that bad." Hiruzen chuckled. On the inside though he knew just how bad it could be. He was chasing that exact same cat back when he was Naruto's age.

"Gramps we want a higher ranked mission. These D-Rank missions aren't even missions. They're chores that the lazy people in this village don't want to do!" Naruto complained miserably. While normally Naruto would be calm, composed, and mature about situations like this his patients was tested by the hellish cat demon that always would find a way to escape her owner. Naruto found out that Tora was actually a demon cat when it started radiating Yōki when his team was first assigned to catch it a month ago. Naruto was shocked by this but then came to terms with it. After catching the cat the first time Naruto questioned the old Hokage about how the cat had that much stamina and how it could outpace several Genin. The old Hokage told Naruto that he himself used to chase around that same cat when he was his age. Hearing this Naruto dismissed this as he refused to believe it. Eva however confirmed it when she told him that the cat was nearly 120 years old. Naruto's jaw dropped at that time.

"Well at the moment I don't have any available C-Rank missions to give you guys. They are all already assigned to other teams. But if you check back in with me tomorrow I'll have one reserved for you then." Hiruzen explained. "That will be fine Lord Hokage. Any more complaints Naruto?" Kakashi said as he had his face buried in his orange book. With his eye twitching in annoyance at his lazy sensei Naruto wanted to comment but thought better of it. "No. Can we just go now?" Naruto grumbled. Sakura and Sasuke themselves looked like they wanted to go home as well. "Ok team dismissed." Kakashi said cheerfully getting exasperated sighs from his team. "See ya later gramps." Naruto said as he took off out of the office room. He wanted to go home and take a shower. Tora really did a number on him.

Reaching the outside of the Administration building Naruto spotted Team 8 leaving as well. "Hey Hinata! Shino! What's up?" Naruto called out as he caught sight of his two friends. Walking up to them Naruto saw Kurenai Yūhi giving him a curious look and Kiba was glaring at him with annoyance clear in his eyes. Seeing their Jōnin sensei in front of him Naruto bowed to the older woman. "Good afternoon Kurenai sensei." Naruto said politely. Smiling softly Kurenai greeted him back. "Good afternoon to you to Naruto. I suppose you are here to steal away my student again?" The woman said in her normal husky voice. She never did it intentionally or purposefully but Kurenai had a naturally husky and seductive voice that could charm any man easily. Blushing lightly in embarrassment Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Uh well I always bring her back in one piece. But yeah I got to borrow her if that's ok with you?" Naruto questioned politely. There was no point in being rude or disrespectful to the older woman. She was right whenever he comes across Team 8 he usually hooks up with Hinata and depending on the reason he normally brings the stoic bug loving Shino Aburame along since they are friends. "That is fine with me. We just finished our missions for the day. I have other tasks that I must do so I'm letting them have a break for the day." The beautiful woman explained as she looked at Hinata who was slightly blushing at the conversation going on between her sensei and best friend slash crush. "Hey are you just going to ignore me Uzumaki and what's with you dragging Hinata off every time we see you?" Kiba shouted as he was in the background listening to the conversation happening in front of him and he felt like he was ignored.

"Oh hello Kiba." Naruto said in a short and cut tone. Naruto was still not happy with Kiba for what happened during team selection. Naruto ending up kissing Hinata and while he did not regret that particular action, the aftermath and the audacity the Inuzuka had at asking Hinata out in front of his face was enough to piss Naruto off big time. "Oh hello Kiba… is that all you can say. Besides where do you two run off to anyways?" Kiba asked with a grunt. "Now that would be telling." Naruto said with a smirk. Growling Kiba was about to respond when Hinata stepped up between the two males. "Ok guys that's enough." Hinata said as she defused the situation. Not wanting to start anything Naruto backed off with a shrug of his shoulders. Kiba glared into Naruto's head but he decided not to say anything. "Oh yeah hey Shino I found this cool looking bug yesterday so I caught if for you." Naruto suddenly mentioned as he reached into his back pouch and pulled out a small vile that contained a unique bug inside of it. Tossing the vile to his quiet friend the taller boy bowed his head in appreciation.

"Thank you Naruto. I'll add this to my collection." Shino thanked as he tucked the vial into his coat pocket. "Ok I'll hang out with you later Shino." Naruto said as he started to walk in another direction with Hinata following after she said goodbye to her team. Seeing his teammates leaving the Hokage tower Naruto decided to keep walking as he didn't have anything to say to them at the moment. Jumping to the closes building with Hinata right on his tail Naruto started to roof hop to the Shopping District.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It would mean a lot to me if you left a review and your thoughts.

\- So Naruto had to deal with Iris cutely trying to hide something from her father and the consequences of such actions.

\- We also see that Naruto visits the grave of an old friend of his that tragically had his life cut far too short and the fact that Sakura now knows this.

\- We also see that Tora the Cat really is actually a Nekomata or Demon Cat. With it being 120 Years old even Hiruzen the Third Hokage was chasing around the same cat when he was Naruto's age. Also we see that Naruto has taken to bringing Iris and Chaos along on his missions mostly to keep them out of trouble but as Evangeline pointed out it was because Naruto yet again lost to Iris in a battle of wills.

\- Finally we see that Naruto and Kiba still retain that adolescent rivalry and animosity for each other which has not died down in the slightest.

So with all that being said what does Naruto want Hinata's help on and why are they going to the Shopping District? All of this and more will be revealed next time guys so please stay tuned and find out.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 6 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 8/6/15


	8. CH: 7 A Tense Night Shift

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own the Naruto Franchise or Heaven's lost property; also the other Anime that I borrowed themes from.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. So here is where we all left off. Naruto now has asked Hinata for a favor. What could it be and what will he need it for? We will just have to find out.

* * *

Chapter 7

 _ **A Tense Night Shift and the Drunken Customer**_

"So Naruto where are we going?" Hinata asked her friend. "I need a favor from you Hinata." Naruto said as they now found themselves in the Shopping district. It was only a few blocks away from the Administration District so they didn't have to go far. "Oh what is it?" Hinata asked as her curiosity was peeked. Doing a hand sign Naruto transformed into his Menma persona then jumped off the roof and landed in front of one of the many stores littering the area Naruto then turned to his best friend with a sheepish look on his face. "Well you see I need your help picking out a good suit to wear." Naruto admitted.

Now very curious about what was going on Hinata leaned in. "A suit? What would you need a suit for?" The two friends walked over to an expensive shop that sells tuxedos and suits. "It's for tonight. Apparently some rich people will be coming into town and they are old friends of Mr. Dino. So he wants us dressed up for the occasion. He doesn't want us wearing our normal uniform tonight." Naruto explained as they entered the shop. "Oh that sounds like so much fun. I wish I could go." Hinata said with a smile on her face. "I know but you're not a part of the Mafia and they don't let kids that don't work there enter unless they are special VIP's." Naruto said in a disappointed tone. "It's ok." Hinata reassured. Walking over to an aisle filled with suits and vest Naruto looked a little unsure. "Yeah so you see I don't really know what to wear. Last time I picked out a uniform for the team they liked it but it was pretty simple and Shoko was giving me little tips. But I'm not really into clothes so…" Naruto trailed off.

"I see I'll help you pick something out." Hinata said with a smile and blush on her face as she went and started looking through clothes. Hopping over to Hinata's hoody Eva got herself comfortable in the thick fur lining Hinata's coat provides. "Oh and why are you blushing? Were you thinking this was some type of date?" Eva whispered into Hinata's ear which nearly caused the poor girl to choke on the air she suddenly inhaled. "W-what I-I-I don't know w-what you're t-talking a-about." Hinata stuttered horribly with a tomato red face in embarrassment. "Sure you don't Hahahah. I'm just joking Hinata." Eva laughed with mirth clear in her voice. "Oh o-ok." Hinata stuttered as she tried to distract herself. She was happy that things settled down between her and Eva. As strange as it might sound she would miss the teasing her little female best friend did to her at every turn if their friendship was ruined. She was just glad that everything worked out. But she definitely looked at Eva in a different light now.

"Hey you know it was my idea to ask for your help right." Eva said after a few minutes of shopping. Hinata already found the first two blazers for Naruto to look at while he was distracted by the polished shoes on a shoe rack a few yards away. "Really?" Hinata questioned. She was careful not to speak too loud or make it obvious she was talking to someone other than Naruto. "Yeah. I have no fashion sense. You guys keep telling me I'm too tomboyish. So I thought it would be a good idea to get your help." Eva admitted with a small shrug of her shoulders. She knew she wasn't the most girlish girl around. When you grow up most of your life with a boy your age and no parents to guide you and your orphans then you changed a lot. "Thanks I'm glad I can help." Hinata thanked her friend as she called Naruto over to her so she could give him the blazers and vest she found to try on. "Besides what do I care about fashion and clothes anyway? I'm 5 inches tall. Naruto had to steal me clothes from little toys and dolls so that they could fit me." Eva said with a chuckle remembering when they would steal from the stores and come across little toys that were outfitted with tiny little clothes.

Frowning a little at the fact that her friend had to steal just so that she could wear clothes Hinata watched on as Naruto went into the dressing room. "How about I make you some clothes. I'm really good at knitting you know." Hinata offered with a smile as she patted her hoody where she knew Eva was. "Really you'd do that for me?" Eva asked in shock. "Of course Eva where friends after all." Hinata said softly. Smiling gently Eva leaned into Hinata's fur lined hoody. The appreciation was clear in her eyes. "Thanks Hinata." Smiling Hinata whispered back when someone walked by. "You're welcome."

Coming out of the changing room with his new suit on Naruto was looking nervous. "How do I look?" Taking one look at Naruto and how the suit was pressing tight against Naruto's form and showing off his muscles and broad chest Hinata nearly passed out then and there. Her face was glowing red. "It looks great on you." Hinata managed to say. Seeing this Naruto blushed as he could see Hinata blushing like crazy. Seeing her react that way was a major self confidence booster. Especially since he has been looking at Hinata a little differently since that accidental kiss they shared a month ago. Before he would just flirt with her because it was fun to see her blush and stutter all over the place but recently whenever he would get that reaction out of her it would mean more to him.

"Thanks." Reigning in his blush Naruto went back in to change, a few minutes later he came out with his normal clothes on. By then Hinata had calmed down. "Hey Naruto I'm curious. If you wanted help on picking out a suit how come you didn't ask Iris? I'm sure she would have loved to spend this time with you." Hinata asked curiously. But she started to giggle when she saw Naruto's face pale considerably. "Yeah well… uh um about that. Don't get me wrong I would love nothing more than to spend this time with her, but she would use that as an opportunity to embarrass me and play dress up with me. Not to mention she would then force me to buy her a lot of clothes." Naruto said pitifully. He loved every second he was with his two girls to the point where it felt strange when he wasn't with them but he knew his girls especially Iris would use this opportunity to use him. Which he secretly didn't mind as long as it made them happy.

Giggling a lot Hinata was looking at Naruto with mirth and amusement clear in her eyes. "It would seem to me that she has you wrapped right around her pinky. You know she adores you right?" Hinata said with a smile. "Yeah I know I'm wrapped around her finger. I'm right where I belong and I wouldn't have it any other way." Naruto said with love and devotion in his eyes. Hearing this Hinata smiled a gentle smile and a light blush was present on her face. _'He's an amazing father.'_

"I'm lucky. Chaos is like a little puppy. All I have to do is entertain her and take her out to prank a few people a week and she's happy. Iris on the other hand is far too mature. She knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. I find it so funny how complex her emotions and personality can be sometimes. I'm just glad that she and Chaos get along so well." Naruto stated as he picked up the suit Hinata picked out for him. He wanted to buy it. "Yeah it is a miracle. I find it sweet how almost 90 percent of the time they are always holding hands. They are never a few feet away from each other at any given time." Hinata pointed out as they made their way to the store clerk. "Yeah they do everything together. Eat, sleep, play, prank, and argue together." Naruto said with a happy chuckle as he was thinking of all the things the fraternal twins do together. Paying for the suit Naruto and Hinata left the store.

"Thanks for the help Hinata. You were a life saver." Naruto said with a grateful smile on his face. Blushing Hinata shyly responded. "You're welcome Naruto. I was glad to help." Being close to each other Naruto suddenly felt awkward but felt compelled to let Hinata know how appreciative he was. Now Naruto didn't know what possessed him to do this and he knew it was not Eva or the girls but he suddenly leaned in and gave Hinata a peck on the cheek. It was quick and inexperienced but the meaning and emotions were still very much there. "Thanks Hinata… I uh... um gotta go do this important thing and uh bye." Naruto said as he took off down the street with a heavy blush on his face. Hinata was left standing there with a shocked look on her face. It took every ounce of will power from her past, present, and future self not to pass out in the middle of the street. Soon she stiffly turned around and began walking in the direction that would take her to the Clan District where the Hyūga Clan Compound is located.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata noticed the rest of Team 8 watching them from afar. Kiba had a pissed off look on his face. Shino whose face was covered up made it hard to know what he was thinking and Kurenai had a curious yet contemplative look on her face.

* * *

 _ **Monte Carlo Casino 11:00pm**_

"Ok all ready." Naruto said as he finished putting on his Suit. He was looking himself over in the mirror. "Looking good Blondie." Eva said as she did a cat call. Blushing Naruto batted Eva who was buzzing around his head away. "Thanks Eva. Hey are you ok with what happened earlier?" Naruto said awkwardly. Smiling softly Eva floated up in front of Naruto's face. She had on a black dress that she normally doesn't wear. "It's fine. I'm not mad. However who gave you permission to kiss my girlfriend?" Eva said with a fake angry look on her face as she poked Naruto in the nose with her small fingers. "I uh it was a spur of the moment kind of thing." Naruto said as he pretended to defend himself against Eva's fake wrath. "If anything I'm actually quite surprised. Does this mean you like Hinata?" Eva asked curiously. On the inside however she was anxious to find out and some part of her was dreading the response. Despite making up and becoming even closer with her best female friend Eva was still self-conscious about her position in Naruto's life and the feelings she has for him that have been growing ever since they met 8 years ago.

"I don't know what it means Eva. I don't know if I like Hinata or not. To tell you the truth I don't know what possessed me to kiss her like that." Naruto said as he walked out of the dressing room he was in. "I can tell you right now it definitely wasn't me." Eva deadpanned. She didn't say it in a hurtful or mean way but more or less as a joke but she would be lying if she said that some of her emotions didn't seep into her words.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Naruto said as he stopped by the room where the rest of section 2 was getting ready. After a few minutes the girls stepped out wearing black dresses of different designs that really brought out their beauty. Naruto's eyes were instantly drawn to Henrietta's dress that was innocent and elegant in design but it brought out the best in the young girl. Blushing lightly Naruto tried to avert his eyes but he found that it was a little harder to do. Seeing him staring at her Henrietta became self-conscious under his scrutiny. "Do you like it Naruto?" Henrietta said shyly as she couldn't look up at the boy she liked. "Uh um yeah it looks amazing on you Henrietta." Naruto managed to get out after coming out of his daze. Blushing at the compliment Henrietta pretty much became unresponsive and Triela was worried the girl might pass out.

"Alright guys let's get down to the floor. We have a very important guest coming and we need to be ready." Jose said as he came up behind the small little group. He was wearing a nice expensive tux and he had his ever present charming smile on his face. Nodding the girls plus Naruto followed after Jose who took them to the Casino floor where it was packed with guest. It was busier than usual and a lot richer people where here than normal. "Ok guys get to your stations the evening is about to pick up." Jose ordered. Moving to their stations the kids of section 2 began to work.

' _Where is Shoko?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he looked everywhere for his ex-handler. "Master is everything ok?" Aria asked as she appeared by Naruto's side. She was wearing an elegant blue green dress that matched her style perfectly. She has been following Naruto around like a little puppy ever since she started working with him as her handler. However Naruto insisted that she not wear her witch hat as it would draw too much attention. While saddened and reluctant to do it she caved in like she normally would. "Nothing's wrong Aria. I'm just looking for Shoko that's all." Naruto responded. "Oh she's over there sir." Aria pointed out. Looking over Naruto saw Shoko following Iris and Chaos around. Naruto decided that since no one would be home to watch the girls and Miss Furukawa mysteriously left the day before without telling him Naruto was left with no choice but to bring the girls with him. They were both wearing black dresses that brought out their cuteness to a whole new level. Naruto tasked them with bringing drinks to the patrons. Although this was their first time doing this Naruto believed they could do it. The patrons were used to the little kids being present around the casino and they were always warm and welcoming to them, especially the veteran clients that have been customers of the Casino for years. They watched over Naruto and the rest of section 2 when they were Iris and Chao's age so it was no different.

Walking over to Naruto Shoko came up to stand beside her partner. "Hello Naruto." Shoko said in a detached voice. It was cold and uninviting. Immediately Naruto knew something was terribly wrong. He snapped his neck up to look at Shoko and he could see it all. In her body language and in her face. She was tense, all her muscles were coiled and ready to let loose. He could feel her chakra sizzling below the surface of her skin. A small veil of killing intent was hanging over her head. Naruto had never seen his partner like this before. "Shoko are you ok. What's wrong?" Naruto asked in deep concern for his partner.

"Look sharp. Our guest is here." Shoko said in a cold and clipped tone. Widening his eyes at the tone Shoko took with him as she's never talked to him in such a way Naruto turned his attention to the main door of the casino which was opened up at that moment. A tall figure could be seen walking into the room. All eyes were instantly on the person. They were wrapped in the dark shadows of the night that were filtering into the large room from the opened doors. Everyone's attention was on this individual who strode into the building with the sound of high heels hitting the marble floor. Even Iris and Chaos were looking at this individual and their eyes had changed over as they were affected by whoever this person was.

* * *

A woman. A tall woman with long dirty blond hair was seen entering the building. Right off the bat there were 5 things Naruto noticed about the woman the second he laid eyes on her. One was her hair that was a dirty blond color.

She had long fringed bangs that covered her forehead with the bangs arching at the center of her forehead. Two long side bangs that were thick fell down over her expansive bust and stopped just below her bust line. The rest of her hair was in a high ponytail that came down and cascaded down the woman's back like a waterfall and stopped at her hips.

The second thing he noticed was her eyes. They were soulless. They were a deep shade of blue that was so dark it was like looking into a pit. They were dead looking yet they held a cunning look to them a cold and calculating look that could not be mistaken or masked. She also had on a light shade of pink lipstick on her lips and she had a small mole under her left eye.

The third was her clothing. She had on a dark blood red woman's business suit with a white blouse underneath it. The suit was closed and held together by six gold buttons. In the same red color she had on a red tight form fitting skirt that went down to her knees. Underneath that she had on black stockings that went all the way up into her skirt and they also covered her feet that were inside black extremely expensive high heels. Over this blood red ensemble the unknown woman had on a dark green large trench coat that looked two sizes too big for her. She didn't wear the trench coat normally. She had it draped over her wide shoulders which had the effect of making her already wide shoulders look even wider. There were 8 buttons on the trench coat four on each side. On the shoulders there was a yellow bar going across it. The coat had deep pockets that could fit any number of things in it and the sleeves were extra-long as well and if she were to put it on it could easily cover up her entire arm. But what drew Naruto's attention the most about her attire was the symbol on the trench coats sleeve right near the shoulder.

It was a hammer and sickle and it looked like the tools were going to strike against the one symbol that every Leaf Shinobi knows old and young. The symbol of the Village Hidden in the Stone. The hammer and sickle were poise to strike against a rock like image with a smaller rock encroaching on the first. It was the symbol of the Hidden Stone Village but Naruto was unsure of what the hammer and sickle were for as he has never seen that symbol before.

The fourth thing he noticed about the woman was that she immediately drew the attention of everyone around her. She had an aura about her that demanded attention from everyone around her. Along with her demanding aura was her presence. It was overwhelming Naruto's senses since the moment she stepped into the room. It was all encompassing and you knew without a shadow of a doubt you were in the same room with her. There was no way to disguise or hide her presence. You automatically knew she was there.

The last thing however drew people's attention more. She had deep burn like scars going across every visible inch of her body. A large wide and deep burning scar was located going down her right eye and up to her forehead. It extended down to her chin and took up a large percent of the right side of her face. Another scar ran across the right side of her neck all the way to the back of her neck, another scar was on the other side of her neck as well. She had another one on her collarbone as well. Several more could be seen on the visible part of her chest and breast.

Walking up to them the woman stopped in front of Shoko who was as still as a statue. But it was clear that Shoko was glaring death into the woman's face. Then it happened. The two women got within three feet of each other and then suddenly it was like they were inside of a bubble.

' _NO WAY! WHAT IS THIS?'_ Naruto panicked in his mind as he felt it. It was titanic and overwhelming. Both Shoko's and this mysterious woman's chakra spiked to monstrous levels. It was no secret that Shoko was an S-Rank Kage level Shinobi or former shinobi as she doesn't work for the village as she explained to Naruto years ago. Even though her powers and skills atrophied a little because of disuse she was still a Kage level opponent and her chakra reserves and levels were nothing to laugh at. But what scared Naruto was that the woman was not only matching Shoko's level but she surpassed it and hers kept on climbing farther. A smirk was present on the woman's scared face as she stared down at the shorter woman. Once her power climbed over Shoko's the woman had a smug look on her face which grew when she saw Shoko of all people flinch and back down. Shoko had actually stopped raising her chakra level and instead started to lower it. This action shocked Naruto greatly as he's never seen Shoko back down to anyone. The mystery woman was at least 6'5 in height but looking at her high heels that were two inches tall then that means that the woman was actually 6'3. Shoko who was tall for a woman was 6'0 so she still had to look up to the woman.

Everyone else that could sense chakra felt it as well. They all felt like they were suffocating and they couldn't breathe. As suddenly as it came it left and the woman pulled out a cigar and the movement had Shoko stiffen. Lighting the cigar the woman took a puff of it before blowing the smoke into Shoko's face. "Long time no see Shoko. The years have been kind to you. What has it been now 16 years?" The woman questioned in a gravelly tone. It was deep and it was husky befitting a person of her appearance and size. "Not long enough, I don't know why you're here or why Mr. Dino or the Hokage for that matter let you anywhere near the village but I don't like it. So come on right this way Mr. Dino is in his office." Shoko said with barely concealed hatred in her voice.

"Oh, still as feisty as ever." The woman said before she leaned in and whispered in Shoko's ear. "I would watch yourself there Biohazard. This isn't the battlefield and your poor little teammates aren't alive to bail you out of trouble this time around. It would be a shame if something were to happen while I was in this village of yours. You know you're not strong enough to stop me. Never have and never will." The woman berated Shoko who was seething and shaking in rage but she was keeping it all covered up in the presence of the other clients who were watching. Stepping back the woman had a smile on her face until her eyes caught Naruto's.

It was unnoticeable and Naruto missed it but the woman's eyes widened by a small fraction when she gazed at Naruto. "You there boy what's your name?" The woman asked. "My name is Menma mam." Naruto said timidly. On the inside he was cursing himself for sounding so scared but he had to be honest with himself and say that he really was scared of the woman in front of him. She was something he's never felt or experienced before when it comes to her sheer presence and power and it was truly intimidating and frightening.

"Oh is that so. If you're going to lie to me child at least not be so obvious about it." The woman said with amusement clear in her voice. Naruto's eyes widen on their own at this but he knew he wasn't masking his emotions properly and so it would be easy for anyone with skill to tell he was lying. By now everyone went back to what they were doing but they were sending glances at what was going on with the interesting group. Stepping in between them Shoko's face was deceptively calm. "We should get going."

"Come now Shoko don't be so rude I was merely having a conversation with this handsome young man before me. But he was being so rude by lying to me maybe I should teach him a lesson in manners and respect." The blond haired woman said as she turned and looked Naruto straight in the eye. The moment her eyes landed on Naruto's he felt his heart stop. Her eyes were cold and it was like looking into the abyss. Naruto felt an immense pressure sit upon his shoulders and his shoulders alone. He felt his knees buckle under the invisible strain. Naruto discreetly played it off and quickly took a seat that was behind him but in all actuality he was forced down into the chair by the woman's stare alone. _'What on earth is she? With a single look she nearly forced me to my knees.'_ Naruto asked himself in total disbelieve. "That's enough. Don't you lay a hand on him or you'll regret it Sofiya." Shoko said in a deathly quiet voice. Looking into her eyes you could see that Shoko's eyes were dead. They held no life nor warmth in them. They were the eyes of a killer, of a shinobi.

The woman who is now name Sofiya slowly ever so slowly turned her eyes to Shoko and unleashed a potent and lethal dose of Killing Intent that hand Shoko taking a few steps back but she didn't back down. "I thought I told you or anyone else not to ever call me by that name?" Sofiya said barely above a whisper. Seeing Shoko back up Sofiya then turned back to face Naruto but she was in for a surprise. Iris had moved in between Naruto and the tall woman and when Sofiya returned her intimidating eyes to look at Naruto she suddenly found them staring into twin orbs of bright blue that were currently covered over into a dark blue. "Oh and what do we have here. Aren't you adorable?" Sofiya commented but her voice didn't change. Naruto wanted to scream right now and tell Iris to move but he was still paralyzed from what the mysterious woman did to him earlier and he didn't want to reveal any information to the woman in front of him by acting out in any type of way. A shinobi could use anything you do and interpret it as information and something in Naruto's gut was tell him that the very last thing he wants to do is give this woman more information.

Sofiya placed her hand that had light pink fingernail polish on it on Iris's cheek and caressed her cheek softly. To everyone else the scene looked normal and no one could see anything wrong and no one in the room besides the girls of section 2 and those around Naruto and the mysterious woman could feel the tension in the air. Naruto's whole body and that of Shoko's tensed up at seeing this woman place her hands on Iris's cheek. Naruto's chakra was humming just below the surface of his skin and it was ready to burst to the surface. It was actually quite painful. Naruto's chakra was actually burning him from how much of it was circulating around his chakra coils. The amount of chakra in his system was surging like a tidal wave and if Sofiya noticed the dramatic spike in Naruto's chakra she didn't show it at all. If fact she didn't even flinch or deviate from what she was doing.

To Naruto's and Shoko's shock however Iris didn't even flinch or move instead she stared the older woman down. "Back off. Don't you touch him." Iris said far below a whisper. Only Sofiya heard it. Iris's eyes changed over to her Emerald Green color that held all the power stored inside of her. The older blond grin an intimidating grin before she pulled her hand back and placed it in her pocket. "So feisty. It's adorable." The woman commented to herself as she stood up to her full impressive height and leveled Naruto with another stare when he tried to move. "You're interesting boy. You have a lot of chakra inside of you. And this little girl is strong to. I'll be keeping my eye on you." Sofiya said as she walked off with Shoko besides her and it was clear to Naruto that Shoko wanted to kill this woman were she stood. What Naruto didn't see however was that the older woman pulled her hand out of her pocket and looked at it. It had a slight burn on it. The same hand that touched Iris's cheek was now missing the first few layers of skin. Sofiya grinned a dark grin at this.

When the two women joined Mr. Dino and followed him to his office Naruto let out a sigh he definitely knew he was holding. _'Who on earth was that? That woman clearly isn't human. No one should possess that much chakra or a presence that crippling.'_ Naruto thought to himself as a shiver went up his spine just thinking of the woman. Naruto composed himself and looked down at Iris who was still standing in the same spot as earlier. Chaos was beside him and holding his hand in a comforting embrace. She normally only does this when Naruto is truly distress and the problem was not caused by Chaos herself. Reaching down Naruto picked Iris up who seemed to be in a daze with his one free hand. He placed her in his lap while being mindful of the many people in the casino at the time. "Iris! Have you lost your mind what was that back their young lady?" Naruto growled out lowly so as not to attract too much attention. He wasn't truly angry at his little girl but his anger was stemming from his fear. He could sense the amount of chakra in the woman and it was monstrous and larger than Shoko's, probably even more that the Hokage.

When Iris didn't respond Naruto shook the little girl a little and that got her out of her daze. "Huh? What? Daddy what happened?" Iris said in confusion. "What happened? What was that back there? Why did you stare that woman down like that? I know you could feel the power she had in her. That was reckless Iris." Naruto berated the 7 year old. He was truly worried for Iris and the fact that with a simple stare the woman was able to force him pretty much to his knees if it wasn't for the chair behind him unnerved him even more. Also the fact that that woman put her hand on his daughter and he couldn't move to stop her instilled a fear in Naruto that he would never forget. The feeling of powerlessness. A feeling Naruto never wanted to feel again after the many things he's gone through and since it was pertaining to her girls the feeling was multiplied by a million.

"I don't know daddy. I felt like she was threatening you so I reacted. Are you mad at me?" Iris said in a subdued voice. Naruto could see that she was on the verge of tears and it made him feel like a jerk but he knew that it had to be done. "No sweetie I'm not mad but I was worried for you. What you did was incredibly brave yet foolish and not to mention reckless." Naruto said as he gently rocked the little girl in his arm. Naruto moved his other hand and started petting Chaos's head as he was thinking of both of them at the moment. "I'm sorry." Iris said as a tear slid out of her eye. Seeing actual tears in his girl's eyes was something Naruto wouldn't stand for. Reaching out with his hand that was holding her Naruto gently wiped away the tear that was slowly moving down from her eye. "Don't cry sweetie it's ok. Just promise me that you won't do something so crazy like that again. Remember I'm the parent here. It's my job to do the crazy stuff to protect you girls not you guys." Naruto reprimanded lightly as he gently rubbed Chaos's head while bouncing Iris in his lap to calm her down.

"I can't promise that. I want to protect you just as you protect us. Besides you're not ready to fight someone of her level yet." Iris pointed out but Naruto could see that her eyes were transitioning over to their green color letting Naruto know that Sōkyoku was also speaking to him as well. "Oh and you are?" Naruto fired back. He knew that while Iris was already exceptionally powerful for a seven year old Sōkyoku couldn't use too much of her power through the small little child as it would end up killing Naruto since he's her host. Hearing this Iris's fist which was holding onto Naruto's blazer clenched themselves tight.

"Master are you ok?" Aria asked with a heavy stutter in her voice. The fear that she was feeling could be seen written clearing on her face. She was recovering from feeling the level of power coming from the tall woman earlier. "Yeah Aria I'm fine, a little shaken up but fine." Naruto admitted. Inside his mind Naruto knew that the chance for someone to meet a person that powerful could neither be a coincidence or by chance. He knew he was going to be seeing more of the woman in the future and if the reaction Shoko was having was any indication then it's safe to say that not only did they have a lot of history together but also the woman was very dangerous if she could force Shoko and her strong will back without even breaking a sweat. "Who was that lady? I've never felt a power like that before?" Aria asked in fright. "I don't know Aria but I'm going to find out later that's for sure." Naruto said in finality. "Hey Eva are you ok?" Naruto asked as he whispered to his partner. "Yeah. Shaken up just like you but fine. I've never felt a power like that before. We have to be careful of her I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future." Eva responded in a wary tone. She felt the monstrous amount of chakra bubbling beneath the woman's skin and it sent shivers down her spine. "I agree Eva."

* * *

After everything calmed down Naruto sent the girls back out to continue serving drinks. Naruto sent Aria to watch over the girls to make sure they were ok. Naruto reassured the rest of the girls in section 2 that he was fine and after some convincing on his part he got them to get back to work. Naruto returned to the casino floor and continued his job at serving the customers. Taking his handkerchief that was in his blazer breast pocket Naruto wiped the sweat off of his forehead and stood by a random table. Hearing the sound of someone sitting in the chair next to him Naruto looked over and saw an old man with graying hair sitting at the table. The man had on a dark grey sleeveless V-neck shirt with an obi, pants, and a pair of sandals. He also carried a towel around his neck. On his face he had on a pair of glasses that covered up his dark eyes.

"Hey kid you look like you ran 10 miles why are you sweating so much." The man asked. He had a gruff voice and Naruto put him at around 60 years old. "Oh nothing sir. May I interest you in a drink?" Naruto said politely as he put on his act as a professional. "Yeah bring me some Sake." The old man said. "Yes sir." Naruto said as he quickly grabbed a bottle of Sake and returned to the man. Elegantly pouring the strong Sake into a cup for the man Naruto set the bottle down. "Here you go sir." Naruto reported. "Thanks." The man said. "Are you alone sir?" Naruto asked as he could see no one with the old man. "Yeah I came here to this place alone." The man said with a sigh as he took another shot of sake. "Company then." Naruto offered as he pointed to the empty seat next to the man. "Knock yourself out kid. By the way aren't you a little too young to be working in a place like this?" The old man asked as he took yet another shot of his sake.

"Aren't you too old to be drinking like that sir?" Naruto responded back with a charming smile. One of the core lessons drilled into him and everyone else that works here. You are to treat every customer young or old and no matter their position with respect and you are to try and be their friend. You are to provide them with company throughout their stay and tend to their every need. You are to win them over and make them trust you. If they are a potential target then you are to extort money out of them in any way you can and if they are a respectable client then you are to serve them the best you can while they are at the casino and make their stay comfortable. If they are an identified enemy of the Mafia then you are to quietly kill them off without anyone being the wiser.

"Heh. I guess you're right kid." The older man said as he purposefully downed another shot of sake. Naruto and the unknown man made small talk for a little while longer and in that time Naruto learned that the man was traveling from his home in another country and he was looking to hire ninja from the Hidden Leaf.

"Hey sir I'm sorry but we've been talking for a while now and I didn't even get your name." Naruto pointed out with a chuckle. Naruto found the old man to be interesting if a little crass and rough around the edges. "Hahahah. I guess you're right kid. The names Tazuna kid what's yours?" The now named Tazuna said with a laugh. "The names Menma." Naruto responded with a smirk.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? I hope that was entertaining for you all. I greatly enjoyed writing this chapter for several reasons but mainly for the tense character interactions going on in this chapter hence its name.

Now several things happened in this chapter alone:

\- Naruto asked Hinata for help on picking out clothes.

\- Hinata and Eva bond some more over their friendship

\- Naruto does a bold move and kisses Hinata unknowingly in front of Team 8

\- Now Naruto is starting to become quite conflicted over his feelings and Eva is trying to support him

\- We see that Shoko is not acting herself at all

\- A mysterious and monstrously powerful woman by the name of Sofiya has entered the Casino and it's clear that she has history with Shoko

\- Her power is greater than Shoko's and she paralysed Naruto with a simple look

\- Finally Naruto meets the one and only Tazuna the Master Bridge Builder

So with all of that happening it's shaping up to be an interesting future ahead for Naruto. Why did Naruto kiss Hinata? Who is this mysterious woman who Shoko hates with a passion and why is she showing up at the village? She is from the Hidden Stone Village and yet the Hokage and Dino let her into the village without raising a fuss? Just how strong is she and why did she show an interest in Naruto? Finally it looks like Naruto met Tazuna so you all know what that means.

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 _That's the end of chapter 7 hoped you enjoyed it._

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 _ **Published:**_ 8/13/15


	9. CH: 8 Section 2 Meeting Mission to Wave

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey Everyone. I'm back again with the next chapter. So a lot happened in the last chapter and many more things will come from it. Now Naruto and Team 7 are going to get their very first C-Rank Mission and Naruto is going to find out that it is a lot more serious and important than what it may first seem like. Oops spoiled that for you sorry. For right now just enjoy this nice ridiculous and funny scene between the Uzumaki family.

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Chapter 8

 _ **Section 2 Meeting. Mission to Wave Country**_

"Hold still."

A voice said. It was early morning and we find ourselves in Naruto's apartment and he was already busy with his hands full. "Come on daddy you have to get it just right." Iris's young distinct voice said. You could hear the faint rich accent in her voice that enchants you and forces you to listen whenever she talks. "I'm trying but you're moving too much." Naruto retorted. Right now Naruto was sitting in his bed and he had Iris sitting in his lap. He had a brush in one hand and a comb placed besides him. At the moment he was gently brushing Iris's rich blond hair that was naturally slightly curly. The young girl was fidgeting in Naruto's lap since like all young children she had an abundance of energy that was waiting to be unleashed.

"Chaos cut that out. How can I fix your hair when you won't stop moving around?" Naruto's voice called out. "Ahhh. I love when you do my hair for me master it always comes out nice." Aria's giddy voice called out next and judging by the tone of her voice she seemed really relaxed, satisfied, and content. "Yeah Naru you're the best." Eva said happily from besides Naruto.

Now you would have to ask yourself how is it even possible for Naruto to be fixing and maintaining all four girls' hair at the same exact time when he only has two arms. The answer is really quite simple.

Shadow Clones.

A gross abuse and misuse of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. At least that was what Naruto was thinking of at the moment. As for the girls they all thought that this is what the Jutsu was specifically created for. As of now Naruto was use to his girls extorting and using him for their own means. He was completely fine with it as long as it made them happy but he was always careful not to let them overdo things and if they did he would be quick to punish them which usually sets them straight for a few hours or a day depending on what it is. But then they would be right back at it again later. It was a never ending cycle that has become a part of Naruto's daily life and it's to the point that he would feel weird without the girls snatching him away for their own little purpose.

There were three Shadow clones including Naruto all sitting in his room at the moment. Each of them had one of the girls in front of them and they were doing their hair. This was a normal occurrence for many years now. It really was nothing new to Naruto. The only thing new to this set up would be the fact that Naruto recently learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu and it made this task go a lot faster in the mornings since.

"There how is that?" Naruto said as he held up a mirror for Iris to look at herself in. Seeing herself and her perfect hair the little girl grinned happily while giggling. "I love it daddy it's perfect like always." Iris said as she turned around in Naruto's lap and kissed him on the cheek. Iris's hair was perfectly combed and brushed and it was now flowing in its natural slight curly formation. Her pink bow was now tied in her hair and it finished off her look. Smiling gently down at the happy girl Naruto returned the kiss to the now bashful and shy princess who was covering up her blushing face. "You're welcome princess."

"Ok whew… I'm done." The second Naruto said as he popped and left Chaos sitting on the bed. She had a giddy grin on her face as she waved her soft hand through her long straight blond hair. She was happy that her hair came out perfect again. She crawled across the bed and glued herself to the real Naruto's side while mashing her face against his. Laughing Naruto pushed back with his face and watched as Chaos pushed back against his face with her own in a spike of playfulness. "Thanks dada. My hair came out perfect again." Chaos thanked as she also kissed Naruto's cheek. Returning the gesture Naruto watched as Chaos fell back into the bed and kicked her legs up in the air because she got a kiss from him. She was giggling and laughing not to mention her cheeks were slightly red.

"All done Aria." The third clone said as it popped and left Aria sitting on the floor with her back against the bed. "Yay! I love it." Aria said as she clapped her hands in a pleased gesture. "Great job again Naru." Eva said as she kissed Naruto on his nose and this time it was Naruto's turn to blush. Ever since Eva's incident Naruto has looked at Eva a little differently and he really doesn't understand why. Of course he would blush any time the fairy kissed him and it's been that way for many years but as of now he couldn't help but feel that there was more meaning behind it.

This was the same scene that would play out for the little family every morning without fail. After eating breakfast and doing anything else they had to do Naruto put on his gear. Iris and Chaos transformed into their little forms and attach themselves to Naruto's body. Locking up the apartment Naruto placed his key in his pouch. "Ok Aria come on lets go." Naruto said as he started to roof hop with the witch keeping pace. Reaching a junction in the buildings Naruto stopped. "Ok Aria head straight to the Casino alright. After I get my mission I'll come to you." Naruto instructed. "Yes sir." Aria said with a salute and smile on her face. Shaking his head Naruto took off towards the Hokage Tower to meet up with his team. Reaching the massive red tower Naruto headed inside where he met up with his team.

* * *

 _ **Hokage Tower Administration Building**_

"Morning Kakashi sensei, Sasuke, Sakura." Naruto greeted politely as he approached his team in one of the many busy hallways of the Administration building. Many secretaries and staff members were hustling around trying to get to their destinations. You could see many other ninja teams either calmly walking to the same destination that Team 7 was going to or leaving said destination with a purpose in their step as evident with the speed walking they were doing. The only other visible people in the many hallways were normal civilians and most of them are actually clients here to request missions from the Hokage and the staff.

Greeting him back just the same the entire team then proceeded into the main mission registration room that they were in yesterday. "Team 7 reporting for assignment." Kakashi spoke up when he got to the registration table. The Hokage was here again today and he had a warm grandfatherly smile on his face at seeing the young team. "Good morning Team 7. As promised I have a mission for you. A C-Rank mission to be exact. So how does that sound?" Hiruzen asked as he eyed the Genin on the squad, particularly Naruto who made it clear he didn't want any more D-Rank missions. "That sounds wonderful Lord Hokage." Kakashi spoke up with his eye smile. "Very good then. Please send in our client." Hiruzen called out and a ninja standing guard at one of the many doors to the room opened it up and a drunken man holding a sake bottle staggered into the room with the smell of alcohol wafting over him like a toxic cloud. The ninja at the door wrinkled his nose at the smell but otherwise didn't say anything.

"Team 7 please meet your new client. His name is Tazuna Masato and he is a master bridge builder. Your mission is to escort Mr. Tazuna back to his home in the Land of Waves and stay by his side as he completes his project of building a bridge that will connect the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire. Once the bridge is complete your mission will be complete. As a C-Rank mission exercise caution and expect that you might be ambushed by bandits and other undesirables. If that is all and you have no questions then Team 7 you're dismissed and you will leave at a reasonable time." Hiruzen briefed Team 7 on their mission in a no nonsense tone.

"Yes sir." All four members of Team 7 announced as they turned to face Tazuna who remained quite during that time. _'Well would you look at that. So Tazuna is my client. But why do I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach?'_ Naruto thought to himself with a tiny frown on his face. "Huh a bunch of brats? I asked for elite ninja not a bunch of babies." Tazuna slurred. _'Huh…Maybe I shouldn't have let him take those two bottles last night on the house. It was a compliment and incentive to get him to come back but now I'm regretting it.'_ Naruto sweat dropped at seeing the state his new client was in. "I assure you Mr. Tazuna that these kids are more than capable of protecting you while you are under our care." Kakashi stated in an attempt to put the old man's apparent worries at ease.

Tazuna was only half paying attention to what Kakashi was saying to him. His earlier comments served to have Sasuke and Sakura annoyed at him and the way he insultingly addressed them. Looking over at Naruto Tazuna swayed a little in his spot. "Hey kid do I know you from somewhere? Your face looks familiar." Tazuna asked as he looked at Naruto's face. Naruto narrowed his eyes for a brief moment but he came out of it and put a goofy grin on his face. "No sir I don't believe we met before. I do have a familiar face however. The names Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the guy who's going to be protecting you on your way home." Naruto introduced himself politely while keeping his enthusiasm up.

"I'll believe it when I see it kid. Just be prepared to lay down your lives for me if needed." Tazuna said seriously although his speech was still slurred. Both Kakashi and Naruto narrowed their eyes at this but otherwise they didn't comment. "Ok team gather up all of your gear and equipment and pack for at least a month long trip. Meet me at the main gate in 1 hours' time." Kakashi ordered. Nodding their heads Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura left the registry room. Kakashi was about to escort Tazuna out of the room and to the main gate when Hiruzen called out to him.

"Wait Kakashi. I have more to discuss with you." Hiruzen spoke up. Turning around curiously to see what his leader needed of him Kakashi caught the look in the old Hokage's eyes. "Another ninja will escort Mr. Tazuna to the main gate. I still wish to speak with you Kakashi." Hiruzen stated. Stepping up to Hiruzen's desk Kakashi gave his leader his undivided attention.

"Yes sir?"

* * *

Outside the Hokage Tower Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura left the court yard of the tower and when it looked like Sakura was about to ask Sasuke out again the loner decided to take off to avoid this. "Another failed attempt." Naruto commented idly as he walked up to his teammate. "What are you talking about?" Sakura asked with a blush. She didn't think she was that obvious. "Never mind. Do you want me to walk with you?" Naruto asked to be polite. Their houses were in the same general direction. Sakura would reach hers long before Naruto did so it would be easy for him to drop her off and keep going. He was trying to make an effort at getting to know his teammates better. "You would walk me home? That's generous of you Naruto." Sakura commented in shock. She was impressed by the gesture. She would be the first to admit that she didn't know much about Naruto at all. All of his friends that he knew in the academy were people Sakura didn't really talk too much because of her one tracked mind on Sasuke but that couldn't be helped. When she did talk to them however they only gave her basic information on Naruto that she already knew. She knew that Hinata was the only person who actually knew Naruto and since Sakura really never spoke to Hinata much before this it put Sakura back at square zero with her teammate. Especially since he would always rush off after team assignments saying he had somewhere to be.

"Yeah if you don't mind. My house is in the same general direction as yours so…" Naruto started to say before he trailed off as his eyes caught something off down the street. A random vendor a few yards down the street discreetly sent Naruto a signal and that particular signal had Naruto widening his eyes for a minute. "Naruto is something wrong?" Sakura asked in confusion. She didn't see what the vendor did but she did see that Naruto was now distracted. "Uhmm… Sakura I'm really sorry but something just came up. I'll meet you at the gate." Naruto said in a clipped tone as he took off to the nearest roof top and started roof hopping. "Hey Naruto wait! Where are you going?" Sakura yelled to the retreating form of her teammate. Sakura noticed that the direction he was going was not consistent with the direction he claimed his house to be in. "What was that all about?" Sakura asked herself. She was unprepared for Naruto's sudden and abrupt departure. _'Naruto is so mysterious? Just what is going on with him?'_ Sakura thought with a small frown on her face as she started walking to her house deep in thought.

"What's going on? Why would Mr. Dino call an emergency meeting like this out of the blue?" Eva asked as she poked her head out of Naruto's blond spiky hair. "I don't know Eva. But this is really sudden. We're about to go on our first C-Rank mission. Not to mention this is going to be a fairly long mission at that. I don't think this is a coincidence." Naruto said with narrowed eyes as the wind rushed by his face tossing up his spiky hair. He could see the casino in sight since he put a rush on getting to the white marble stone building. _'I hope everything is ok.'_

* * *

 _ **Monte Carlo Casino**_

Entering the casino Naruto noticed that everything appeared to be fine. Since it was day time the number of customers were significantly lower compared to night time but other than that everything seemed to be ok. Walking up to the bar at a brisk pace Naruto leaned over the counter. "Hey Chef Adam what's the news?" Naruto asked the chef. The man that came out was a tall handsome man with olive green hair and black eyes. He had a small mustache growing. He had on the traditional outfit befitting a chef including the hat. Underneath that he had on black shirt and pants and nice shoes. He was a handsome and unassuming man who was an excellent cook. In the casino if you wanted to know information or directions on what's happening you go to Chef Adam Ellery. He is the coordinator and director who not only helps keep the kitchen in line but everywhere else on the main floor in check as well. As for his nationality he told Naruto many years ago when they met that he was from a different part of the world. Hence the unusual name such as Adam Ellery.

"All Section 2 members are to meet the boss in his office immediately for an emergency assignment little man so you better get moving." Adam spoke up with a timber like quality to his voice. If a woman was to hear it she would certainly go weak in the knees really fast. "On it! Thanks Chef!" Naruto called out as he was already moving up to the next floor. "That kid is always moving." Adam said as he shook his head in exasperation.

Rushing to Mr. Dino's office Naruto skidded to a stop. Straitening his appearance up Naruto walked into the room briskly but not to appear as if he rushed here. Which he did but no one was going to call him out on it. And if they were going to, they certainly wouldn't do it in this situation. Immediately upon entering the old bosses room Naruto could feel the atmosphere change dramatically.

The entire squad of Section 2 was in attendance and everyone was either sitting or standing around close to the boss's desk. "Welcome Naruto. Glad to see you got here promptly. Now that you're here we can start this meeting." Dino said in his tremor like voice. It was old and skittish but it was warm and inviting. "Yes sir." Naruto said seriously. He knew when to read the mood. One lesson he learned over the years was to be crisp, ridged, and serious when the time was right. Taking a seat next to Shoko who was occupying the chair in front of Dino Naruto gave the old man his undivided attention.

Next to Naruto was Jean Croce and the man had a serious look on his face. A more serious look that usual. Next to him was Rico since that was his partner. Jose was also sitting close by and Henrietta was with him. Naruto silently greeted the pair when he came into the room. Victor and Triela were standing up by the couch. Angelica and Claes took the couch that Victor and Triela were leaning against. It was the same couch Naruto woke up in after his very short skirmish with Shoko on the night he first broke into the casino many years ago. Aria was also in the room and when Naruto sat down she silently came up and stood behind Naruto in the chair and placed her hands in front of her. Naruto also silently greeted Angelica and Claes. Claes remained somewhat aloof but Angelica gave a shy smile in return. It was a shame in Naruto's mind.

The two girls didn't have handlers to look after them. Angelica's handler quit after some time. He didn't want to take care of her after she got sick from the side effects turning them into Marionettes caused. Naruto remembered when the man left it really hurt Angelica and Naruto was really pissed off that day and wanted to punch the man for his insensitivity. Ever since then Naruto has looked after Angelica the best he could and sees her as a sister. Claes's handler was killed shortly after Naruto joined the Mafia and since then she was not reassigned a partner. It was decided that she would become the test subject and source of study for the unique procedure that turned all the girls into human Marionettes. Normally Naruto would not approve of such a thing and feel very uncomfortable knowing that one of his friends was pretty much a human test subject for experiments and test. However since it was Shoko herself who was one of the people studying up and helping Claes Naruto let it slide. However because of the fact that her partner died so soon after first joining the Mafia it and the fact that she is restricted to the casino almost all of the time it has caused Claes to become very antisocial. She only really talks to people if she has to or when someone addresses her but other than that she rarely interacts with others and instead reads many books constantly. However through Naruto's constant teasing and pestering he has gotten the gloomy girl to open up to him and the others some, but most of the time she verbally lashes out at him because of his antics and expertise at getting under her skin. Still it was a win and one Naruto would gladly take.

Naruto also notice that some members from Section 3 and 4 were in the room. From section 3 there was only one handler and his partner that he knew personally. The handler's name is Alessandro Ricci and his marionette partner's name is Petrushka Romanovna but everyone calls her Petra. He has worked with Petra numerous times whenever a supernatural situation would arise or when the girl would come to hang out with the girls from section 2. They were the only people Naruto knew personally. Everyone else was acquaintances to Naruto.

Zoning out of his inner thoughts Naruto listened in carefully to what Dino had to say.

"Now then that everyone is here let this meeting begin. It has come to my attention that an old rival of mine has reared his face in the criminal underworld again. His name is Gatō Yoshida and he is the owner of Gatō Transport. It is a shipping company that he owns and currently operates out of The Land of Waves. He started out as a small time fisher back in his youth but once he became an adult he got caught up in smuggling and drug distribution. Using his father's wealth as a fisherman he started up his company and had his father killed in a boat accident. With his father's wealth he quickly made a name for himself in businesses around the Elemental Countries. He has branch offices in over 12 different lands and he used to have his main office here in the Land of Fire until a decade ago when I had him ran out of the country. 4 Years ago he set his sights on the Land of Waves and went there. At first the lands wealth increased dramatically because of his presence there but soon he started to bleed the country dry of both its natural resources and of its wealth. Now the country is dependent on his company for survival. He has a large army of thugs and bandits under his payroll and with the money they are making they will do anything he asks. Also troubling is the fact that he has numerous missing Ninja's under his banner as well. Only a few of them are of any high standing but the fact that he has them at all is note for concern. Even more disturbing is the fact that he engages in human and cargo smuggling and trafficking as well as drug distribution. He also had sex trafficking rings operating as well." Dino explained as he briefed everyone in the room about their target.

"So that piece of trash is at it again. I knew we should have killed him when we had the chance." Jean said in a gruff tone. It was apparent that he didn't like this Gatō person. "So troublesome. Now we will have to waste our time on a person like him." Victor spoke up while pinching the bridge of his nose. "I guess it can't be helped. He is a horrible man so it's best we take him out. He has been allowed far too much time to dig his heels into the Land of Waves." Jose said with a frown on his usual upbeat smiling face.

Hearing all of this a serious frown was on Naruto's face. _'I can see why boss want's this man dead. However I'm most disturbed by the human trafficking and sex trade. I won't let that continue to happen.'_ Naruto thought in finality. _'Sex trafficking? That's disgusting. What's with humans?'_ Eva thought in disgust. It appalled her to hear what type of illegal and immoral things humans do especially hearing about Gatō.

"Now I specifically arranged to have Naruto's Genin team assigned to this mission. The Hokage and I are coordinating together on this on a joint operation. While Naruto and his team acting in the capacity as ninja's attend to this situation in the public eye so to speak we will combat this threat undercover and off the books." Dino revealed which had Naruto widening his eyes in shock. _'So this wasn't a coincidence.'_ Naruto thought in shock. "Excuse me sir." Naruto spoke up suddenly. Dino didn't seem surprised but he gave Naruto a knowing look. "Why would you specifically have my team given this mission?" Naruto asked as respectfully as he could while in the presence of all of his colleagues.

"Because Naruto. You are the only one in the Mafia who is also on the active roster in the village. As you know Shoko and quite a few others here were former ninja of the leaf village before they retired and left for their own reasons. But you are the only one who is currently a ninja. Furthermore you should know that ninja and mafia don't mix. We are kept relatively a secret from the ninja of the village. We are two separate organizations living in the same village. The only saving grace here is that we want the same thing the leaf wants. To protect the village and country." Dino responded with a soft smile.

Seeing Naruto nod his head in understanding Dino continued. "Now with that being said we have more to discuss. This is how the operation will be organized." Dino began as everyone leaned in a little to listen to their orders and squad placements. "Naruto's Genin team will proceed into the country. Naruto you will mark a spot most adequate for the rest of Section 2 to sneak into the country. Once inside the rest of section 2 will disguise themselves as civilians of the country. Section 4 since this is your specialty and your field of expertise I want you to guide Section 2 through this. Now I asked a team from Section 3 to join you guys from Section 2 since you have a lack of numbers at the moment. This group will be responsible for assessing the actual situation going on in the country and the state they are in. Furthermore you are to provide covert relief and medical aid to any and all that may need it. That is your primary objective." Dino stated and everyone nodded to his orders.

"Now as for your secondary objective however, it is to located Gatō's base and ransack it of all its wealth. I want all of his business contracts, wealth, and any other valuables collected in perfect condition. Any thug or bandit under his name is to be eliminated as well. We will purge his presence from the Land of Waves permanently and with extreme prejudice." Dino said in a more serious tone. Everyone straightened up at hearing this. They knew that it was a serious matter now.

"Your third and final objective after this however is to set up a base in the Land of Waves. We will take over his shipping company and use it as our base of operations for when we conduct business out in that region. The majority of the money that we find is going to go into rebuilding the country but I want a portion of that money sent back here to the village so that we can use it for the village's economy. Furthermore other units have been and will be dispatched to deal with his other offices around the continent." Dino explained.

"Boy we haven't had an op this big in a long time. You really want this man gone sir." Jose commented with a little bit of mirth in his voice. "Yes Jose I do want that man gone. He has been a thorn in my side for quite some time now. However his bold move in taking over an entire country by using monopoly tactics is just the excuse I need to finally end him. Before now he has been protected by several contracts and mutual constraints that affect us both but his actions here are just what we need to finally put an end to him." Dino commented as he sips some of the tea he was drinking since the beginning of the briefing. _'Wow. This is serious. Jose is right we haven't had a mission like this in a long time. Heck for the last few years most of the mafia has been caught up with dealing with the Ravager's Case I introduced them to. That in itself is a big case but we never really had to mobilize almost half of our forces.'_ Naruto thought as he was feeling both surprised and overwhelmed by all of this.

"Now with that being said I have a few more things to discuss." Dino added as he grabbed everyone's attention once more. "Naruto for the duration of this mission I'm temporarily promoting you so that you will be joint leading this mission alongside your seniors." Dino stated which had Naruto jaw dropping. Everyone else was stunned into silence by this. _'What?'_ Naruto thought to himself. His mind blanked at this. Eva was of the same mindset.

"Sir with all due respect how can I help lead this mission?" Naruto cried out. He was not ready to be given a position of leadership where others had to depend on him. Although he was Aria's handler it wasn't too difficult since he himself still shares the same relationship with Shoko who stills acts as his handler and also for Aria as well. This on the other hand had a lot of implications to it. "I have to agree sir how can the little boy be joint leading this mission with us?" Jean asked with a frown on his face. While taking offense to the little boy comment Naruto agitatedly agreed with the adult blond haired man. "I also agree sir. While I don't know the kid well and I'm pretty sure he is decent it's still not grounds to let him lead." A man said. Everyone turned to him.

He was of average height. He stood around 5'9 and he had dark blue hair. He had silver eyes and pale skin. He also had a small beard growing. He was wearing a normal suit and tie as was the norm for many of the staff at the casino. He had a pair of shades in his breast pocket that he often wears. This man is Aspen Menno. The captain of Section 4 the unit who goes in undercover and infiltrates enemy organizations and destroys them from the inside out.

Naruto's seen the man around the casino many times over the years but he never got the chance to talk to him. The two of them were always busy and going in different directions to actually stop and have a decent conversation. Naruto heard the man had a name for himself as well as a reputation. They call him Aspen 'Nine Lives' Menno because of the fact that he was rumored to have survived many deadly battles that left him on death's door far too many times.

From what Naruto remembers Aspen was a retired Jōnin who decided to retire when his wife got pregnant with their fourth child. His wife needed help with the many children they had and him being out of the village a lot due to his rank and the risk that it posed of him potentially not coming back caused him to retire and become a stay at home father. However he still needed money so he was recruited into the mafia and eventually given the position as Captain of Section 4. While he goes out on missions still for the mafia it is far less than what he used to do. Most of the times he stays in the casino and coordinates the many teams form Section 4 in their assignments across the continent. With the exceptional pay from being a part of the Mafia and the fact that 70 percent of the time he is behind a desk made it more of an ideal job for him as opposed to being out of the village almost 90 percent of the time as a Jōnin.

"While normally I would agree with you Aspen I stand by my decision. As the only active ninja and the only one of us who is acting in the public eye we will need to coordinate with young Naruto here and do in field alteration to our plans based on his presence and actions. Not to mention the actions Gatō will take when he becomes aware of Naruto and his teams presence in the Land of Waves." Dino explained. "Naruto you will coordinate constantly with the rest of our teams in the land of waves. All of you are to actively search for all of Gatō's assets and seize them. His base must be located, raided, and captured. Naruto any action you take during this mission will dictate how the rest of the teams will move do you understand?" Dino explained as he looked at Naruto who was more than a little overwhelmed by what his boss was telling him. "Yes sir." Naruto said aloud as he tried not to let his shock show on his face. "Good… finally one last thing. At the end of this mission I expect that Gatō's head will be claimed. All of the secrets that he knows must be seized by us and he must be killed. But with that being said Naruto since Gatō will have his eyes set on you and your team if you are given the chance after it is confirmed that we have all of his secrets and wealth I want you to kill him yourself if presented the opportunity." Dino said seriously.

Naruto's mind truly went blank at this point. Never in all the years of working for Dino has the old man ever asked him to outright kill a man. That task usually fell to Shoko or another of the handlers. Of course Naruto was no stranger to death with quite a few on his hands as well but most of them were in the heat of battle. He was never formally asked to kill a target. "Sir I must object. Let someone else kill Gatō. Once we extract all the information out of him then we can kill him before Naruto ever has to get close to him." Shoko spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. Naruto noticed that she was somewhat distracted the entire time. She also had the same mood about her since last night when she confronted that special guess.

"Agreed. However if the opportunity presents itself Naruto I'm ordering you to take out Gatō. Of course you will have to check in to make sure we have everything from him." Dino ordered. It was the first order he was ever given in such a manner and Naruto was now feeling the pressure of what's to come. "Yes sir." Naruto whispered out while he took in a deep breath. _'Oh Naru. Why are we being given this task? Naru doesn't like killing. It's too much for him.'_ Eva thought sadly as she didn't like the boat they were now in. _'Poor Naruto. I hope he is ok.'_ Henrietta thought sadly for her friend and crush.

"Finally. Now that everyone knows what they will be doing I'll recap and just inform you all of this. Naruto, Shoko, Jean, and Aspen will be leading this mission." Dino said and he would have said more if it wasn't for Shoko suddenly interrupting him. "I'm sorry sir but I can't leave the village at this time." Shoko said seriously. Now this had everyone shocked. Especially Naruto who never saw Shoko disagree with the old man ever. "Oh and may I know the reason as to why?" Dino asked with a raised eyebrow. "You already know the reason sir. We have a few loose ends still in this village and it will be detrimental to the village's security if I was to leave now." Shoko said firmly. This statement had Naruto's interest peaked and it served to distract him from his anxiety from a minute ago.

"Shoko my dear. By any chance would you be implying that the Hokage and I are not adequate enough to protect the village should the need arise. Even if you were out of the village?" Dino asked curiously but he did level Shoko with a stare that had many hidden meanings and implications behind it. Naruto and everyone else in the room were shocked into silence since they never witnessed such a scene before. "No sir I'm not but I am standing by my decision. I will not be leaving the village for the time being." Shoko said firmly with finality. It was obvious that she would not be budging on her decision.

After a few tense moments of complete silence the old mafia boss broke it. "Very well however we will talk more about this in private." Dino said with closed eyes. Now this had everyone floored since they didn't think Dino would give in so easily. The meeting which had been going on for half an hour by now was winding down and everyone who knew what they had to do started to leave the expensive and beautiful office.

* * *

Naruto after exchanging a few words with the girls from section 2 and assuring them that he would be fine Naruto caught up to Shoko who was trying to leave the office to be alone. "Shoko wait up." Naruto called out. Stopping the older woman turned to her charge. "Yes." She responded simply. Glaring up at the woman for the first time Naruto responded. "Don't you yes me? We need to talk. What's with you? Since last night you had a severe mood swing. You're not acting like the Shoko I know. So tell me what is going on? Does it have something to do with that woman that came yesterday?" Naruto bit out harshly as he was not used to the attitude Shoko had at the moment.

A tired sigh that did not sit right with someone like Shoko escaped her lips as she pulled Naruto into a spare room down the hallway from Dino's office. "I didn't want you to get involved with this. But the only way for you to stay out of this is for me to tell you why." Shoko said tiredly. "I'm only going to tell you what you need to know about that woman and that's it." Shoko declared.

"I'm listening." Naruto replied.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued**_

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Alright guys there you have it. This chapter is setting the stage for the Land of Waves Arc. As you can already see this is going to be slightly different than other stories and especially different than the Manga (No kidding).

With that being said on a less serious note we now know what a typical morning is like in the Uzumaki house. It's light and just meant to be funny and not taken seriously. Well for the most part.

Now on a more serious note we learn that Hiruzen and Dino are working together on a joint operation to take out Gato who they are both very aware of. We see several members from the Mafia we haven't been introduced to yet. We learn a little bit about Angelica and Claes. I made sure to give Gato a decent backstory and a little bit of depth to his character. So we now know a bit about him. A minor thing I also did was give some of the characters last names as well. I thought it would add some depth and overall layers to their character.

We see that Dino is very serious about getting rid of Gato for good and he is being particularly ruthless in his approach to how he is doing it. It's just Business or so they say. We get to see a battle plan forming and how things are going to go and Dino asks Naruto to do something he's never asked him to do before. Dino want's Naruto if given the chance and opportunity to kill Gato. Naruto is not exactly a stranger to death and killing but this was obviously not what he was expecting. Naruto is also going to be joint leading this mission with the other squad members of the Mafia. A position he feels he's not ready for.

Finally we see that Shoko is still caught up in her funk from last chapter and she even refused to go on this mission with Naruto instead wanting to stay in the village. But for what reason and why is it so important? All that and a lot more will be answered in the next chapter. So stay tuned everyone and read on because things are only going to pick up from here.

* * *

I really enjoyed going the serious conference route with this chapter guys it was a blast to write especially with writing everyone's opinion and thoughts on the serious mission presented before them. I hope I did a great job capturing the mood of the scene. I would really appreciated it if you leave me review with your thoughts on the chapter. Every review helps me connect better with my readers and all of your opinions matter to me. I make sure to take the time to read all of them and I respond to as many as I can.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 8 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 8/21/15


	10. CH: 9 The Demon Brothers

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. I left everyone on a little bit of a cliffhanger last chapter so here I am to rectify that problem. Some answers and more questions are what this chapter is all about so strap yourself's in for this one. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 9

 _ **The Demon Brothers**_

Sofiya Pavlovena. Otherwise known as Balalaika. She is the leader of the Mafia of the Village Hidden in the Stone. While the leaf's mafia is called The Jasmine Dragons the Hidden Stone's is called Hotel Moscow. Since the beginning Naruto has known that the Leafs greatest rival has been the Hidden Stone. It was common knowledge to all of the Shinobi and civilians in the village. So Naruto wasn't that surprised after joining the Mafia to learn that their main rivals were from the Hidden Stone. What he didn't know however was who their leader was. No one ever spoke of her name and especially around Shoko so Naruto remained in the dark about that fact.

Shoko was reluctant to say much but she only spoke a little on who Balalaika was. The woman's real name is Sofiya Pavlovena. She was an Elite Jōnin who fought for the Hidden Stone during the Third Shinobi World War. From what Shoko told him, Balalaika was the strongest person in the Hidden Stones army outside of the Third Tsuchikage and a very few individuals that you could count on one hand. She was the general and commanding officer for all of the shinobi of the Stone during the time of the war. While Shoko said that she already had somewhat of a name for herself growing up because of her prestigious and prodigy like talent it wasn't until the war broke out that Balalaika really made a true name for herself.

Shoko told him that she fought against Balalaika numerous times during the war but almost all of them ended in a draw which was caused because of a signal for retreat or with Shoko being beaten by Balalaika and having to be rescued by her teammates. Shoko also told him that the intimidating woman was so strong that she was easily able to fight off the man who would later go on to be the Fourth Hokage. Hearing this Naruto was naturally shocked since he secretly looked up to the Fourth and loved the stories of his strength during the War. To know that the Fourth couldn't outright beat her and the fact that she could easily match him left Naruto with a deep impression for the Mafia head. Naruto was also shocked to hear the Shoko never once beat the other woman and when Naruto asked if there was a person who was strong enough to beat her Shoko clammed up and refused to talk about it.

Shoko also briefly revealed to him that part of the reason why Balalaika was so powerful was because of a unique Kekkei Genkai that she uses in a unique and terrifying way that affects the surrounding land around her to a very large degree. Shoko told him that the woman's Kekkei Genkai allowed her to do wide area affect Ninjutsu and it made it nearly impossible to get close to her. Shoko never explained what the Kekkei Genkai was called or what it does but Shoko told Naruto that not only is it one of the most power Ninjutsu in the world currently but it is something that no one can currently go against.

Naruto also curiously asked Shoko how Balalaika got the scars around her body. When he asked that a look Naruto has never seen before crossed over Shoko's eyes. It was a look of pain, sadness, anger, regret, grief, and so much more. When she looked at him it was as if she was looking through him to a person only she could see. It was a haunted look that squeezed at Naruto's heart as he didn't want to see a look like that on the person who he cares for so much and who he looks up too. Shoko never answered that question and while Naruto was now curious about the answer he then decided it was best to leave it alone.

Naruto also learned that Balalaika was the name Sofiya want's everyone to call her by and she changed it after an accident during the war. Naruto's sharp mind naturally assumed it was probably the same accident that gave her those scars but he never brought it up since Shoko wasn't doing too good with revealing all of this information to Naruto. Naruto now understood why the older woman reacted the way she did in the Casino the night before when Shoko called her by her real name.

Hearing all of this Naruto now understood why Shoko was acting the way she was acting and why she refused to leave the village. Naruto was well aware of the fact that Balalaika was still in the village. Naruto was also deeply concerned about this as well. If what Shoko said was true with how powerful Balalaika is then there are only a few people in the village that could possibly take her on. The Hokage of course; Mr. Dino who despite his normally cheerful personality was actually a powerful Kage level ex-shinobi just like Shoko. Another would be Danzō Shimura. Despite the old man's fragile appearance the Hokage told Naruto that Danzō was currently one of the strongest and most experienced shinobi in the village and could have easily been the Hokage since he has Kage level abilities. The only other people Naruto could think of would be either Jiraiya or Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin but both have been out of the village for years. Naruto also heard that Kakashi Hatake and another ninja named Might Guy are the top Jōnin in the village and the strongest of their generation. While certainly believing the hype for their names especially after seeing a brief glimpse at Kakashi's skills during the bell test Naruto also knew that the two of them were not yet Kage level much less at the level of Balalaika if the warnings and information Shoko gave him is any indication.

With this in mind the protection of the entire village rest in the hands of three very old Shinobi who are all past their primes and by all rights should all be in retirement. Naruto could clearly see and understand Shoko's anxiety about leaving the village unprotected while such a powerful women as a potential enemy. If the three old men were still in their primes then Naruto and Shoko would not worry about the safety of the village but that was obviously not the case here.

When Naruto asked Shoko if she was never able to stop let alone beat Balalaika during the war then how would she be able to beat her now if she decided to attack the leaf Shoko just turned to Naruto with a resigned sad smile that did not belong on her face at all. Shoko told Naruto that she couldn't beat Balalaika during the war and she definitely couldn't beat her now that Shoko's max power has declined by a good amount since the war and disturbingly enough Balalaika's power has actually increased somewhat since the war. Knowing all this Shoko told Naruto that she would gladly die fighting against the woman and give it her all to not only kill her but to protect the village the best she could. Hearing this a proud but sad smile made its way across Naruto's face and he silently wished that he could stay behind to help out Shoko in the event that such a thing happened but Naruto knew without a second of hesitation or doubt that he would only be a burden and only amount to cannon fodder against someone of Balalaika's standing if an attack by her was to break out in the middle of the village.

Naruto thought of all this and more including the pressure and anxiety he was feeling at being one of the leaders of this mission. He was essentially the vanguard leading in his comrades into enemy territory and the thought excited him but also scared him at the same time. As of now his thoughts preoccupied his mind as his feet brought him to the Main Gate of the village where the rest of his team was meeting up at this exact moment.

* * *

 _ **Village Hidden in the Leaf's Main Gate**_

' _Hey girls you have everything you need?'_ Naruto thought as he approached the Main Gate. He was using the telepathic link he shared with the girls to talk to them. Normally it only works when they are in close proximity to his body.

[I didn't bring enough clothes daddy.] Iris responded back. [I didn't bring enough pranking supplies.] Chaos whined. Sweat dropping Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. _'Girls you won't need those things. Besides I brought enough things for you guys and they're sealed up inside one of the scrolls I'm carrying.'_ Naruto responded back in exasperation but he wanted to crack a smile at their little worries. It was certainly taking his mind off of his problems at the moment. [Yay! Dada you're so cool!] Chaos cheered back happily. [Woohoo! I won't have to wear the same smelly clothes every day!] Iris clamored. This time Naruto did smile at hearing how happy his girls were now, since that was all he needed to make him happy.

"Hey guys. Is everyone ready?" Naruto asked politely as he approached Sasuke and Sakura who were just arriving. Tazuna was already at the Gate and he was standing with the two gate guards Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. Kakashi decided to be on time for once and appeared in a Body Flicker.

"Yo. Everyone ready to hit the road?" Kakashi greeted in his normal laid back tone. "Yes Kakashi sensei." Sakura responded. "Does everyone have their equipment backed?" Kakashi asked as he looked over each of his students. Sasuke nodded yes, Sakura looked a little unsure, and Naruto gave a simple nod as well. Kakashi saw that Sasuke had a backpack on his back and it looked fairly full with most likely useful things. Sakura had a small backpack that looked a little full but Kakashi was unsure of its contents and as he looked at Naruto he could see that the blond haired boy had a large backpack that looked heavy and stocked full of supplies.

"Um… Naruto may I ask what do you have in that bag? It looks quite heavy. Aren't your worried that it's added weight might slow you down?" Kakashi asked in curiosity. Nodding his head Naruto smiled a mysterious smile. "Any and everything Kakashi sensei and no I'm not worried about the extra weight. I'll be fine." Naruto responded. Shrugging his shoulders at this Kakashi was going to say more but he was cut off by Tazuna who wanted to get moving.

"Alright. That's enough of that. I want to get moving! So quit standing around here." Tazuna said grumpily. Adjusting his backpack Naruto nodded that he was ready. "Alright team let's move out. Since Tazuna here is a civilian we will be going at a pace comfortable and practical for him, especially given his age." Kakashi said as he began walking out of the gate with Tazuna close to him. Naruto decided to take the lead. Sasuke drifted off to the left of the formation and Sakura started to drift off to the right. Tazuna unknowingly found himself in the middle and Kakashi purposefully positioned himself behind Tazuna at the rear of this diamond formation. _'Good job you guys. You subconsciously got into formation without me having to tell you anything. I knew those long hours drilling that formation into their head would pay off.'_ Kakashi thought to himself in silent appraisal. He was satisfied with his team's performance so far.

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later**_

' _It's so calm and peaceful out here. I rarely get the time to appreciate the scenery outside the village.'_ Naruto thought to himself. He could see many forest animals scurrying around minding their own business and the greenery around the small dirt road they were traveling on was enticing Naruto. While he may not look it Naruto has a decent green thumb but compared to that he has a massive appreciation for wildlife and nature itself.

"Hey Naruto why did you suddenly take off earlier? You were acting weird." Sakura questioned. It was relatively quite for the first little leg of this trip and she was eager to get rid of the silence. "Oh sorry for ditching you back their Sakura. I just remembered I had something to do at the time." Naruto said as he looked over at his teammate. "Something important like what?" Sakura questioned curiously. "Oh I remembered I left the stove on in my house that's all." Naruto said with a smile on his face. You could see the mischief swirling around in his eyes. It was clear to everyone that he was telling a lie but then again Naruto really wasn't trying to hide anything at the moment. Naruto partially blamed Chaos in that moment; she was influencing him to say something sarcastic or witty. The tiny terror was starting to get bored and a bored Chaos was a dangerous Chaos.

Sakura's eye twitched at the lame response as she knew he was lying to her. The more time she hung around Naruto the more she grew curious of the blond haired boy. She didn't really know anything about him. Which she freely admits was mostly her fault but she was trying to fix that. Sasuke was remaining silent at the time as he used this opportunity to just view the scenery around him. He wasn't interested in finding out what was going on with the conversation Sakura and Naruto were having next to him. He was a tad bit curious about Naruto's weak lie but not enough to actually ask.

Deciding that it wasn't worth it to pursue her next line of questions with Naruto Sakura instead turned towards Tazuna and Kakashi. "So Mr. Tazuna what's your home country like?" Sakura asked cheerfully. That was one thing Naruto knew about Sakura since he first met her back at the beginning of their academy career. She was always eager to learn something new and she had a natural curiosity. Even if her questions would sometimes come off as sounding dumb because of her excitement, she would sometimes ask questions she should already know the answer too.

Deciding to humor the young girl Tazuna spoke up. "Well we are a small country really. Our entire country is made up of a small chain of islands that is a couple miles away. The closes of the islands is only a half a mile away from the mainland. We depend on the fishing market to sustain our economy." Tazuna explained. "Oh so then what is the bridge for?" Sakura asked next. This time Tazuna took a small pause before answering. Kakashi looked up from his book for a brief moment before going back to it. "The bridge will connect the mainland to the Land of Waves. With the bridge we can expand our economy and open up a wider variety of trade. It will help my people very much in a lot of ways in the future when it's complete." Tazuna said but he sounded a little different saying it. Naruto just closed his eyes with a small sigh since he already knew the reason.

"So does your country have shinobi Mr. Tazuna?" Sakura followed up. She was really enjoying asking the old man questions about his home. It was understandable really. This was definitely her first time out of the village; and more than likely this was her first time meeting a foreigner, especially from an island country whose customs and way of life is different compared to a major hidden village like the Leaf. _'There she goes again. She should already know the answer to that question.'_ Naruto thought with a mental sigh. He really couldn't fault her but still. Luckily Kakashi stepped in at that moment and explained to Sakura about the 5 great ninja villages and the other lands that had ninja villages in them.

Time passed after this with the small group making small talk with each other. Naruto was staying ever vigilant to make sure nothing happened. Out of the corner of his eye Naruto could see Sasuke was also remaining alert but in a more aloof manner. Sakura was busy talking to Tazuna and occupying his time. Kakashi had his nose buried in his lovely orange book that Naruto has been trying to sneak a peak in for the last 3 weeks. The action itself seemed familiar to him but he didn't know why. Naruto saw Kakashi twitch ever so slightly before stilling his body. The movement was virtually unnoticeable and Naruto would have definitely missed it if it wasn't for the fact he watches people very closely.

Turning back around to face forward Naruto expanded out his senses to see if anything was amiss. _'I don't sense anything. Maybe it was nothing… THERE! It's extremely faint but right up the road.'_ Naruto thought. He initially didn't sense anything in the area until he sensed a small minute spike in energy up the road. "Eva get ready." Naruto whispered out quietly as he scratched his hair in a certain gesture that let his tiny partner know it was show time. _'Girls quiet down now and focus. Something's about to happen.'_ Naruto said in his mind. Immediately he could hear both his girls get quiet. The two excitable blond haired girls were busy talking to Naruto about any and everything and they even started to play eye spy to pass the time. It was sort of hard to concentrate and stay vigilant of his surroundings with two 7 year old girl's voices in his head constantly talking and bouncing around the walls of his mind but Naruto didn't have the heart to tell them to stop. It was making them happy and it was keeping them preoccupied. The two sisters were starting to get bored like any normal 7 year olds but the difference is when Iris and Chaos get bored bad things tend to happen and a happy set of twin supernatural sisters were a lot easier to control than a bored pair of supernatural sisters especially when one is name Chaos.

Just then Naruto could see it. Up the road off to the side there was a small inconspicuous puddle of water that was by itself with no water source in sight. _'There it is. So this is the trap?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he approached the water puddle. _'Well now what is this? It hasn't rained in weeks so what is a water puddle this big doing way out here?'_ Kakashi asked himself; although you could tell by the tone of his thoughts that it was more sarcastic and he wasn't fooled even the slightest.

Sasuke didn't notice anything wrong with the puddle. The sight of it was registered in his brain but that was as far as it went. However to his credit he could sense a sudden shift in the atmosphere surrounding the group and it caused him to subtly start looking around. Sakura didn't even notice the puddle since she was too busy talking to Tazuna. As for the old man Naruto never expected him to notice what was wrong with the scene in front of him. So he excluded him from his thought process.

Just as he finished thinking this Naruto and the rest of the small group passed by the puddle. _'They should be attacking any second… WHAT!? That's…?'_ Naruto thought to himself in shock right before he registered what had his senses going off.

Two figures jumped out of the puddle of water and they were nothing but blurs and suddenly a long silver metal chain that had extremely sharp metal spikes sticking out of them wrapped itself around Kakashi's body; he appeared to be shocked by the sudden attack.

"One down."

"Three to go until our target."

Each individual said one after the other. The only thing Naruto could see in this slow motion scene playing out in front of him was the fact that the metal chain wrapped around Kakashi's body was attached to each individual's arm and without warning both men tugged hard on their gauntlet like hands and Kakashi's severely disembodied body splattered to the floor in a gush of blood and guts. Naruto could hear Sakura's blood curdling scream behind him since she witnessed this as well.

All of that played out in slow motion through Naruto's eyes as he just witnessed his sensei get shredded apart by his two assailants. _'Got to focus!'_ Naruto chanted in his mind as his battle oriented instincts took the front seat. "SAKURA! Protect the bridge builder now!" Naruto shouted as he could see the two assailants moving in. _'These men. I sensed a burst of Yōki from them just a second ago. Could they be demons?'_ Naruto thought to himself frantically as he rushed in to intercept the opponents who made it clear they were not here to talk peacefully.

Naruto's now battle oriented mind took in his two opponent's appearance in seconds.

The one on the right had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a re-breather that covers the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, poisonous gauntlet on his right arm which had a chain coming out of it that had the other end attached to his partners own gauntlet. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-colored, knee-length sandals, and a ragged black cape. His head band was showing the sign of the Hidden Mist Village and his head band had a single horn on it.

The one on the left had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair, and dark eyes. He was wearing a re-breather that covers the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, poisonous gauntlet on his left arm which had a chain coming out of it that had the other end attached to his brother's own gauntlet. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-colored, knee-length sandals, and several pouches around his waist. He didn't have a ragged cape like his partner though. His Hidden Mist head band had two horns on it.

Rushing in the two older men charged at Tazuna who looked like he was ready to have a heart attack. Appearing in front of the two men in a blur Naruto reached into the large pouch on his back and pulled out a sleek yet simple metal collapsible staff that was simple yet durable. Naruto rarely uses it since he can create any weapon he could possibly image out of his ice and it will be twice as durable as any conventional steel. However in situations when he couldn't use his Ice Style he would pull it out. A cheap substitute but still a viable option.

Naruto could see they were going to try and wrap him up in their chain to immobilize him and then kill him. Bringing his staff up Naruto with blinding precision impaled his staff through the small circular openings in between each metal prong. Slamming his staff into the ground with the chain now caught up in it the two assailants forward momentum was severely cut short and it caused them to stumble and jerk back. This moment of distraction would cause them as Sasuke seeing the opportunity landed a mule kick to the two assassins faces rocking their head and it had them briefly seeing black spots in their vision. "Meizu detach and take care of these brats." The assassin with one horn on his head band said. He twisted a small section of the metal gauntlet and the end of the chain that it was attached to came shooting off. "On it. Just hurry up and end him Gōzu!" The assassin with two horns said to the now named Gōzu. The now named Meizu also twisted a section of his gauntlet and the chain became detached freeing him from his own restraints.

Seeing Gōzu going for Tazuna Naruto blurred in front of him with his staff and clashed with the man who brought down his heavy clawed gauntlet. "Out the way kid. Unless you want to get hurt." Gōzu said menacingly. Narrowing his eyes Naruto twisted his staff and tried to take the man's legs out from underneath him. Seeing this Gōzu jumped up over the low swing. However he couldn't dodge the next strike. Flicking his wrist Naruto suddenly smashed the end of the staff into Gōzu's chin which had the older man stumbling back and it left him open to Naruto's follow up strike in which Naruto smashed his staff into the side of the man's head. He was trying to knock him out quickly but too the older man's credit he was tough.

Coming back into the action Gōzu flung himself at Naruto with a roundhouse kick which was a feint so that he could build up his momentum. Naruto ducked under the kick but he had to brace himself since the man came in with his large metal claw and attempted to take his head off. Using his staff Naruto positioned it in between himself and the incoming claw. Just as the claw smashed against his staff Naruto twisted the staff in two different directions and using the momentum of Gōzu's attack he pivoted on his foot which helped him spin around to dissipate the force of the Chūnin's attack. Now coming out of his spin Naruto had two smaller staffs in his hand. He smashed one of the staffs which were coated in his Wind Style Chakra into Gōzu's head which broke off the horn attached to his headband and took a few locks of his brown hair with it. Naruto's other staff was used to block Gōzu's clawed gauntlet.

"Oh… your good kid. Really good. What's your name?" Gōzu asked Naruto since they were in a deadlock at the moment. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto sarcastically said as he suddenly rocked Gōzu's world when he landed a perfect kick to the man's chin with his foot at a perfect 180 angle. He almost snapped the man's neck with the force of his sudden snap kick. Smashing his staff into the side of Gōzu's head Naruto brought the man down to his knee's dazed and disoriented. Naruto took the brief moment to look over at Sasuke to see how he was doing. The Uchiha was doing very well against Meizu who seemed to be wilder and less composed compared to Gōzu. Sasuke's natural speed helped a lot in this fight.

"Why you little brat. You'll pay for that! Die! **Yōjutsu: Poison Claw."** Gōzu said as he suddenly lunged at Naruto who had to leap back out of path of the man's swing. His claw had a faint purplish hue to it now and Naruto could now sense Yōki coming from the man's claw and body. _'So they are demons. This complicates things.'_ Naruto thought to himself grimly. "Sasuke don't let them hit you with their claws. They have poison on them." Naruto warned the Uchiha who only grunted in acknowledgement since he was now dodging claw strikes. "You should be worried about yourself kid!" Gōzu announced as he suddenly appeared in front of Naruto who barely raised his staff up in time to block. Twisting around the attack Naruto struck at the joint in Gōzu's elbow. The man's arm went slack for a brief moment and Naruto took his other staff and tried to bring it down of the man's head.

"I don't think so!" Gōzu roared as he suddenly lunged forward and struck Naruto in the hand that was holding the staff about to smash into his head. Naruto grunted in pain as he lost his momentum. Gōzu lashed out with a vicious snap kick that threw Naruto into the closes tree off to the side of the road. _'He got me. I can already feel the poison in my body.'_ Naruto thought with a grunt of pain as his back slammed into the tree.

"You were good kid but it's time for you to go to sleep permanently." Gōzu said as he charged at Naruto. Narrowing his eyes Naruto slammed his hand down on the ground with the intention of freezing the man's legs to the ground to stop him. However he didn't get the chance since somebody stopped Gōzu for him. Kakashi was now standing in front of Naruto and he caught Gōzu in a vicious lariat that he quickly turned into a tight headlock. Gōzu was knocked flat out from the jarring force of Kakashi's unexpected arrival.

Naruto's muscles that were tense with adrenaline started to unwind now that his sensei was here. Looking over Naruto could see Meizu on the ground out cold. He could only suspect that it was Kakashi who stopped both of the Chūnin since Sasuke was now looking at Kakashi with an unreadable expression on his face.

"KAKASHI SENSEI! You're alive?" Sakura exclaimed in absolute shock. She just witnessed Kakashi get shredded apart by the two assassins who were now knocked unconscious by Kakashi. "How? I saw you get…?" Sakura tried to ask. She didn't want to say killed since it left a bad taste in her mouth. Eye smiling Kakashi pointed over to where his fresh corpse should be laying on the road but instead of a badly torn up body there was only a pile of tree logs that had deep slash marks shredding through them. There was also no blood anywhere despite the fact that everyone saw blood splash from Kakashi's body.

" **Substitution Jutsu**." Kakashi said with a hint of humor in his voice. Sighing Naruto closed his eyes for a brief moment before he winced in pain. A hiss escaped his mouth as he covered up his bleeding hand that had been injected with poison. Seeing this Sakura acting in concern raced over to Naruto. Kakashi and Sasuke weren't far behind. Tazuna also joined them now that the commotion was over with. "Naruto are you ok?" Sakura asked. She saw how Naruto took charge of the situation and battled against the enemy with skill that was far beyond what she thought he was capable of. She was impressed by his actions. However at the moment she could see that he was poisoned and as his teammate she was concerned for his health.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just a little scratch." Naruto said as he leaned up against the tree comfortably. _'Iris how is the poison?'_ Naruto asked inside of his mind. Without a second of delay the little blond haired girl replied back. [It's actually ok daddy. The poison is not poison at all. It's just raw Yōki that the assassin injected into your body. However since your body naturally produces Yōki it won't affect you too much. Your body just has to purge it on its own. It should only take a few hours.] Iris explained happily. [That man sure is stupid. He should have sensed the Yōki in you dada] Chaos giggled. _'Aw it was too much to ask for girls.'_ Naruto thought back with a chuckle.

"Naruto you're not fine. You've been poisoned." Sakura protested. She didn't understand how someone could shrug off being poisoned like it didn't matter. "I said I'm fine. The poison is actually pretty weak and my body will purge it out soon enough." Naruto dismissed offhandedly. He reached into one of the many pouches scattered across his body and pulled out some bandages and medical tape. Wrapping his hand up tight Naruto then stood back up. "See I'm fine." Naruto pressed.

"Kakashi sensei we should tie them up." Naruto said while looking at the Demon brothers. "Yes you're right. We wouldn't want them attacking us again. People who wake up with bad headaches tend to be quite grumpy." Kakashi said lightly as he quickly tied the two Chūnin assassins up in seconds. "Now then with that out of the way I think it's time we had a talk Tazuna." Kakashi said as his voice lost all of its playfulness from earlier.

"Talk what is there to talk about?" Tazuna said evasively. Sweat was starting to come down the side of his face. "Oh I think you know what I'm talking about Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi said as he started to drill into the old man with a series of questions. Eventually Tazuna broke down and told Team 7 about what was happening in the Land of Waves. He told them everything he knew about Gatō and his part to play in why his country is in the state it's in at the moment. Tazuna begged Team 7 to help him save his country and people. While it was unnecessary the old man even guilt tripped the team by mentioning his daughter and grandson.

"Well it would seem we are at an impasse. Team what do you think we should do?" Kakashi asked the three Genin. Each Genin had a thoughtful look on their faces. "Um… Mr. Tazuna we would love to help you but this mission is starting to look like it may be out of our league. We might not be able to handle it. Plus our team mate was poisoned so I think it's best to head back to the village." Sakura said as kindly as possible. She really wanted to help the poor old man out but she was scared senseless on the inside. She was afraid of the conflict they might get into if they continued any longer. However she was thoughtful enough to consider Naruto and his condition into her thought process even though she was still very scared.

Evangeline could sense the fear emanating off of Sakura and she shook her head at the display. Everyone looked at Sakura with varying degrees of understanding but they all still had different opinions. Sasuke was the next to go. "I say we should continue. We can't let those people suffer; besides there are bound to be strong opponents there and I won't pass up the opportunity to fight them." Sasuke said. This is what he thought of the situation and how he felt about it.

Turning to Naruto Kakashi silently asked him his opinion. "Turning back is not an option. We must continue. Those people are suffering and we have a chance to help them. So I say we shouldn't waste it. Besides this Gatō person can't be allowed to get away with his actions." Naruto said with a determined look on his face. He wasn't backing down. Especially since he has many responsibilities for this mission and he wasn't about to let everyone down. He also wasn't going to let Gatō get away with destroying an entire country and its way of life. It was cruel and inhumane and it set something off inside of him. It was like a fire and it was burning from deep inside of him. A fierce sense of justice that extended way beyond the boundaries of his mission. Unknown to him Iris was mentally smiling a proud smile.

"Well then I think it's settled. We will continue the mission Tazuna. You can count on our team to help you." Kakashi spoke up after gathering everyone's opinion on how they should proceed. "Thank you so much. I promise that I'll pay the full amount of this mission once I get my country back on its feet." Tazuna promised in gratitude. "It's a deal then." Kakashi said as he shook Tazuna's hand who was all too happy to do the same with the help he was receiving from the group of ninja.

"Kakashi sensei what are we going to do with these ninja?" Sakura asked in concern. She kept sending glances back at the two tied up assassins who were both knocked unconscious. "A patrol will be passing by soon and I took the liberty of alerting them to pick these two up while you were busy fighting them." Kakashi said calmly as he took out his precious orange book and motioned for everyone to start walking. Sending a discreet look to the tied up ninja Naruto didn't look back as he picked up on his vigilance so that another incident like that didn't happen again. In the meantime he was actively circulating his Yōki infused chakra throughout his body to help purge the effects of what Gōzu did to him. The pain he was feeling was really only a hindrance and irritation to him so he wanted it taken care of. What Sakura and Sasuke didn't know however was that Naruto discreetly made a Shadow Clone during the commotion of the fight and it backtracked up the road by a mile and went off the side of the road.

* * *

 _ **With Section 2**_

The clone of Naruto drifted off the side of the road into the bushes where section 2 was slowly tailing Team 7. "What's the news?" Aspen asked since he was the one to sense Naruto's approach. Since Shoko declined from taking part in the large operation Aspen was once again called out into the field. This will be his first field operation in nearly a year. "My team is being attacked by two assassin's going by the name of Gōzu and Meizu. Do you recognize those names?" Naruto asked. He looked around and saw that the others were here. Henrietta and Jose along with the other handler pairs were all huddled up in a small tight group and they were sticking that way so that they can remain close behind Team 7 so that they can slip into the Land of Waves right behind the team.

"Yes I do. They are the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist. They are high C, low B – Rank shinobi in the Bingo books and they are Chūnin level. They excel in coordinated tag team taijutsu combat but they lack sufficient long range attributes. Other than their background and past history there is nothing that I can see that will help you out right now." Aspen explained. He showcased his vast knowledge on the criminal underworld and many of its missing ninja. "You should be ok. If it is only those two as your enemy then you should have no problem handling them on your own. Provided you put forth some effort that is. Other than that Kakashi Hatake is more than capable of dealing with them in a matter of seconds so your team is in no real danger." Aspen commented. His personality was laid back, stiff, and professional to a default. He was also non sociable during missions and tended to do things by the book and combine that with the encyclopedia in his brain about the criminal underworld and you are given a very knowledgeable man, if a bit stiff during work hours.

"Either way I hope you and your team will be ok Naruto." Henrietta spoke up since she was close to the spot Naruto emerged from. "Thanks Henrietta. I'm sure we'll be fine." Naruto said as he gave the chestnut hair colored girl one of his charming smiles. It had the poor girl blushing madly and it made it worst that Jose was right next to her and the rest of the group was surrounding them. Jose was like a father to Henrietta so it was really embarrassing for the poor girl.

"My team and I should be almost finishing up the battle with them. We are most likely going to leave them tied up and a patrol will be called to pick them up. I want you to get their first and take them. We can interrogate them and learn more about what's going on. Of course I'll leave interfering on official Leaf Shinobi business up to you Jean." Naruto said as he turned to look at Aspen and Jean who were right in front of him. The older blond haired man narrowed his eyes at Naruto for dumping the responsibility on him and the rest of the team.

"Just find us an entrance into the country and stop wasting time." Jean said agitatedly. "Right. I'll have an entrance for you guys in no time. Believe it! Hahahah. I really like saying that." Naruto said with a laugh as he went up in a cloud of smoke leaving the rest of section 2 alone. "That boy." Jose said while shaking his head. "Come on let's go before that patrol gets to those bodies." Jean said as he and the rest of the group got moving again.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

After an hour long walk Naruto and the rest of team 7 made it to the shore where they could see the ocean. They were at a small enclave where the tree line came close to the actual water line. A small dock only large enough for one boat or two at the most was directly in front of the team. "Our ride should be here any minute now." Tazuna said as he walked over to the small dock with Team 7 walking with him. After 10 minutes of waiting a small boat was seen drifting into the dock. The operator was manning rowing ores instead of using the motorized engine built into the boat. "I'm glad to see you are ok Tazuna. Even more than that you pulled through and brought help. Although I was expecting more than this." The man said as he gestured for everyone to get onto the boat. "This was all I could manage but I think they can do it." Tazuna replied as he and the rest of Team 7 got onto the boat.

"Very well. I hope they can help us Tazuna." The fisherman said as he started to row the boat into the open water. "It will take us 3 hours to get their so prepare yourselves." The fisherman explained quietly. _'Three hours huh. I guess I can relax until then.'_ Naruto thought. He silently and discreetly made a shadow clone underneath the boat. The heavy mist that was on the surface of the water helped hide the cloud of smoke his Jutsu created. He made the clone to inform the rest of his team of the entry point into the land of waves.

' _Wave Country here we come. I just hope I'm ready.'_ Naruto contemplated. Although as he thought this he ignored a very dull almost unnoticeable burning pain in his back. He assumed it was from when his back slammed into the tree earlier from the fight so he paid it no mind and assumed it would stop hurting him soon.

* * *

 _ **To be Continued**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu**_ ** _Library_**

1.) **Yōjutsu: Poison Claw -** A demonic technique that the Demon Brothers used. It is a simple technique that lets them forcibly inject their Yōki into a victim's body. Since demonic energy is toxic to a humans body it acts just like a poison hence the name.

2.) **Substitution Jutsu** \- One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Here you go people. There you have it. Some very interesting things happened in this chapter. The mysterious woman's identity that showed up at the casino has been revealed.

It's the Leader of the Mafia for the Hidden Stone Village and it's none other than Balalaika herself. Based on the description I gave her I expected someone to mention her name but it's ok. A woman that everyone fears is here and now the question is what does she want and what exactly is the nature of her and Shoko's relationship?

I decided to make it a little twist. If they were called the Demon brothers why not actually make them demons. With the Universe i've created I was allowed to get away with it. I thought it was a fun idea so I rolled with it.

The infiltration team for the Mafia is also waiting to sneak into Wave Country and it's up to Naruto to get them there. So what dangers awaits them when they get there? Keep your eyes peeled because some clues were left in this chapter to suggest some interesting things. I wonder if anyone will see them?

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 9 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone**

* * *

 ** _Published:_ ** 8/27/15


	11. CH: 10 The Lair of the Demon

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone. I'm back with another update today. This is a shorter chapter than what I am normally known for but it is still very important. So I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 10

 _ **The Lair of the Demon**_

The sound of gentle water flowing was heard in the morning air. Out in the open water surrounded by dense fog was a small motor boat. At the moment however the boat wasn't using its engine. The operator instead was rowing the boat as silently as possible across the water. There were a few people inside the boat. The operator, and old man with a straw hat and slightly dirty clothes, and from the looks of it judging by their headbands 4 ninja.

"Tazuna. How far are you on completing the bridge?" Kakashi asked after a few minutes of silence. The old drunken man turned to the grey haired ninja and responded in a hushed tone. "About 75 percent done with it. However construction has been very slow lately since many of my crew members both quit and ran out on me or they were bullied into submission by Gatō. If this keeps up I won't have enough manpower to complete the bridge. The only saving grace is that we don't have to worry about money. Since Gatō controls the flow of money in the country all the supplies that my crew are using is free. No one is selfish enough to place tax on the equipment we are using since in the end it won't make a difference." Tazuna said with a sigh as his mind was clouded over by the troubles he was facing at the moment.

Since the entire country is broke it didn't make sense to scavenge money off of each other since in the end no matter how much money an individual had it would mean nothing since the buying power of the money was pretty much nonexistent and they would all still be getting less than what the actual amount the money they had was worth. Not only that but any excess money a person found themselves with would be seized by Gatō and his thugs.

Naruto silently shook his head at this as several thoughts ran through his mind. He was saddened to hear that the people of Wave were suffering to such an extent that they were losing their wills to fight. Since Naruto spent almost his entire life in the Slums district surrounded by nothing but homeless and sick people he knew better than most what it's like to suffer especially since he was a kid who often found himself biting off more than he could chew. However the difference here was the fact that the poor individual's that he spent his entire childhood growing up with never loss their will to live or fight. On a daily basis Naruto would see many of the broken families out and about sick and not sick trying to make the most of their day and trying to find places to sleep and eat for the night. Most of those times Naruto would be helping said families find buildings that were still intact and safe and he would often direct those families there in an act of kindness.

Hearing that people were simply giving up didn't sit right with Naruto. Closing his eyes Naruto got himself comfortable in the swaying boat. Sakura was still holding a conversation with Tazuna and Sasuke was sitting on one corner of the boat. He didn't say much to Naruto after the fight with the Demon brothers but he was watching Naruto closely now. It wasn't everyday he saw Naruto in active combat and even in spars Naruto never showed more than the bare minimum of skill needed for the occasion. Back in the academy Naruto showed off just a little more during the class spars but that was it.

Placing his hands in his lap and calming his breath Naruto was planning on meditating into his inner world. For the last hour or so Iris and Chaos were becoming agitated and he was trying to keep them calm and happy which was proving to be difficult so he decided to face the problem from within and at a different angle. The Yōki that Gōzu injected into his body to poison him was almost completely out by now and in the next 30 minutes it would be all gone. Eva had taken this opportunity to get some rest and sleep so that she could be ready when they got to Wave.

Noticing the sudden change in her teammate Sakura looked over to see Naruto becoming as still as possible. "Naruto are you going to do that meditating thing again?" Sakura asked curiously. The members of Team 7 have witnessed Naruto meditating for hours on end many times after their sparring practice was over. Naruto never really told them why he did it and even Kakashi didn't quite know why however he had a few theories and suspicions but he was keeping those to himself.

"Yes Sakura I am. I'm taking this time to rest before we get to Wave. Who knows what we might find their and I want to be well rested and ready for when that happens." Naruto explained as he evened out his breath some. "But your unresponsive when you do that weird meditating thing. It's like your mind is in another world, besides what about you wound?" Sakura pressed. She was right Naruto was usually unresponsive to them when he was meditating and she would sometimes shake him but he wouldn't even flinch or budge. "I'm fine; the wound is nothing to worry about. Also if anything happens out here I'll know about it. Thanks for the concern." Naruto said as he finally evened out his breath and relaxed all the muscles in his body. He could feel his consciousness slipping as he delved into his mindscape.

One thing Naruto was towards his teammates was that he was always polite to them. He wasn't sure how to approach them sometimes since normally he didn't know what to say to them. However he was always polite to them regardless. It could be said that many of the friends he made during the academy approached him first instead of it being him who sought them out first. The prime example being Shikamaru and Choji who he enjoys hanging out with a lot and just relaxing with.

Seeing him become unresponsive Sakura knew that Naruto was already gone so to speak. She frowned just a little since she missed her opportunity to strike up a conversation with her blond teammate. She was considering asking Sasuke out again but she was a little shy to do so in front of two strangers.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Mindscape**_

Opening his eyes Naruto came face to face with the beautiful scenery that is his mindscape. Seeing the massive World Tree and the floating metal platforms looming overhead made Naruto feel at home. The massive mountain off to his right that was covered in a thick blanket of snow filled him with a very familiar warmth that over time he came to realize represented his deep bond with Evangeline. The giant bronze colored gate that was sitting at the bottom of Evangeline's mountain always intrigued him and he felt a small tug in that direction every time he came into his mind scape. Sooner or later he knew that he would finally be able to see what was inside of that cave but for now he would hold in his curiosity. The high cliff on the other side of his mindscape that was facing the setting sun always filled him with a strange desperation but he could never figure out why and the same with the small cave he could see behind the cliff.

Always enjoying the view Naruto took a moment to relax. With that out of the way he decided to go find Chaos first. Floating up high into the sky Naruto after a minute found himself landing on one of the many floating platforms filled with strange metal buildings and expansive grassy prairies. Seeing a small figure a few platforms away a smile formed on Naruto's face as he raced over to the figure as fast as he could.

Dropping down silently behind the figure Naruto got a mischievous smile on his face. Sneaking up behind the little figure without a sound Naruto suddenly lunged forward trying to grab the person in front of him but the second he tried the person disappeared and a weight settled down on his back. Hearing the trademark giggling he has become accustom to Naruto sighed with a smile. "Got you dada." Chaos said with a giggle. "I'll get you eventually sweetie." Naruto laughed as he sat on the ground with the soft grass beneath him. He shifted Chaos around so that she was now sitting in his lap. "How are you doing sweetie? Are you bored?" Naruto asked.

Chaos pouted and shook her head yes. "There is nothing to do Dada. I couldn't even play with those two clowns that attacked us earlier." Chaos complained childishly. Smiling gently at the little girl Naruto rubbed his cheek against her own. It was how they showed each other affection. "I know Chaos but your version of playing takes too long and we are on a tight schedule." Naruto pointed out.

The way Chaos [plays] with people usually ended up with them really hurt and she tends to drag out her play time. The thought of it makes Naruto frown but he knows it's in her nature. However he tries his best to stare her away from such tactics since basically what she is doing his torturing her opponents and that is not something he wants his daughter to be doing. "Hummmm. Then what can we do? I want to play with you dada." Chaos whined. She was getting agitated and Naruto could sense it. "I know sweetie. I want to play with you too but we are on a mission. Daddy has to focus and I can't do that if you are feeling this way." Naruto said as he rubbed Chaos's head. Pouting Chaos pressed her face into Naruto's chest with a whine escaping her throat. "I know. I know." Naruto said as he could feel Chaos's energy which was starting to leak out settle down.

"Come on let's go talk to your sister." Naruto suggested as he stood up. Chaos nodded and got comfortable on her favorite spot on Naruto. His back. She absolutely loved when Naruto would give her piggyback rides so that became her favorite spot. Chaos wrapped her arms gently around Naruto's neck and her head was leaning against his shoulder. Seeing that Chaos was comfortable Naruto made his way over to where the giant birdhouse was in the massive World Tree.

It took some time but they got their and Naruto with Chaos on his back found themselves outside of Sōkyoku's cage. Stepping inside Naruto set Chaos down just as the exit behind them disappeared. Suddenly little flames from candles lit up around the cage and Naruto and Chaos could now see Sōkyoku in all her glory towering over them. "Hello again Chaos, Father." The massive bird spoke up with amusement clear in her voice.

"Lady Sōkyoku." Naruto bowed in respect. Blushing Sōkyoku jumped to her feet and started flapping her wings comically. "How many times do I have to say it? Stop bowing to me you don't have to." Sōkyoku said flustered. Chaos was rolling on the floor laughing while Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle escaping his mouth. "Sorry. I keep forgetting." Naruto commented but he was lying. He actually found it funny how easy it is to fluster the ancient Goddess.

"Anyways what are you doing here?" Sōkyoku asked as she tried to regain her dignity. "I could sense how restless you and Chaos were becoming so I decided to see what was wrong." Naruto explained as he sat down on the floor. "I can sense the distress and great upheaval that the County of Wave is experiencing right now and it was causing my avatar some discomfort." Sōkyoku explained as she craned her neck down to look at her two small family members.

"I can sense all of the negative emotions and energy coming from the country. It's a lot." Chaos commented as she was messing with Naruto's golden hair. Contemplating this Naruto considered what he would need to do about the problem. "Well the only way that all that negative energy will go away is if we do something about it." Naruto said with determination in his eyes. Sōkyoku shook her head yes at this with a proud look in her eyes. Chaos giggled in anticipation as she couldn't wait to get to the country.

"We will be doing more than helping Tazuna build his bridge. We will help the country out from the inside as well. That is partially the reason why the Mafia is here. Not only so that we can set up a base of operation in this country but also so that we can give them humanitarian aid and relieve. And that is what we will do as well when we get the chance." Naruto declared as he already made his mind up on what he wanted to do when he got to the country.

"Then I can't wait." Sōkyoku stated happily.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Chaos cheered as she pulled her hands away from Naruto's hair and Naruto finally found out what she was doing. Chaos braided his hair and now he had a small braid going down passed his left ear.

"Hey Chaos what did you do that for?! You know I hate it when you do that!" Naruto yelled as he chased after the much faster and evasive little girl who was laughing maniacally with the biggest grin on her face.

Sōkyoku just had a warm look in her eyes as she peered down at the two blonds running around her massive body. However the warmth left her eyes as she gazed up out of her cage into the unknown. It looked like she was in deep contemplation.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location**_

"So our target has entered The Land of Waves." A voice said. It was semi deep but is was calm, smooth, and charming and if a woman was to hear it they would definitely blush. "So he has. I wonder how much he has grown since the last time I saw him." A second voice spoke up. It was very feminine and girly but it was still arguably a man's voice. He has a sense of longing and curiosity in his voice as he spoke his words. Whoever he was talking about he must have met before and he was eager to meet him again.

"Yeah well I still haven't met this person you're so interested in Kyōra. Are you sure he is all you are hyping him up to be?" A third voice spoke up. It was deep and feral sounding. He had a skeptical yet curious tone in his voice. He was speaking to the man with the feminine sounding voice whose name we now know is Kyōra.

"Come now Jūra. He is a wonderful specimen. He even managed to crack my armor and he did that at the weak age of 7. I say that is impressive." Kyōra spoke up. All three men were in a small cave and you could hear the sound of crashing waves against a shore. The cave was very dark so it was impossible to see the three mysterious figures conversed. The now named Jūra seemed to smirk given the tone in his voice. "Is that so? So he is the same little brat that has been running interference with our plans? If you ask me he is a loose end." Jūra commented.

"Now, now Jūra the young man show's promise. After all I was the one to discover him. He defeated that buffoon Toiret at a young age and he did it in a manner befitting a demon. He demonstrated a power back then that we have been looking for." The first voice spoke up again. He had confidence in his voice and he was sure of what he was talking about. "If you say so Ryūra. If that is the case then I want to be the one to check him out this time." Jūra spoke up as you could hear a rustle of movement signifying that he was getting up.

"Stealing my prey from me Jūra how rude. I was the one to mark him." Kyōra said in mock hurt. "Well I'm the only one who hasn't seen this brat you all keep on going on about so I'm simply taking the initiative." Jūra defended himself however all of their conversation stopped when the light coming from the entrance to the cave was obscured by a figure.

"Milady?" The three men spoke up as a figure stood there clad in the obscuring light and shadows of the cave. "You may go Jūra however do not hurt them too much. We have a deal to keep." The woman spoke up with a purr in her voice. It commanded respect yet it hid a sadistic side to it. "I don't understand why we are working with that blasted Fallen Angel milady. We don't owe him anything." Jūra spoke up angrily. "Our interests are similar. He wants the little children that young man watches over and we want the boy and his little fairy. A win-win situation so that is why we are working with him." The woman explained.

"Whatever. I'll just see what he is made of." Jūra said as you could hear his footsteps leave the cave. A flash of lightning struck outside the cave and for the briefest moment you could see Jūra's form revealed but the most prominent thing to notice about him was the strips of black and white color that made up his form.

"Come on Gōra lets go meet our prey." Jūra said as he jumped off the cliff he was on into the water below. However further out into the untamed and wild sea a large dark spot could be seen slowly moving through the rough and unforgiving waters.

As soon as Jūra said that a deep low growl could be heard coming from the ocean.

With Jūra gone the woman walked away from the cave but the most curious thing was her shadow which was the size of a normal human being started to shrink exponentially. _'Soon I'll have you Evangeline and I'll make you watch as the life is sucked out of that boy you love.'_ The woman thought with a sadistic smile.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Mindscape**_

"Dada I think we're almost there." Chaos said giddily as she was finally subdued by Naruto after a long chase around Sōkyoku's cage. Several times Naruto asked the majestic fire bird for help in catching the escape mistress but Sōkyoku playfully refused saying it was too much fun to see Naruto struggle to catch a 7 year old.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Alright girls I'm going to need you to focus now. We are in enemy territory now so we have to be on guard." Naruto stated as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. "Ok let's break some legs!" Chaos shouted excitedly. A little too excitedly Naruto thought but this was Chaos we are talking about. The best he could do was to guide her and rid her of her more destructive tendencies.

Shaking her head Sōkyoku blew a stream of fire at Naruto that erased him from the mindscape. Once Naruto was gone the signature smile on Chaos's face dimmed somewhat as she looked up at the massive bird that is her surrogate sister. "Do you sense it Lady Sōkyoku? Bad things are going to happen." Chaos said with a giggle but it was lacking something. It wasn't the same carefree and cheerful giggle that she constantly makes that sounds a little psychotic. It was missing something. It sounded empty.

"Yes I do. It would seem that an enemy from Naruto's past is finally making their move. All we can do now is protect him as he has protected us." Sōkyoku said as she looked at the little blond haired girl whose normally blissful face was clouded over in a torrent of emotions that no one else has seen on her face before. "They are coming for him and he may not be ready to face them all. That is why we must be here for him so he can draw strength from us. But I'm afraid there will be those coming not only for Naruto but for us as well." Sōkyoku said softly as she could see Chaos was in silent turmoil.

"I don't want anyone to take me away from Dada. I finally found someone to teach me all about love. It's not fair!" Chaos said as tears fell from her eyes. Seeing this display in front of her a soft look clouded over the massive bird's eyes. Craning her neck down Sōkyoku placed her large beak gently down on top of Chaos's head. "I won't let anyone take us away from Naruto little one. I promise you that. But I can't do it all by myself. Or rather I don't want to do it all alone. I need your help little one. Together we can stop what is to come." Sōkyoku encouraged gently.

Wiping her eyes Chaos looked up into the massive warm emerald eyes of the majestic Phoenix. "We can?" Chaos questioned. "Yes we can. You have a power inside of you that is not your own. It is powerful. More powerful than you can ever imagine. In fact you have two but the second one is one you've had all along." Sōkyoku explained softly. "I do? What is it?" Chaos asked. She wasn't aware that she had two powers inside of her. "Well that is something for you to figure out on your own little one." The goddess explained.

"This power inside of me that doesn't belong to me. Then who does it belong to? Do I have to give it back?" Chaos asked quietly. Despite how she acts Chaos was extremely intelligent and very sharp. She understood things she shouldn't and it was becoming apparent here. "Unfortunately yes you will have to return it but it won't be as simple. We'll burn that bridge when we get there." Sōkyoku softly said but when Chaos opened her eyes from wiping the tears that were gathering their instead of seeing the massive phoenix instead she saw her sister standing before her with her arms around Chaos's neck.

"We'll win Chaos but we have to be strong ok." Sōkyoku said with her emerald eyes shining the same as when she is a phoenix. However her eyes then turned blue and a mischievous smile overtook the blond haired girls face. Now hugging Chaos was not Sōkyoku but Iris instead. Reaching up Iris placed a soft kiss on Chaos's forehead. "Come on lets kick some butt." Iris said in a non-lady like fashion.

Slowly a smile came back to Chaos's face and she too got a mischievous smile on her face. "Yeah we'll teach them all about love."

* * *

 _ **The Land of Waves**_

Feeling his consciousness return to him Naruto sent a small pulse of chakra through his body that woke Evangeline up. Sensing the tiny burst of chakra coming from Naruto whose chakra was very still for the last three hours Kakashi looked up from reading his orange book.

"Back with us I see." Kakashi spoke up. Naruto's piercing cauldron blue eyes opened up at hearing Kakashi speak. However his eyes widened when he came face to face with Sakura who was in his face. He could see that her hand was reaching for his shoulder but the moment their eyes met hers widened in shock and fright. Jumping back slightly the pink haired girl looked embarrassed. "Sakura what were you doing?" Naruto asked blankly. "I was trying to wake you up. We're here." Sakura explained embarrassed. "Ok." Naruto said taking one last glance at his teammate before looking out at the shore line only a few dozen yards away.

Finally the boat pulled into a little dock with a few houses nearby. "Ok Tazuna this is as far as I go. Get home safely." The fisherman said as everyone got off the boat. Saying his thanks Tazuna and everyone else watched as the fisherman pulled off back into the water. "Ok Tazuna lets head straight to your house so that we can get unpacked and make our plans." Kakashi spoke up. Shaking his head Tazuna led Team 7 away from the dock towards a small path in the woods. Naruto secretly had Evangeline mark the location of the dock and entrance to the pathway for future reference and for Section 2 when they arrive.

Walking into the forest Team 7 resumed its formation unintentionally with Naruto again at the front. They walked for an hour or so and they encountered no problems. _'I feel something. Like there is a pair of eyes watching me. What's going on?'_ Naruto thought to himself. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and his instincts and senses were starting to rise. Suddenly Naruto detected movement off the path in the forest. Naruto exploded into action. Naruto took out several Kunai and threw them into the forest and at the same time he started to circulate his chakra through his body in advance. Kakashi looked up from his book upon seeing this, Sasuke got out a Kunai and got into a defensive stance, and Sakura let out a small squeal of fright. Tazuna turned pale and looked like he was ready to jump out of his own skin.

When everything got quiet Naruto expanded his growing senses and when he didn't feel anything in the area and the pair of eyes he felt were no longer there he let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry guy's false alarm. I sensed movement in the forest and I reacted." Naruto said as he looked to Kakashi who just shook his head that it was ok. "You scared me Naruto that was dangerous." Sakura scolded as she held a hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry." Naruto politely said as he walked over to the bushes and what he found startled him. A small white snow bunny was trembling in fright since the Kunai Naruto threw actually managed to take of a few strands of its thick fur. Retrieving his Kunai Naruto grabbed the bunny and hugged him to his chest. "I'm sorry little guy I didn't mean to hurt you." Naruto said softly. [Oh Dada can we keep him!? Can we? Can We?] Chaos screamed in Naruto's mind the second she saw the bunny. It took everything Naruto had to hold back the now excited 7 year old girl who was seconds away from blowing her cover.

Naruto brought the bunny over to the others and Sakura scolded him for nearly killing the bunny. _'Something's not right. This is spring yet the rabbit's fur is white for winter. It's like it was domesticated or…'_ Kakashi thought right before his eyes widened when he heard the sound of something big flying through the air.

At the last second Naruto who was distracted with calming Chaos down sensed it as well.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN NOW!" Kakashi roared as he tackled Tazuna to the ground with him.

* * *

 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ So there you have it guys. This mission isn't going to be as simple as Naruto and the rest of his team may think. It's going to be far different than how he would ever imagine. So what was Sokyoku talking about in regards to Chaos and who are those mysterious men who seem to have an interest in a very specific person in the Land of Waves and who was the lady who they all look up too. She seems to know Evangeline pretty well. And finally it looks like its time. Someone has arrived to pay Team 7 a visit so we all know what time it is.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 10 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 8/30/15


	12. CH: 11 The Demon of the Hidden Mist

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heavens Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

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 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. It's been at least two weeks since I last updated but that was because I was working on some other things that I'll be revealing soon when I have the time. So now I think I've kept you in suspense long enough. You all know what time it is. This is the Zabuza vs. Team 7 fight that everyone knew was coming. I'm really proud of this chapter and I spent a long time writing it. Obviously if you didn't know by now my story has a special spin on things so this fight isn't going to go exactly as it did in the Manga.

So strap yourselves in and enjoy this fight. Don't forget to leave a review after you finished reading. Thank you guys very much.

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Chapter 11

 _ **The Demon of the Hidden Mist**_

Panic. Fear. Weariness. Apprehension. Caution. These were the most prominent emotions running through Team 7 and their client. They all just narrowly escaped having their heads chopped clean off by an unseen object that was nothing but a blur to them.

' _I lost a few of my hairs to whatever that was.'_ Naruto thought to himself nervously as he felt the side of his head and he could tell he lost a few locks of his hair. Moving his hand over a little Naruto rubbed Eva's body with his hand and she returned the gesture which let the blond haired boy know that his partner was perfectly fine. Looking up Naruto and everyone else saw what nearly hit them. _'Is that a sword? It looks like a giant butcher knife.'_ Naruto thought incredulously as he gazed up at the massive silver blade that was lodged in a tree a few yards away from them.

Suddenly there was a very tall man standing on the handle of the giant blade. Narrowing his eyes Naruto took in this man's appearance. The man was tall standing at a solid 6'0 and noticeably muscular with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face. Under his mask, he had a relatively narrow jawline. He wore his headband sideways on his head and it had a long cloth that dangled next to his face. He is currently shirtless, with his chest only covered by a belt to which Naruto assumed he attached his giant sword, he was also wearing baggy pants with the striped pattern typical of the Hidden Mist Village and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows, with matching leg-warmers.

"Well, well. If it isn't Zabuza Momochi. Rogue Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi spoke up as he got in front of Team 7 and Tazuna. There was a noticeable difference in Kakashi's demeanor now. He wasn't slouched. His back was straight and Naruto could see the slightest tensing of his muscles. Kakashi was ready to fight this man in front of them. With his sensitivity Naruto could feel the slight tremor of Kakashi's chakra as it circulated throughout his body. He was ready for what was to come.

' _Did he say rogue ninja from the mist? I've heard of this man before.'_ Naruto thought to himself. The names of many ninja from foreign lands pass through the halls of the casino when the Mafia is conducting their business and Naruto's picked up on a lot of them. But even without knowing that Naruto could instantly tell that this man is dangerous.

"If he is our opponent than I'm going to need this. This might get dangerous." Kakashi noted as he placed his hand on his headband that was covering up his left eye. The rest of Team 7 saw this and they too were curious to see what was underneath Kakashi's headband.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Did I get that right?" Zabuza spoke up mockingly. His back was turned to team 7 and he was gazing down at them from over his left shoulder. Sasuke's eye's widened nearly to the point of them falling out. _'Did he just say the Sharingan?'_ Sasuke asked himself in disbelieve. _'The Sharingan? Isn't that the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan?'_ Naruto silently thought. He knew a fight was about to break out so he was actively pumping a considerable amount of his chakra through his body. He was ready to go at a moment's notice.

' _Girls it's time. I'm going to need your help so prepare yourselves. This man is dangerous so I need you two to stay sharp so we can beat him.'_ Naruto thought in his mind. [Yay! We get to beat up the bad guys now!] Chaos said happily. [Ok Daddy. Ready when you are.] Iris said calmly but Naruto could hear the hidden excitement in her voice. It would seem either Chaos rubbed off on her too much or she secretly enjoyed fighting. Naruto wasn't sure which one but it was a moot point right now.

"Manji formation! Go! Protect the Bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I'll handle it." Kakashi ordered as he finally lifted his head band and what everyone saw shocked them. Kakashi had a deep scar running down the length of his face right over where his left eye is supposed to be. And while you would think that he had lost that eye in fact he very much had a working and seeing eye but it was far from normal.

The iris of the eye was blood red with a pitch black pupil. Around the pupil situated on a thin black circular line orbiting the pupil were three black tomes. This was the infamous Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan. It was their prized possession and it was an eye that held many unknown and powerful abilities. _'So that's the Sharingan. I've never seen it in real life or up close before. I've seen pictures of it before but this is completely different.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he gazed at Kakashi's Sharingan in silent awe and appreciation.

"To see the Sharingan up close and right off the bat is a real honor. In the Assassination division of the ANBU Black op's back in the Hidden Mist we have standing orders to kill you on sight. In our Bingo Book you're listed as the man who copied over 1000 Jutsu. They call you Kakashi the Copy Ninja." Zabuza said with amusement in his voice. _'Is Kakashi Sensei such a famous Ninja?'_ Sakura thought to herself.

"What's the Sharingan?" Sakura asked in confusion. Tazuna looked lost as well. Sasuke looked like he was going to speak up but Naruto cut him off. "There is no time for a class lesson right now. We're on the battlefield and we have our orders so let's go." Naruto spoke up coldly. He didn't mean to sound mean or cold but he could feel the chakra slowly pouring out of Zabuza and Kakashi and it was setting Naruto's instincts on auto pilot. Since he was very little Naruto could sense the chakra and killing intent of people around him. It's what helped keep him alive when he was very small. He has furthered his training in his senses over the years and it's helped him become more sensitive to chakra of stronger individuals.

Right now he could sense the chakra and killing intent coming from the two experienced Jōnin and secretly ex- ANBU agents and it was saturating the air around them and it was rattling around inside of Naruto's head. While it paled in comparison to what Naruto felt the other day between Shoko and Balalaika it still means something especially since they were on a real battle field with the only one standing in between them and death was their sensei.

On a side note Naruto knew that the others didn't notice how the mist in the area was starting to unnaturally become very thick. It was caused by Zabuza's chakra and Naruto could tell that he was about to make his move.

Sakura looked slightly offended and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto but before either of them could say anything Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto's right this is now a battlefield and I gave you orders so go. You guys will only get in my way. Protect the bridge builder at all cost." Kakashi said as he walked more in between his team and the Swordsmen who had turned around and was glaring down at them like a predator.

Reluctantly Sasuke and Sakura stood down and jumped back with Naruto to surround Tazuna who was looking scared now since he could tell the fight was about to begin.

"Alright enough talk let's begin." Zabuza said and as soon as he said that he disappeared from the tree at untraceable speeds taking his sword with him. The next moment he appeared he was standing on top of the water in the lake a few yards away from the team. He had his right hand in the half Ram hand sign and his left arm was extended pointing straight up into the air with his hand also in the half ram hand sign. A large spray of water was surrounding him as he stood atop the water. **"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"** Zabuza called out as the already thick fog and mist that started to settle into the clearing when Zabuza first showed up increased to the point where it was impossible to see three feet in front of you.

' _The Hidden Mist Jutsu. Shoko used this on me once before in a spar. She wiped the floor with me after it was activated. I couldn't see anything and she snuck up on me.'_ Naruto remembered. _'This is bad.'_ Coming out of his thoughts Naruto heard Zabuza speak up. "8 points. Larynx, Spine, Lungs, Liver, Jugular, Subclavian Artery, Kidneys, Heart. Now which will be my kill point?" Zabuza said in his menacing throaty voice. He was flooding the clearing with his killing intent and it was suffocating. Sakura gasped in shock and fright upon hearing this and Naruto along with Sasuke and Tazuna tensed in nervousness.

' _Is this how a fight between two Jōnin goes. This killing intent is to much. I rather take my own life then deal with this.'_ Sasuke thought to himself shaking uncontrollably since the killing intent leaking off of Zabuza and Kakashi was too much to handle. He along with Sakura and Naruto had kunai in their hands and they were in a triangle formation with Tazuna in the middle of them. Sasuke with his shaking hand took his kunai and looked like he was going to stab himself in the chest. Sakura wasn't faring any better but to her credit she wasn't at the state Sasuke was in.

Before Naruto could say or do anything they felt a gust of wind and when they looked up they say Kakashi in front of them and he was visibly radiating chakra from his body and he blew the thick mist away from team 7 and Tazuna. "Sasuke calm down. I'll protect all of you with my very life. You can count on that." Kakashi said reassuringly with an eye smile for added support. Sasuke upon hearing this stopped his shaking and calmed down. His grip on his kunai increased but he was ready. For the briefest of moments Naruto let a smile come to his face. _'Way to go Kakashi sensei.'_

"How cute. Too bad it's all over now." Zabuza said from the middle of their formation. No one saw him even get in between them but he was there and his sword had only one destination in mind since it was making its way to Tazuna's throat. Kakashi's Sharingan eye was spinning as he locked his eyes on to Zabuza's form. While initially shocked at the amazing stealth skills Zabuza displayed Naruto exploded into action. Spinning on the balls of his heel Naruto reached up and placed his kunai in the path Zabuza's sword was heading for, which just so happened to be Tazuna's throat. At the very second Zabuza's sword hit Naruto's kunai Kakashi was there and he tackled Zabuza out of team 7's Manji formation.

Looking on everyone saw Kakashi with a kunai stabbing Zabuza in his abdomen while Zabuza was hunched over Kakashi's shoulder. Hearing the sound of dripping Kakashi and everyone else saw that water was coming out of Zabuza's wound instead of blood. "Kakashi behind you!" Naruto yelled as he could see a puddle of water behind Kakashi's feet. Rising out of the water was Zabuza who was already in mid swing. "DIE!" Zabuza cried as he cut Kakashi in half at his waist. Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened in horror however before anything could be said instead of blood coming out of Kakashi's severed body water instead was gushing out in copious amounts.

"The **Water Clone Jutsu**." Zabuza said in surprise as his eye widened in realization. _'He copied my Water Clone Jutsu when he made his speech earlier. The one that was talking was the clone while the real him hid in the mist like I did and waited until I made my move first. Damn that bastard.'_ Zabuza concluded and he was right since the next second a kunai was pressed to his throat courtesy of a very much alive Kakashi who was glaring into the back of Zabuza's head.

"Don't move." Kakashi ordered in a deadly voice. "Now it's over." Kakashi continued. Sakura had a relieved look on her face since she thought Zabuza was now caught by Kakashi. "You're finished Zabuza." Kakashi said as he pressed his Kunai close to Zabuza's throat.

"Hmmhmmhmmhmhm. Hahahahhaha. Finished? You just don't get it do you Kakashi. You're technique is nothing more than a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you Kakashi." Zabuza taunted with a mocking sliver of pity dripping from his covered mouth. "You're good however. You managed to copy my Jutsu when you made your speech earlier; and you even managed to do it through my Hidden Mist Jutsu. That takes skills." Zabuza complimented. Kakashi growled at this.

"Nice try… but I'm not that easy to fool!" Zabuza said as he suddenly appeared behind Kakashi. The one in front that Kakashi had his Kunai to dissolve into a puddle of water. "Watch out Kakashi!" Naruto yelled. Hearing this and feeling Zabuza behind him Kakashi dodged Zabuza's deathblow by less than an inch. However Zabuza wasn't done. Using the handle of his sword as an anchor the rouge ninja spun around and landed a devastating kick to the Copy Ninja that sent Kakashi flying through the air. _'Such strength. With one blow he took Kakashi off his feet and sent him flying.'_ Sasuke thought in surprise.

Landing in the water Kakashi surfaced and using chakra placed his hand on the surface of the water to pull himself up like he was getting out of a pool. _'This water… it's not normal. It's too heavy and thick. Oh no!'_ Kakashi thought but it was too late. "Too late Kakashi. **Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!** " Zabuza called out as Kakashi was swallowed up in a sphere of dense water with Zabuza's hand holding the sphere in place on the lake.

' _No! This is bad. With Kakashi caught we're all in trouble.'_ Naruto thought to himself in a slight panic. However he didn't let that stop him from getting in front of his teammates in a defensive stance. "Hehehehe. Kakashi you're slipping and now your students are going to pay for your mistake." Zabuza taunted with amusement clear in his voice. "Guys run! Take the bridge builder and run. Get as far away from here as you possibly can!" Kakashi ordered in a slight panic. He knew at the moment he couldn't do anything against Zabuza and he was trying to think of a plan to escape his prison.

"But sensei we can't leave you." Sakura cried out desperately. _'The moment Kakashi got caught was the moment our fate was sealed. No matter where we go it won't matter in the end. He will track us down and kill us.'_ Naruto thought gravely. _'Our only option is to fight.'_ Sasuke also thought. His train of thought running parallel to Naruto's.

"We'll free you Kakashi so sit tight." Naruto said reassuringly.

"This isn't the time to prove how strong you guys are. The mission is to protect Tazuna. Nothing more! Now go!" Kakashi pressed but it was no use team 7 was budging.

"This is cute but you kids don't know what it's like to be a real ninja. **Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu**." Zabuza called out and at the shore of the lake a water clone of him emerged out walked out onto dry land right in front of team 7. The clone was glaring down at them and all three Genin tensed but Naruto managed to glare back. "When I was your age my hands were already stained in the blood of many of my enemies." Zabuza said with a throaty chuckle. Naruto narrowed his eyes at this while Sakura had a scared look on her face. "When your hands are stained with the blood of so many people then you can call yourselves ninja. When you have survived life or death battles and come out alive so many times that they don't affect you anymore then you may be called a ninja. And finally if you managed to get your name in my bingo book then and only then may you have the right to call yourselves ninja." Zabuza lectured with a sneer in his voice.

Sakura looked like she wanted to drop to her knees and Sasuke and Naruto were tense and unmoving.

"Zabuza Momochi the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village." Kakashi said in disgust. "Oh so you know me by that title?" The real Zabuza asked as he looked down at Kakashi trapped inside of his prison. "Demon?" Naruto whispered with suspicion. He didn't feel an ounce of Yōki coming off of Zabuza and the fact that he used Ninjutsu throughout the fight made Naruto dismiss the thought of the man being a demon.

"In the Hidden Mist Village otherwise known as the Blood Mist Village in order for a person to become a ninja they have to pass a final test." Kakashi spoke up dreadfully. "What test?" Sakura hesitantly asked. "In order to graduate you have to kill your classmate." Zabuza spoke up with a glint in his eye that made team 7 take a step back. "Just imagine. The friends you spent years with. You eat with them, talked with them, laughed with them, and cheated on the same test with them, gone out with them. You came to care for them and in some case you came to love them. Now imagine on the day of your final test it's either you or them. You all shared the same dreams and goals for the future but which one of you has the resolve to make their dream come true. Which one of you has the will to live?" Zabuza bombarded team 7 with his questioning. He has a demonic look in his small beady eyes and it was intimidating team 7 and their client.

' _So that's what the Hidden Mist is capable of? Those barbaric monsters.'_ Naruto growled out in his mind. At this point his own killing intent was starting to bubble to the surface. Chaos and Iris as well as Evangeline could sense the negative emotions coming off of the blond haired Genin and the three girl's closes to Naruto's heart were all worried for him.

"However that practice ended a while ago when one year a single student entered a classroom and brutally slaughtered over 100 students. The name of that student was Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi said gravely as he turned his head away from Zabuza in disgust.

"Mmmmhhhmmmmmmhhhhmmm. Hehhehehehahahaaaaaha. The good old days. It felt so GOOD!" Zabuza said before he exploded into action. Without warning Sasuke went flying from a vicious elbow from Zabuza. Hitting the ground hard Sasuke was drilled into the ground by another one of Zabuza's brutal elbow shots. "You all are weak." Zabuza said as he grabbed his massive blade off his back and brought it down on Sasuke aiming for his exposed neck.

The sound of metal on metal was heard and the entire clearing grew quiet.

"I think you are getting ahead of yourself Zabuza. Especially since you're a clone." Naruto commented as he held off Zabuza's massive butcher knife like sword with twin standard short swords of his own. The swords were nothing special. They had black handles with a square shaped cross guard. The metal of the blade itself was a standard grey steel color and the sword was one sided. It was a Ninjatō. The standard sword of any ninja and they can be found in many stores.

"Oh what is this? You think you have some fight in you boy?" Zabuza asked as he easily slashed upward with his sword and caused Naruto to jump back. " **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** " Naruto called out and instantly a shadow clone appeared and picked Sasuke off the ground and jumped back before Zabuza could bring his sword back around. Landing a few feet away the clone put Sasuke on his feet and disappeared.

"Not bad but that's amateurish at best. None of you here deserve to be called ninja. None of you have committed the horrors of being a ninja; you haven't seen the horrors of it either. None of you have killed before or… oh I take that back. That dark look in your eyes kid. Oh I feel like I'm looking into a mirror." Zabuza said as he looked at Naruto whose eyes instead of being the bright sky blue that was expressive was instead jaded and a cold dark blue pit that was piercing Zabuza's small black eyes in return.

"You've killed before haven't you kid? Maybe you just might be worth something." The rogue ninja said with a chuckle as he lifted his massive cleaver like sword over his shoulder in a seemingly relaxed position but to any trained shinobi they could easily tell that the muscles in Zabuza's arms and legs were coiled and tense.

"Killed? What is he talking about? Naruto you've never killed anyone before. That's impossible." Sakura asked in disbelieve since she couldn't possibly wrap her head around the idea that her teammate has killed before. _'Naruto killed before? I don't believe it. But that look in his eyes though…'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he sent discreet looks at Naruto who was keeping his entire focus on Zabuza. "Naruto what is he talking about? Tell this guy he's wrong. Heck I've never even seen you seriously hurt someone before." Sakura continued but her voice was getting slightly quieter since Naruto wasn't responding to her. Instead his gaze was firmly planted on Zabuza who started to chuckle.

"As I thought. Let's see how you stack up kid." Zabuza said as he disappeared from his spot only to suddenly appear behind Naruto in mid swing. His giant blade was cutting the very air itself to get to Naruto's head. Spinning around on a dime Naruto brought both of his swords up to block but Zabuza's momentum and size was far greater than his and Naruto's swords were knocked off course. Not being deterred Naruto brought his swords back into action and tried to take the water clones head off. The clone brought his sword around with surprising speed and clashed blades with Naruto who was genuinely struggling to put force behind his attack.

Breaking off Naruto brought his left hand sword in to bisect the water clone at the waist while bringing his right sword in to block the next strike Zabuza was trying to send his way. Zabuza overpowered Naruto's right strike while he side stepped his left and with a twist of his wrist Zabuza suddenly had his massive blade on a crash course with Naruto's midsection. Thinking quickly Naruto surged his chakra. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu."** Forming a clone right in front of him the shadow clone then suddenly kicked Naruto who was behind it out of the way since Zabuza's sword was around 6 feet long and its reach was far longer than any normal blade. Naruto's shadow clone took the hit and immediately disappeared in a grey cloud of smoke.

"Good move kid. It looks like you have some brains in you." Zabuza commented. He was about to move but he saw Naruto put his hands in the same hand sign again. **"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Suddenly the clearing they were in was filled up with over 30 Naruto's all with a pair of Ninjatō's in their hands. "Oh so you have a decent amount of chakra in you kid. This is impressive." Zabuza stated as he noted where every clone was in seconds. Without a sound all of the Naruto's charged in and began attacking Zabuza who got a gleam in his eyes that would scare a grown man. He started showing off why he is one of the Legendary 7 Swordsmen of the Mist.

With unbelievable skill Zabuza started to parry, block, and deflect each and every clones attack with master precision. His sword which was undeniably heavy seemed to weigh nothing since Zabuza was flicking his wrist and his sword would suddenly change direction instantly to deflect another one of Naruto's clones attacks and cut them down at the same time. It was as if Zabuza was twirling around a small stick instead of a 7 foot long sword. The blade itself was at least 6 feet long maybe six and a half and the long handle added on an extra foot so the sword was massive and it must weigh a lot but Zabuza was spinning on the balls of his feet and twirling around his sword like it was a feather and none of Naruto's clones attacks were getting through. The clones came in high, low, from behind, and from Zabuza's sides but they were mercilessly cut down.

' _My god it's like sparring against Shoko when she's serious. His swordsmanship is amazing. How on earth is he swinging that blade around one handed half of the time and he's doing it incredibly fast as well.'_ Naruto thought to himself in awe. Zabuza's abilities were far out of Naruto's league and it was becoming apparent as clone after clone was cut down. _'And this is just a clone.'_ Naruto grimly thought.

' _How is Naruto doing this? He's actually fighting Zabuza and holding his own. And when did he learn how to use swords? I've never seen him use them before.'_ Sakura thought to herself in amazement. She had no idea Naruto was this skilled. His skills were clearing more than just the average Genin and the way he was acting was so different than she was use too. Of course on a normal day Naruto was reserved and mostly quiet but he was more open and prone to at least smile and hold conversations with them but the look in his eyes now and how he was acting since the beginning of the mission was very different than how he usually acts and it just proved to Sakura more that she didn't know that much about her teammate who was currently doing everything he could to fight against their enemy.

' _But what did he mean when he said Naruto's killed before? He said it was like he was looking into a mirror when he looked at Naruto. Could he be telling the truth? Has Naruto killed before?'_ Sakura questioned herself in distress since that was not a thought she wanted to entertain. _'Is this really Naruto? How is he even strong enough to contend with someone of Zabuza's strength and skills? Where is he getting this strength form? Was he always this strong?'_ Sasuke thought to himself while narrowing his eyes at his blond teammate whose clones were trading blows with Zabuza's water clone.

Naruto seeing that his attacks were ineffective created another clone and sent it into the mix and it got cut down by Zabuza's blade shortly afterwards and immediately all of his clones jumped back. They started to circle around Zabuza's tall frame keeping the rouge ninja on his toes. "Trying a new tactic?" Zabuza commented idly. The real Zabuza who was keeping Kakashi imprisoned was impressed by Naruto's swordsmanship and Kakashi was also highly impressed. Naruto had used the memory feedback system of his shadow clones to telepathically tell all of his clones that were still alive what to do without giving away his plan.

As one all of the clones charged at Zabuza's water clone and charged into the air with their swords poised to strike Zabuza down. They all landed on top of Zabuza whose form disappeared under the sea of orange and blue that was Naruto's clones. Everyone including Naruto who was accompanied by three of his clones could clearly see that the mass of clones were struggling to hold down Zabuza's water clone. **"Kenjutsu: Decapitating Shockwave!"** Zabuza's water clone shouted out and instantly all of Naruto's clones went flying however they were all missing their heads and seconds later they went up in clouds of smoke. The real Naruto nearly dropped to his knees since all of the clones got their head chopped clean off and they sent their memories and experiences back to him.

The water clone of Zabuza was standing there with numerous cuts all over its body and it was clearly not doing to good but it had its massive butcher knife like sword leaning against its shoulder as it looked at Naruto and his last three clones. "Good one kid, real good but not good enough." The water clone taunted with a chuckle. Naruto growled at this. "Sasuke I need your help let's go." Naruto called out as he positioned himself in-between Zabuza and Sasuke so he couldn't intercept him if he wanted to. Sasuke grunted but he came charging in with Naruto and his clones who decided to go in first with Zabuza taking out one who tried an overhead double slash attack with its swords but it got cut in half. The last two clones came in and together they locked blades with Zabuza's clone which gave Sasuke the time he needed to jump into the air to bring down a Kunai on his head. Seeing this Zabuza wrenched his sword free of Naruto's two clones and blocked Sasuke's attack. Sasuke landed on Zabuza's sword and seeing this Zabuza's water clone heaved the Uchiha off of his sword and into the air.

Sasuke then unleashed a barrage of kunai at Zabuza's unprotected back. But even as a water clone Zabuza is still a highly trained Jōnin so a simple attack like that would not reach him. With speed he should not have Zabuza stabbed his sword into the ground and grabbed both of Naruto's clones and spun them around and threw them right into the barrage of kunai Sasuke just threw. The kunai knifes cut straight through Naruto's clones sending them up in smoke; however Sasuke threw a lot and so not all of the kunai were slowed down by Naruto's clones. A few Kunai came through the cloud of smoke created by Naruto's shadow clones and the real Naruto who was coming in with a cross slash had to suddenly break off his attack to deflect Sasuke's misguided attack.

Quick as a flash while the two preteens were momentarily distracted Zabuza grabbed his sword in the ground and with that speed and strength of his brought it down on Naruto who just deflected the last kunai and could not possibly dodge at the last second. Zabuza's sword came crashing down on Naruto's hastily crossed Ninjatō's but it wasn't enough. The small curved half circle towards the base of Zabuza's sword cut deep into Naruto's shoulder sending a spray of blood everywhere including Zabuza's sword. Naruto grunted in pain as he was pinned to the ground on one knee while he tried his best to hold of the full weight of Zabuza's blade.

Sakura screamed in fright when she saw the large amount of blood that sprayed from Naruto's wound. "Naruto! NO!" Kakashi screamed from inside the water prison. He was now completely worried about Naruto's well-being since Kakashi knew better than anyone present at the moment that even if Naruto chose to go full out an injury like that would cripple him and butcher his performance in the fight. Charging in Sasuke tried to get to Naruto but he was viciously kicked by Zabuza and sent skidding across the ground. He tried to dodge but Zabuza's speed and superiors strength was something he couldn't contend with.

"You've done really well brat. What's your full name?" Zabuza asked as he pressed his weight further down on Naruto's shoulder. "Names are a powerful tool Zabuza Momochi and because of that fact I will not be giving you my full name." Naruto responded with a grunt as he tried to lift Zabuza's giant sword from his shoulder but it wasn't working and Naruto was pinned to the ground and unable to move. "Oh is that so. Very smart of you kid. You're different than your teammates. You've seen actual combat before haven't you? You've killed before and you've seen and done things that only experienced shinobi have done haven't you?" Zabuza probed as he forced Naruto back down when he tried to lift himself up from his knees.

Sasuke was getting back to his feet and Sakura looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. They both heard what Zabuza was asking Naruto and it kept their own questions fresh in their minds. "Wouldn't you like to know." Naruto shot back behind a pained filled grunt. _'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I can't use my Ice Style since that will blow my cover and raze too many questions not to mention it will give Zabuza an advantage and information on me. I have to overpower him somehow.'_ Naruto mused to himself while he was doing everything in his power not to lose his grip on his swords. He knew if he did that he would lose his left shoulder for good.

"I can tell when I'm looking at a killer. But give up brat you can't overpower me! You've built your body around speed related techniques and your dual wielding skills makes it impossible for you to put your full weight into any swing you make. You're all speed but no strength." Zabuza analyzed Naruto's abilities while taunting him at the same time with the tone in his voice.

' _He's completely right. I've built my body to be a speed fighter all because of my personal issues and stupid fears and while my dual wielding abilities are a big help they're also a big weakness. I can't add any power to my blows and I can't overpower anyone with any decent strength in them. I should have listened to Shoko and practiced single bladed combat instead of slacking off. Now it's cost me and got me and my team in danger not to mention my girls.'_ Naruto agonized to himself since everything Zabuza said was true. He especially berated himself for getting his team and family in danger for his negligence.

[Daddy come on you have to fight back! You're really hurt!] Iris cried out for the first time since this battle began. She and Chaos were following Naruto's instructions form earlier and they were vigilantly watching the fight that was taking place. They were too enamored by the battle going on and they didn't want to disrupt Naruto's concentration so they decided to stay quiet but seeing their father now seriously hurt was a whole different story. _'I know sweetie. I'll get us out of this.'_ Naruto tried to say reassuringly but another grunt of pain from him made the effort useless. [Let me come out! You and I can easily take the real one down if you use your full power and I use mine.] Iris tried to reason with a slight hint of panic in her voice. [Come on Dada let's break some legs!] Chaos cheered but Naruto could tell something was missing in Chaos's voice which let him know that she was just as concerned for him as Iris was.

' _NO! You two will stay put. We can't do anything that will put you two in danger or jeopardize the mission. So sit back and watch. Daddy will get us out of this mess so believe in me. Let me show you what your dad can do!'_ Naruto said reassuringly as a determined glint entered his eyes. He flared his chakra and it became visible for a brief moment. _'EVA!'_ Naruto yelled in his mind. Evangeline who was also silent during all of this had a pit in her stomach since she wanted nothing more than to intervene several times throughout the fight. Especially now that Naruto was seriously hurt. Her love for Naruto was making it seriously hard for the winter fairy to keep herself from cutting into the fight but she didn't know how much longer she could hold herself back.

However feeling Naruto surge his chakra Eva suddenly knew what Naruto had in mind. Sending her Yōki throughout his chakra system which was occupying itself with increasing Naruto's senses Eva had her Yōki focus around Naruto's muscles. "RRRAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto roared as he suddenly forced himself off the ground and with his swords lifted up Zabuza's massive blade and slammed the decapitating blade into the ground with a massive bang. The force in which Naruto slammed Zabuza's Executioner Blade down was enough that Naruto's Ninjatō's snap and broke leaving jagged broken edges with the tips of the blade flying off into the dirt around them. Everyone was stunned by this and in that brief moment that Naruto's chakra was visible it changed colors slightly to that of his Acceleration technique.

' _ **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation!'**_ Naruto roared in his mind as he stepped on Zabuza's sword and used it as a spring board to jump up and cut the water clone's head clean off in one graceful and fluid motion. Landing in a crouch with his arms spread to the side holding his broken swords out to his side Naruto listened as the clone of Zabuza turned into a puddle of water. The soft almost invisible glow of his chakra died out as he looked up with his cold blue eyes staring both into Sasuke who was thinking of charging back in and at the real Zabuza who was on the lake holding Kakashi captive with a stunned look in his visible eyes since he didn't expect Naruto to kill off his clone.

"That's enough of that." Naruto said in a deadly voice. His left shoulder was still bleeding quite badly and he was breathing a lot heavier than normal but the cold glacial look in his eyes did not disappear and behind the block of ice that was in his eyes there was a raging inferno that was burning brightly for everyone to see. Kakashi felt a swell of pride drop into his stomach but secretly he knew that he didn't teach Naruto any of the skills he has now. _'Is this Naruto? How is he so strong?'_ Sakura thought in complete shock. She didn't see what Naruto did since he moved so fast but it was obvious to her that Naruto killed the Zabuza water clone.

' _How is Naruto so strong? He has consistently been ranked dead last in our class and then he shoots to the middle of the class but his grades again put him at the bottom level of everyone in our class. But what doesn't make any sense is how when it comes to the physical aspects of our training he excelled greatly at all of it. Especially our sparing sessions where he could fight on par with Fuki and me. Not to mention Hinata the second best female fighter in our grade. It doesn't make sense.'_ Sasuke brooded to himself. Nothing with his teammate was adding up to him.

"Kakashi are you hiding something from me? Are you sure this kid is a Genin? He seems to be quite different than your other two brats." Zabuza questioned in clear amusement and the slightest sliver of respect in regards to Naruto. "Zabuza. I'm coming to free my sensei from your prison so prepare yourself." Naruto announced as he held up his broken swords and got back into his sword stance. One sword in a reverse grip behind his back and the other sword in front of him running parallel to his sword behind his back except for the fact that the tips of the swords were facing opposite directions from each other.

"You're good kid I'll give you that but you can't beat me and now that you're injured it will be even easier to take you out." Zabuza commented. **"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu."** Again another water clone surfaced out of the water in front of Naruto and this time he was ready. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted out as he placed his hands in his hand signs and a dozen clones appeared. "GO!" Naruto called out as they charged at the new water clone with Naruto bringing up the rear.

Somehow being quicker this time Naruto's clones were lasting far longer than last time but that was not his intent. His clones were still being cut down and when Zabuza's clone used his Decapitation Shockwave technique again to defeat his clones Naruto acted. "Sasuke catch!" Naruto shouted as he threw a large Fuma Shuriken through the air as he slid across the ground with several of his shadow clones that should have been cut down.

Catching the shuriken Sasuke suddenly tensed since he immediately knew something was wrong with the shuriken or should he say shuriken's in his hands. "A shuriken? That toy will never touch me boy." Zabuza's Water Clone taunted with a laugh. "Demon Wind Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows!" Sasuke declared boldly as he disappeared from his spot on the ground only to appear in midair where he launched the shuriken's in his hand with all his strength.

"Nice try boy but that will never… huh!?" The water clone taunted until it tensed in surprise when it saw that Sasuke wasn't aiming for it since the shuriken's passed by it without stopping. Sasuke threw the shuriken at the real Zabuza who smirked underneath the bandages. "Hmmmmhmmmm." Zabuza laughed to himself as he caught the Shuriken in his left hand. "WHAT!" Zabuza shouted seconds later when a second shuriken came in right after the first hiding in the shadow of the first shuriken. "A second one!" Zabuza exclaimed. _'It's going to hit him.'_ Sakura chanted in her head.

Sasuke had a smirk on his face since he thought there was no way for Zabuza to dodge it. "Like I said. Your toy will never hit me." Zabuza reiterated as he did the impossible as he jumped high up in the air while tucking his legs underneath his waist as he let the second shuriken fly below his feet missing him by inches. "Told you so. But to use the **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu** is impressive but…" Zabuza taunted but he was rendered speechless when he heard the noise of a shadow clone dispelling. Turning his head Zabuza saw that Naruto was emerging from a cloud of smoke and he had a cold look in his eyes. _'Impossible!'_ Zabuza thought in shock.

Not wasting any time Naruto threw one of his two broken swords as hard as he could in Zabuza's direction and the man widened his eyes in shock and panic. Ripping his hand free of the Water Prison Zabuza tried to dodge but Naruto's sword pierced his hand in the palm. "Rraaggh!" Zabuza grunted as he could feel the blade deep in his hand. "WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT! DIE!" Zabuza screamed as he spun the first shuriken in his hands with the intent to throw it at Naruto who was now kneeling in the water. "Boom." Naruto said simply.

 **BOOM!**

The Shuriken in Zabuza's left hand exploded sending the ex-Hidden mist shinobi flying a few yards away while screaming in pain. "But how? How did he do that?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. Jumping away just in time Kakashi wasn't caught in the blast. Landing next to Naruto Kakashi put his hand on the young Genin's shoulder. "Naruto are you ok?" Chuckling slightly despite how he was feeling Naruto looked up at Kakashi. "I should be asking you that Kakashi sensei. How exactly were you able to talk let alone breathe inside that water bubble all that time?" Naruto questioned in a joking manner but Kakashi could tell that Naruto had a small childlike curiosity burning in his eyes as he asked him that question.

"Oh well you see Naruto my mask is full of surprises and it can do a lot of things." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Gaining a blank look on his face Naruto just sighed and stood up on the water without any difficulty. "Enough games between us. We have a job to finish." Naruto said as that same cold look came back into his eyes just as the water settled and you could see Zabuza getting to his feet with his left arm badly burned and bruised. Blood was leaking from it and it was already showing signs of swelling. "I'm going to enjoy carving you up boy." Zabuza said in a deathly quiet voice.

"Kakashi I'll be your backup; but with that being said I'll soften him up for you so I'll go first." Naruto said right before he disappeared in a burst of his Acceleration. Reappearing in front of Zabuza Naruto quickly ripped out his sword from Zabuza's injured palm and now with both his swords back he was going to take Zabuza's head. "I don't think so boy." Zabuza declared as his Executioners Blade was already in position. Somehow Zabuza managed to slip Naruto's head inside of the large hole at the top of the Executioner's Blade. Naruto was stunned by this and he could do nothing as Zabuza started to swing both him and his massive sword around.

"Take this boy! **Kenjutsu: Explosive Decapitation!** " Zabuza yelled as he slammed his sword into the water full force. _'If he goes through with this I'm dead!_ _ **Acceleration!**_ _'_ Naruto screamed in his mind right as Zabuza's sword hit the surface of the water. "Naruto NO!" Kakashi yelled as he saw Naruto get taken down right in front of him. He couldn't tell if Naruto was ok or not and a move like Zabuza just used wasn't some run of the mill technique. It was meant to put a person down for good and that did not bode well with the infamous Copy Ninja.

Kakashi threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken at Zabuza who deflected them all with his massive sword. The Copy Ninja's Sharingan was blazing red as he came in with lightning fast strikes trading blows with the injured swordsman who was not out of the fight by a long shot. Zabuza was still in the fight and he was showing Kakashi that even with effectively one arm he was more than a match for Kakashi in close combat.

Finding himself submerged underwater Naruto watched on as two shadows danced above the water. _'It's not over yet. I'm still in this fight ya know!'_ Naruto declared to himself. "Eva let's go!" Naruto called out in a gurgle as water filled his lungs.

Jumping back from another round of kunai verses sword Kakashi was weighing his options in his mind. He was matching Zabuza's moves perfectly now and he was getting under the man's skin but the Demon of the Mist was determined to keep him occupied and away from checking up on Naruto to see if he was ok. However he wouldn't have to worry about in a few seconds. They both felt it. A surge of energy that was foreign yet with the years of experience they have under their belt and their own familiarity with it both men easily recognized what it was.

The water underneath Zabuza's feet started to bubble and turn from the natural color of the lake into a dark sapphire color that was radiating Yōki. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** It was gargled and Zabuza couldn't understand or hear what was said but he could feel it. The glowing sapphire colored water shot up into the air like a geyser with Zabuza being pinned by Yōki packed water that was as hard as steel. Once the geyser reached its apex Naruto came bursting out the top of the water spout holding his broken blades. Zabuza who was now in free fall saw this and brought up his giant sword in time. **"Kenjutsu: X- Scissor!"** Naruto yelled as he slashed at Zabuza's vulnerable form but he only hit his blade and put an x shaped scar on the massive silver blade. However the force of Naruto's attack broke off another segment of his swords and sent Zabuza crashing into the water. Naruto himself fell into the water as well but he was washed up by the shore where Sasuke and Sakura were. Tazuna was in completely awe at how Shinobi fought and the other two Genin of Team 7 were also in awe of their teammate's secret strength.

Grabbing their teammate Sasuke and Sakura pulled Naruto out of the water and Sakura gasped and nearly screamed at what she saw. Naruto's neck was cut wide open. It happened when Zabuza slammed him into the water with his sword. Naruto escaped barely but the skin around his neck was cut deeply. However he counted himself lucky since Chaos disguised as her collar was also around his neck. Zabuza's blade somehow managed to cut above her collar and just barely above his Adams apple in his throat. However that didn't stop the fact that now his neck was cut open and bleeding.

Zabuza who barely recovered from that attack was then harassed by Kakashi who was also tired but was not foolish enough to let an opportunity like this pass him by. Pressing his attack Kakashi did what he did best and he began to copy Zabuza's moves perfectly without flaws. Forming a rapid sequence of hand signs both high level Jōnin called out the name of their Jutsu.

" **Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"**

" **Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"**

Both massive water dragons made of water with glowing yellow eyes made from chakra clashed with each other above the heads of the two ex- ANBU members as they traded vicious blows with each other without slowing down but it was obvious that they could not keep it up.

"You bastard. You're copying all of my moves and trying to play tricks with my mind. So be it then. But if I'm going down today someone's coming with me!" Zabuza declared as he directed his attention at the shore line where the rest of team 7 was. Seeing this Kakashi's eyes widened when suddenly Zabuza's water dragon bit into the neck of Kakashi's now struggling dragon. Zabuza's dragon showed no mercy at all and it dragged Kakashi's dragon in the direction of team 7 threatening to drown and kill them underneath the massive water pressure the two dragons were creating. "GUYS RUN!" Kakashi screamed but he was too far away to make it to them.

"I got this. Fire Style…" Sasuke said as he was preparing a fire attack against the oncoming wave of water. "Step back that won't work. I got this." Naruto said with a raspy and gargled labored breath.

" **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted as a massive wall of water rose up into the air and the two struggling water dragons surged into the unexpected barrier exploding in a massive explosion of water and chakra. Seeing the massive wave of water coming at them Naruto did the only thing he could at the moment.

" **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!"** Naruto roared as he with barely any blades left to his two swords slashed at the tidal wave that was threatening to drown them all. The torrent of water was split into an x shape before crashing down into the lake. _'I'm out of chakra and I feel dizzy. I can't hold on any longer.'_ Naruto thought to himself as his body felt heavy and weak. [Daddy! Are you ok! Answer me! Daddy!] Iris yelled in his mind. She was on the verge of releasing the transformation she was under so that she could check on Naruto but his words stopped her. _'Girls I'm ok. I just need to rest alright. Listen to Eva while I'm out and don't get caught ok._ ' Naruto said as he wobbled on his feet right before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out with Sasuke and Sakura managing to catch him at the last second before he hit his head on the ground.

[Daddy! Wake Up! Daddy!]

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 _ **To be Continued**_

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu -** This a specialty of the ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelling it from their mouth, they can then go in and out of sight at will from within the cloud of mist. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.

2.) **Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu -** The Water Clone Technique is similar to the Shadow Clone Technique except it creates clones that are made out of water. Also, unlike shadow clones, water clones hold only one-tenth of the original person's power. Like other solid clone techniques, the clones can be used to perform tasks the user is unable or unwilling to do for themselves. The range of the clone is limited however, as it cannot travel very far from the original body without losing control. Like other clone techniques, if the water clones are injured enough they will revert to normal water.

3.) **Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu -** This technique is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. This technique requires a sufficient amount of water, which can be provided by expelling it from one's mouth. Once trapped the target is unable to move or breathe while within it due to the heaviness of the water. Because of the density of the water it can be used, to a limited extent, for defensive purposes if performed on oneself. It can also be stored in scrolls as traps. Water clones can be used in preparation for the technique, which block an opponent's attack and trap the attacker in the prison using the clone's own water.

4.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

4.5) **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.

4.5) {Unnamed} **Exploding Shadow Clone Jutsu** – An advanced version of the  Shadow Clone Jutsu that allows the user to create shadow clones that will explode either upon death or through voluntary detonation. It is caused by destabilizing the chakra core of the clone and then packing it full of excess chakra that the normal Shadow Clone Jutsu doesn't need.

5.) **Kenjutsu: Decapitating Shockwave -** A sword technique that Zabuza Momochi uses in which he spins around rapidly while swinging his massive Executioner's Blade and he cleanly and with deadly accuracy decapitates any and all foes that are surrounding him. The rate at which he spins and the speed and suddenness of it is what gives off the shockwave that knocks everyone back.

6.) **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation -** A new move that Naruto came up with in the heat of battle mixed in with his determination to escape a dire situation he found himself in. Coating himself in his Accel Cloak Naruto who has a sword or bladed weapon in his hands {It can be a real weapon or one created from his Ice Style} disappears in a burst of speed granted to him by his Accel Turn and swiftly decapitates his target in one fluid and quick motion. The victim will have no time to react since this technique is used at point black range and it is used during the element of surprise which will catch the opponent off guard.

7.) **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The user creates a thousand shadow clones from one shuriken, striking down the enemy. This is a technique that combines ninja tools with ninjutsu. Compared to normal shadow clones, clones of material objects are said to be on a far higher level. There is no need for preparations beforehand, like stocking up on shuriken, or kunai, yet since the shadow clones are real and not illusions, all the shadow blades that fly around are equally lethal. Because the clones form in just an instant, completely evading them is next to impossible. This technique can also be used on fūma shuriken, increasing its lethality.

8.) **Kenjutsu: Explosive Decapitation -** A sword technique that Zabuza Momochi uses in which he places the circle cut out at the top of his sword around a person's neck and then he spins around and slams his sword into the ground or any surface like a hammer decapitating the person trapped in his sword. A massive shockwave is released from the amount of chakra Zabuza uses to enhance his strength and speed.

9.) **Acceleration -** A secret technique created by Naruto that allows him to move at hyper speeds. However this is not a technique that can be copied or duplicated by any other person because of the unique way in which it works. By drawing on Iris's and Chaos's energy that is constantly circulating in his chakra network and then mixing it in with his and Eva's energy Naruto can create a cloak of various shades of blue with slivers of other colors such as orange and purple. While in this cloak Naruto can move at rapid speeds.

10.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and heavier than normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

11.) **Kenjutsu: X- Scissor -** A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.

12.) **Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu -** The jutsu shapes a large amount of water into a giant, powerful dragon, which hits the opponent with formidable might, dealing physical damage. The ideal place to use it is near a body of water, but if the user's skill allows it, it is possible to use it even in a place where there is none. The amount of water used will be in proportion with the user's skill.

13.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu -** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone so how was that? I hope that fight was everything you were looking for. If anyone noticed I paid homage to the actual manga and anime by using the exact dialogue the characters used and I captured it down to how the characters were positioned and facing. I kept everything the same but then I switched it up obviously by how the battle took a turn and went crazy. I tweaked Zabuza's abilities and powers and increased it somewhat to fit how I wanted Zabuza to be.

A killer and assassin like Zabuza can obviously tell when someone has killed before and I wanted him to notice that in Naruto. Also now Naruto is seriously hurt and he managed to create a new technique in his desperation.

Finally the stress of the battle was to much for Naruto to take and now he has passed out. Iris, Chaos, and Eva are obviously worried about him.

What's going to happen next? Well you'll just have to wait and see. Have a good day/night everyone.

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 _That's the end of chapter 11 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 _ **Published:**_ 9/11/15


	13. CH: 12 Waking Up to the Aftermath

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. So I know I left everyone on a steep cliff hanger and I'm sorry but I was trying out being evil for once. It was fun. Now I'm back and we have Chapter 12. So now let's find out what happened to Naruto after he passed out and what the fallout was because of that fight.

So here is chapter 12 everybody. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to Review.

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Chapter 12

 _ **Waking Up to the Aftermath**_

' _Where am I?'_ A confused voice questioned itself. _'I hear voices.'_

' _Someone is touching me.'_ The confused voice noted to itself.

A hand placed itself gently down on a blond haired boy's bare forehead and that was when the boy opened his eyes to the world and his blue sapphire colored eyes locked on to a pair of shocked and scared black colored eyes that belonged to a beautiful and mature woman with long dark blue colored hair and delicate facial features. Right now the boy was holding her hand in a vice grip and was twisting her wrist around in a painful wrist lock. "Aahh!" The woman let out a pained filled scream since she obviously was not expecting or use to her wrist being twisted like it was now. [Daddy no!] The boy heard a little girl's voice scream in his mind. Immediately the boy snapped out of whatever trance he was in because his eyes then focused in on what he was doing and when he saw that he had the innocent woman in a painful lock he immediately let her go.

"Oh god I'm so sorry miss. Please forgive me." The boy apologized in a panic. He did not mean for that to happen. The boy noticed that the woman dropped a damp folded up towel onto the bed he now noticed he was laying in. Taking in the room he now found himself in the boy notice that it was Spartan in design and only the essentials were placed inside the room. The room had beige colored walls and hardwood floors. A window was located next to his bed and it has a potted plant on top of it.

"It's ok. I'm ok I think." The woman said uneasily while rubbing her now red wrist. "So I see you're a wake Naruto. Looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." A voice sounded out next to Naruto. Startled Naruto turned on his side and sure enough in a bed right next to his laid his sensei. Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi sensei what's going on? Where are we?" Naruto asked until he saw the state Kakashi was in. "Sensei what happened to you?" Naruto asked in shock. "Oh well you see I was assisting this young lady across the street when her boyfriend showed up and he didn't particularly like me being so close to her so he decided to beat me up." Kakashi said with an eye smile. His favorite orange book was in his hand as he said this. Naruto gave his gray haired teacher a deadpan stare with his eyes saying he was not amused. However he could hear an all too familiar giggle ringing like a bell inside of his head. Apparently someone found his teachers joke funny.

"That was the worst excuse you've ever given me Kakashi sensei and that's saying something." Naruto deadpanned again. "Well there was a guy involved and I was beaten up pretty badly." Kakashi defended himself. "But there was no girlfriend." Naruto pointed out. "Eh, hindsight is twenty twenty Naruto." Kakashi shrugged in a nonchalant manner.

Rolling his eyes Naruto turned his attention to the woman who was confused by the unusual banter going on in front of her. Naruto had an apologetic look on his face since he felt bad for what he did. He honestly did not mean for that to happen but since his reflexes tend to act up there was nothing he could do. It also doesn't help that since Anko sneaks into his bed very often he finds himself putting the snake loving woman in many submission holds in the following mornings.

"Miss I'm very sorry for what I did. I really didn't mean it. You scared me that's all." Naruto apologized again. "It's ok young man. I'm just glad that you're finally a wake. You've been out for two days." The woman said reassuringly. Naruto blinked in surprise at this. He didn't know he was out for that long. "Two days? Two whole days?" Naruto questioned in shock. _'What about Zabuza; what about my infiltration teams?'_ Naruto thought to himself in a panic. "Yes when your team brought my father home they also brought you and your teacher with them and you two were in really bad shape. Especially you." The woman clarified.

"Your father. As in Mr. Tazuna?" Naruto asked just to make sure. "Yes. Tazuna is my father. I'm his daughter and my name is Tsunami. It's nice to meet you." Tsunami introduced herself. Naruto noticed that she had on a pink blouse with red highlights around the collar and sleeves of her shirt. She was also wearing a simple form fitting blue skirt. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Tsunami. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto said as he bowed his head as much as he could while sitting up in his bed. He was trying to be as polite as possible to the woman. Naruto took his mistakes and screw ups really hard and hurting an innocent civilian and a woman at that didn't sit right with Naruto and he was ashamed of his actions even if they were more out of reflex than an actual intention in hurting her. It also didn't help that he could see that she had medical supplies around her so it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was only here to help him recover. That definitely didn't make Naruto feel any better with himself.

However when Naruto bowed a sharp and mind numbing pain assaulted every nerve in his body. Naruto resisted the urge to scream out in pain so instead he let out a pain filled grunt that sounded more like a growl. He instinctively reached out his hand and placed it on his shoulder and the pain intensified. "Are you ok?" Tsunami cried out in shock as she gently pushed Naruto back down onto the bed.

Kakashi also looked at Naruto with a touch of concern in his visible eye. "I'm ok. I'm ok." Naruto called out but his eyes were closed shut in pain. "You're seriously hurt please don't move around so much." Tsunami insisted. "Ok I understand." Naruto said as he tried his best to relax. _'Damn that hurt. Zabuza did a real number on me.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Do you need some water? Your throat sounds very dry." Tsunami offered with a kind smile. "I'd like that very much." Naruto consented. Reaching for a pitcher of water Tsunami tried to pour the water into an empty glass but she spilled some because of her sprained wrist. Seeing this a small frown over took Naruto's face. Noticing a medium sized bowl of warm water on the dresser next to his bed Naruto got an idea. "Ms. Tsunami can you do me a favor and stick your hand in that bowl over there." Naruto asked while pointing at the bowl. Seeing this a confused look overcame the older woman's face. Before she could question Naruto on this Kakashi spoke up. "Just do it. He's trying to help you." Hearing this Tsunami grabbed the bowl and sat down next to Naruto on his bed. Naruto himself sent a curious yet hidden suspicious glance at Kakashi but he had no choice but to go through with his actions now.

Reaching up with his hand Naruto scratched the back of his hair. "Ok Ms. Tsunami place your hand in the bowl for me." Naruto instructed. Although confused Tsunami complied. Placing his hand over the bowl Naruto squeezed his hand a little before opening it up and golden powder escaped his hand and fell into the bowl with Tsunami's hand in it. _'Now Eva.'_

' _ **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Gold Dust Spirit Water Healing.'**_

The effects were immediate. The golden powder that fell into the bowl glowed briefly before stopping and Tsunami felt a soothing pleasure race up her arm into the rest of her body. When she took her hand out of the bowl of water her wrist which was starting to turn red from bruising was back to normal and her skin looked even healthier than before. "How did you do that?" The older woman asked in complete shock. "It's a power that I'm quite fond of. It lets me help people." Naruto said softly while scratching the back of his head but in reality he was saying thank you to Evangeline who was resting inside of his hair. The technique that he just used was the exact same technique that Evangeline used to save his life the night they met. If it wasn't for her and that technique he would have died that night and he wouldn't be where he was now either.

Kakashi had a small smile behind his mask since while he flashed back to several memories in his past with them all pertaining to the blond sitting next to him. "Thank you." Tsunami said in visible awe at what she just saw. "You're welcome." Naruto said as he looked down and noticed that he did not have on his clothes. He could feel that he hand on his boxers and pants but his undershirt, shirt, and sweater were missing. Looking over Naruto saw them on a dresser folded up neatly. He did notice however that they had stitching on them. He could tell that they were from all the cuts and bruises he took during his fight.

Looking at himself again Naruto could see that a nasty gash was opened up on his shoulder and it was starting to bleed again. That was from where Zabuza pinned him to the ground with his massive butcher knife like sword. The half circle cut out in his sword which was obviously designed for decapitations nearly made him loose his entire arm. While he couldn't see it he could definitely feel it. His second would was around his neck below his chin. He could feel the air stinging against the opened wound. He nearly got his own head cut clean off by a guillotine like attack. Zabuza was absolutely no joke and Naruto learned that the hard way. However in his mind he stuck by his decision to join Kakashi in the battle since he could tell Zabuza had the advantage over Kakashi since his grey haired sensei would have to split his attention between attacking Zabuza and defending his team and client.

With this in mind Naruto decided that if the team and client weren't as defenseless as Zabuza initially thought then it would make things easier for Kakashi in the long run. Obviously things didn't go exactly to plan and both Kakashi and Naruto were paying for it now.

Just then the door to the room opened up and Sakura, with Tazuna and Sasuke entered. They both looked fine and had no visible injures on them that Naruto could see. He didn't know what happened after he passed out but that was a question he was going to get answered soon. Tazuna also looked fine and he was wearing just an undershirt and some trousers. Naruto silently thanked god that Tazuna didn't have a bottle of Sake with him since he was not exactly in the mood to deal with a drunken client.

"Naruto you're awake. How are you feeling?" Sakura asked in slight concern. She just like the rest of them knew just how bad Naruto's injuries are. "I'm fine Sakura thanks for asking." Naruto said politely but another wave of pain shot through him when Tsunami tried to add medical wrap to his wounds. Naruto grunted in pain as he tried to bite down the urge to scream. Some of the ligaments and muscle fibers in his shoulder area were torn and cut through and it was making the pain almost unbearable. Even while not moving Naruto could still feel the dull throbbing pain around his shoulder and neck. The only reason he didn't collapse on the battle field was because of the intoxicating amount of adrenalin running through his veins at the time that was helping numb all the pain he was feeling.

Sakura gasped in shock at seeing the pain Naruto was in. "Naruto you're not ok. You were seriously hurt back there." Sakura protested. "It's fine. This pain will pass in time." Naruto said in reassurance. "Your wounds are very serious. I'm no doctor but I can tell that you almost lost your shoulder and your neck is very hurt as well." Tsunami said in concern. She had medical wrap and other supplies including needles and tread. It would appear that she was going to stitch him back up and close up the wounds.

"Are you sure. Those wounds are serious. You won't be able to fight for a long time." Sakura pointed out. "It will be fine. I'll be back in the fight before you know it." Naruto said as he then bit his lip when Tsunami had to start stitching up his wounds. "Um… was the person after my father that strong. How could he do this to a bunch of children?" Tsunami asked in concern. Naruto could see a look in her eye that he knew all too well. It was the look of a mother. A parent. It was the same look he saw when he looked in the mirror.

"He was stronger than you can imagine." Tazuna spoke up. He patted his daughter on the back to sooth her. "But father these wounds this young man has suffered. It's horrible. And these scars on your back. How could anyone do that to someone?" Tsunami said but everyone looked up in confusion when she mentioned scars on Naruto's back. "Naruto didn't get injured there did he?" Sakura questioned in confusion and uncertainty. Everyone else was looking at Naruto who has his head bowed and his hair shadowing his face from view. Sakura who was standing next to Naruto could see his back and she gasped in absolute shock. "Where did these come from? Zabuza never hurt you there." Sakura cried out in shock. Four large claw like marks with the longest one going from Naruto's right shoulder blade down to his left hip were visible on his bare back and the skin there was red in color compared to Naruto's peach colored skin.

"How did you get those Naruto?" Sasuke spoke up for the first time. He now could see those marks as well and they were unlike anything he's ever seen before. Naruto's face was overshadowed by his long blond hair that was not being restrained by his headband so no one could see his face right now. "I rather not talk about it. It has nothing to do with the fight we just had." Naruto said in a detached and clipped tone. There was an edge in his voice that everyone caught and Kakashi looked at Naruto with a small spark of sadness in his eyes but no one noticed.

Everyone mentioning those scars on his back was a taboo to Naruto. He still remembers the night like it was yesterday when he was ambushed in his own apartment and he nearly died. But what was worst was the fact that Iris and Chaos were still infants and barely even toddlers at the time and they were nearly killed that night as well. Eva also nearly got killed by that demon that attacked him. If it wasn't for Ms. Furukawa stepping in Naruto knew that something terrible would have happened that night. But even then Ms. Furukawa was nearly killed as well.

Further add on to the fact that not to long after that a demon attacked Shoko and technically killed her since in medical terms if your heart stops beating then you are pronounced dead. The amount of electricity in Shoko's system was enough to kill several grown men. Those same claw marks were found on Shoko's back after Naruto managed to drag her from deaths door. Simply put Naruto came extremely close to losing his entire family to those demons and the claw marks on his back is the proof of what they did and what they are capable of. Naruto hasn't stopped looking for those demons that were responsible for what happened and he swore to himself that he would find them and kill them.

"And what is that supposed to mean? Where did you get those scars Naruto?" Sasuke pressed. He didn't exactly like Naruto's attitude much less the fact that he seemed to be hiding things from them. Speaking of which.

"Drop it Sasuke. I said I rather not talk about it. So back off." Naruto said in a harsh tone. At the moment he could feel the phantom pains those scars caused him and what was worse was the very real pain he was feeling right now from his current wounds. He did not need even more reminders of all the things that have happened to him. Sasuke gritted his teeth at the tone Naruto took with him and looking into the dark blue eyes of Naruto who was glaring at him right now was pissing him off big time.

"That is enough you too. Let's just drop that line of questioning for now." Kakashi butted in so that a fight could not break out in their client's house. "Kakashi sensei, tell me what happened after I passed out. Is Zabuza dead?" Naruto asked in an effort to change the subject but also so that he could find out what happened and how he would make his next move. "Yes after you passed out I fought with him some more and I managed to turn his Jutsu against him. I had him pinned to a tree and I was going to finish him off myself but a Hidden Mist ANBU agent showed up and delivered the final blow. The agent was from the Hunter Nin Division and he was tracking down Zabuza for months and he tracked him here to the Land of Waves." Kakashi explained. _'Hidden Mist huh?'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Yeah the agent was young almost our age. He took Zabuza out with one attack. He took Zabuza's body away and then Kakashi sensei passed out. We brought both of you here to Tazuna's house." Sakura added in. She was going to say more but she saw that Naruto's eyes widened at what she had to say. "Naruto what's wrong?" Sakura questioned.

"Did you say that the ANBU agent took Zabuza's body? You meant that he took his head and sword right?" Naruto questioned wearily. "No. What are you talking about? The agent took Zabuza's body. He said he would dispose of it somewhere else. He said he didn't want us to see him take Zabuza's head." Sakura corrected but judging by the look on Naruto's face she was starting to feel doubt in her own mind.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

"Hey Dog! Hey Weasel! How was your mission?" A young 5 year old Naruto asked as he ran up to the two ANBU agents clad in their armor. They were inside the Hokage's office and they had just finished giving Hiruzen their report. Before Hiruzen could dismiss the two agents Naruto nearly took the door off its hinges since he was excited to see his two favorite guards. "Naruto how many times must I tell you not to barge in here when I'm having a meeting?" Hiruzen asked with a tired sigh. The aged Hokage was smoking his pipe and was wearing the robes of the Hokage. Naruto's never seen him without them on. "Too many times." Naruto said sheepishly. "Sorry grandpa but I rushed Naru here." A young Evangeline said as she flew out of Naruto's hair and landed on Hiruzen's pipe. She had a happy smile on her face and Hiruzen couldn't really stay mad at her for long. He's only known the little fairy for over a year now but she managed to worm her way into his heart with her enthusiasm and hyper personality and Hiruzen could see that she makes Naruto happy so it was all a plus in the old man's eyes.

"All is forgiven. I see you are here to greet Dog and Weasel." Hiruzen stated. "Yep so how was the mission? Did you beat up the bad guys?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. "Huh did you say something Naruto?" Dog asked bewilderedly with his favorite little orange book out. The young 5 year old Naruto gave Dog a deadpan stare. "Yes Naruto. We beat up the bad guys." Weasel said as he patted Naruto on his head. "Yep we made sure to punish them for abandoning the village." Dog added in. "When you say punish do you mean you killed them?" Evangeline asked quietly. Everyone in the room grew quiet at this as well.

Coughing Hiruzen tried to stare the conversation away but Weasel spoke up. "Yes Evangeline we did. They abandoned the village and its people." The weasel masked agent said in his monotone voice. "How do you kill them?" Naruto asked nervously. He still remembers what happened to him a year earlier on his birthday. "Naruto that is something you shouldn't worry about ok." Hiruzen spoke up. He didn't want Naruto thinking questions like that.

"But I want to know gramps. Because they become traitors do you have to punish them a special way? I promise I won't tell. I've never told anyone anything about what I know about the ANBU. You guys are my friends and I won't get you in trouble." Naruto asked. It always nagged at him when Dog and Weasel would tell him that they would have to deal with traitors to the village. Naruto didn't like traitors and he could tell that neither did the Hokage and his ANBU. Naruto didn't like the traitors because of what happened to him a year earlier and the matrons at the orphanage.

The ANBU looked at each other and then to Hiruzen who lowered his Hokage Hat which covered up his face. "Naruto are you sure you want to know. This is something a normal 5 year old shouldn't know about." Dog asked as he bent down to Naruto's level. "Dog. We all know I'm not a normal 5 year old." Naruto said quietly. His eyes were hazed over with pain and sadness but they still contained a small fire in them. Dog sighed behind his mask and patted Naruto on the head. "When we find them we kill them. We cut their heads off and seal it up in a scroll. We then take anything of value that they have like a weapon or item and then we burn their body. If they are an important ninja then we take the body back with us here to the village where we can learn about them and find out secrets that they might know." Dog explained slowly. He didn't really want to explain it but he could see this was a question Naruto wasn't going to back away from.

Both Naruto and Eva widened their eyes at this. "Why go through all that trouble?" Naruto asked with curiosity in his voice. His earlier pain was forgotten in the face of this new information. Weasel took over and explained further and told Naruto the reasons why. After that Naruto had a new appreciation for the ANBU. "Thanks for telling me this guys. You guys are pretty awesome." Naruto said with a smile on his face. Hiruzen was a little bothered by the fact that he let Naruto's mind become tainted by such information but he reminded himself that they lived in the world of the Shinobi and such things had to happen. Add on to the fact that when he was Naruto's age the Village system was in its earliest stages and young children killing young children was still very much a thing even though it was dwindling down and not as bad as a few years prior to him being born.

"Weasel can you tell me more stories about your missions?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. Weasel beckoned Naruto to come towards him and complying Naruto rushed up to Weasel only for the young ANBU agent to poke him on his forehead. "Ow! What was that for?" Naruto asked with a huff.

"Perhaps another time Naruto." Weasel said.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

"Kakashi sensei. Zabuza is still alive." Naruto said with a grim expression on his face. Everyone had startled looks on their faces but when they turned to Kakashi they saw that he had a pale look on his face. "Damn. How could I have been so careless? A Hunter Ninja is supposed to cut the head off of their target on the spot and then get rid of the body. They do it immediately and it doesn't matter if anyone else is around. A 5 year old could be standing there and they'd still have to do it. Every second counts and there's no telling what could happen with the body so it has to be taken care of immediately." Kakashi admonished to himself. He realized his careless mistake. He was exhausted and about to drop when the ANBU agent showed up so his mind was not being as alert as it should have been.

"But how? We saw the agent take him down." Sasuke questioned. He was finding it hard to believe that Zabuza was still alive. "What weapon was used?" Naruto asked. "Senbon but why?" Sakura answered. "Exactly. Senbon can be used to put people into near death like states if you hit them on a certain part of a person's neck." Naruto explained. Shoko has extensive medical knowledge and she herself periodically uses senbon needles. He even witnessed her doing it to someone before. If he had been awake during that part of the battle then he would have caught on to what was happening.

"How do you know that?" Sasuke questioned with a grunt. He still had many questions for his teammate and he was not happy with how he was evading them. "I've personally seen it done before." Naruto answered. At this point Tsunami finished stitching up Naruto's wounds. "So you're saying that the man who attacked you is still alive? That's horrible. What are we going to do?" Tsunami asked in fright. "I'm going to need a drink." Tazuna commented lightly but just one look at the old man and you could tell that he was just as worried if not more so than his daughter. He was afraid for his family's safety and that of his own life.

"Here are some painkillers and medication. It's strong so it should help. I don't know if the side effects will bother you though." Tsunami said as she passed Naruto some medication. He drank it and swallowed the pills. The side effects were not that bad from what he read on the side of the bottle. It was a fast acting drug. Some side effects were nausea, numbness, dizziness, small lapses in memory, and other minor things.

"I say we have two weeks before Zabuza is back to fighting shape. We have to prepare for when that time comes." Naruto suggested. "I agree. I have to get you guys into shape for when that time comes." Kakashi reinforced. He had a contemplative look on his face. "But Naruto you won't be able to fight in your condition. Two weeks are not enough time for an injury like that to heal." Sakura pointed out. The others looked like they would agree as well.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be ready when the time comes. We have to worry about getting stronger for when Zabuza returns and you two especially need more training." Naruto stated. He was telling the truth. Sakura didn't have much in the way of Taijutsu and her Ninjutsu skills only extended to the Basic Three. Her Genjutsu skills were her best option but even then they were amateurish at best. Someone like Zabuza would never fall for any Genjutsu Sakura could throw at him. The only reason she managed to get Kakashi during their bell test was because the grey haired Jōnin had lowered his guard and defenses enough so that they could actually stand a chance against him.

Sasuke had a good base already and he was already a strong Genin and one of the strongest Genin of their age group but it wasn't enough compared to the level of strength their opponents had. Sasuke has good taijutsu and a decent knowledge on Ninjutsu for a Genin but his Genjutsu could use some work and he still didn't know any advanced techniques. Also his ability to work with his teammates was lacking in some aspects. While Naruto would freely admit that he doesn't stick around after Team assignments and training he does however fully participate in all of the team exercises and drills Kakashi puts them through and he fully tries his best to work with both of his teammates. Sakura is a little easier to work with but she gets distracted to easily and when working with Sasuke he has his own way of doing things that conflicts with what either Kakashi or Naruto would want to do.

"What's that supposed to mean? One how are you going to be ready with an injury like that? Two what do you mean we need more training? You are in this boat just like us Naruto. And three you aren't telling us everything. How did you use such advanced Jutsu back there and how did you face off against Zabuza when even Kakashi was having trouble?" Sasuke fired off question after question. Ever since their fight with Zabuza the last Uchiha has been racking his brain trying to understand how was it ever remotely possible for his orange wearing teammate to possess such skill and power to contend with the likes of Zabuza.

He couldn't come up with an answer and now that Naruto was awake he was brushing off his questions and it was getting on his nerve. But the secret problem Sasuke was facing was how strong Naruto was and how much stronger was he than Sasuke. Moreover how much weaker was he compared to his blond teammate.

Sighing Naruto lay back in the bed he was in and tried his best to get comfortable. The pain in his neck and shoulder was making it difficult but he was trying. "One as I said I'll be ready when the time is right Sasuke. And I might as well answer two and three together. I'm going to be blunt with the two of you." Naruto started to say. He wanted to get this over with. He came to realize that he still had more things to take care of and even though he was injured he couldn't put them off.

"I'm stronger than the two of you combined at your best." Naruto started to say. Sasuke and Sakura had shocked looks on their faces but it was mixed in with an offended look on their faces. More so on Sasuke's face than Sakura's. "The truth is I was holding back during that fight. I was not even using my true power or main abilities. Furthermore Kakashi sensei was holding back as well." Naruto stated.

"WHAT!?" Sasuke shouted in anger. "What do you mean you were holding back? Do you realize we all could have died? And how dare you say you're stronger than the both of us combined. You have a lot of nerve Naruto." Sasuke said with a pissed off tone in his voice. His fists were squeezed tight and he was glaring daggers into Naruto's skull. Naruto had an impassive look on his face but it was slowly starting to mix in with annoyance.

"I meant exactly every word I said Sasuke. I am stronger than the both of you and I held back during our fight with Zabuza. I know that my actions could have gotten us killed but if it looked like either you guys or Tazuna were in any serious danger than I would have stopped him using my full strength. You have to realize that we are ninja Sasuke and we can't go into battle showing off everything we can do to our enemy. Ask yourself this. If me and Kakashi used everything we knew and showed off and Zabuza managed to escape then he would know everything about us and he could counter us at every turn and kill us all off with ease. Information is power and it's more powerful than any Ninjutsu in the world. I was not going to leave myself vulnerable in the off chance that Zabuza escaped which he could have done at any time." Naruto explained himself. He wanted to make sure Sasuke and Sakura understood everything he was trying to tell them.

' _Although he is right about one thing. We could have all died. But not only that Iris and Chaos could have gotten hurt. I was a fool for not handling the situation a little differently. I won't make that mistake again.'_ Naruto thought to himself. He was terrified when Zabuza's sword found itself around his neck. It narrowly missed Chaos in her collar form by inches and that was something he didn't want to ever happen again. She nearly got hurt and as her father it was his job to make sure something like that should never happen. He could only imagine how angry Iris and Chaos are at him right now since they haven't spoken a word to him yet.

"So you based everything off of that?! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard Naruto. And you still haven't answered my question. How strong are you and how do you know such techniques?" Sasuke asked again but with more force. Narrowing his eyes Naruto looked at Sasuke. "I'm this strong because I have to be Sasuke. I have been given a reason that needs me to be strong and I know a lot of techniques because I've trained very hard to master them." Naruto answered with a little bit of bite in his voice.

As he said that he was thinking of Iris and Chaos. Before he met them it was just him and Eva trying to survive day to day on the streets of the Slums district and Naruto would have trouble trying to find food and he didn't have much strength in him. He always considered Eva to be his other half so he basically thought of it as him being alone. Then he found Iris and Chaos and that was the first time anyone needed him. More importantly that was the first time anyone needed him to be strong. He had to get stronger so that he could provide for them and keep them healthy not to mention protect them in case anything ever happened to them. It was the first time in his life when someone else depended on him to be strong and to actually have strength. From that point on the rest was history as Naruto dedicated every waking moment to getting stronger for the infants since they gave him a purpose and actual reason to get stronger.

Sasuke gritted his teeth at this since Naruto managed to answer him yet evade his question at the same time. He would have said more but Kakashi butted in. "That's enough Sasuke. Naruto's strength is his own. We both held back and we paid the price for it. But we are both still alive and because of that we will use this opportunity to grow stronger so that we can beat Zabuza." Kakashi stated. Sasuke quelled his anger at this and stormed out of the room. The entire time this was happening Tsunami and Tazuna were dumbfounded by the conversation happening in front of them and it made them curious about the blond haired boy.

"Naruto I have a question." Sakura spoke up after all this time. She said this with a timid voice. Sighing Naruto turned to his pink haired teammate. "Yes Sakura."

"Is what Zabuza said true? Have you killed before?" The pink haired girl asked timidly. It was a question nagging at the back of her head just as much as the questions Sasuke asked Naruto. Seeing as how she knew she was not going to get a complete answer out of her blond teammate in regards to those questions she instead decided to ask the one question Sasuke did not. Tsunami gasped at this while Tazuna eyed Naruto to see what he was going to say. Naruto thought it over and decided to tell the truth. He could see that it was a question that was making her nervous around him and distracting her and he wanted her mind clear for the weeks to come.

"Yes Sakura it's the truth. I've killed before. But I had my reasons and I rather not talk about it. It's a sore and touchy topic for me." Naruto admitted. Sakura, Tsunami, and Tazuna all gasped at this but both Sakura and Tazuna had a sinking feeling in their gut that was telling them to expect this answer. "Ok." Sakura said while squeezing the helm of her dress. She didn't exactly know how to deal with the fact that her teammate has killed before and never told them. She could tell that he was not proud of it but she really wanted to know more about what happened but she didn't want to push her luck. "That's awful!" Tsunami cried with a hand over her mouth. "It may be but that's the world we live in. We're shinobi so it's expected of us to eventually kill. Although my kills came before I graduated but it's still at the same in the end. Death is death." Naruto said with a remorseful tone. He could feel the metaphorical weight on his shoulders of what he had to do in the past but he comforted himself by saying that it was necessary and he did what he had to do.

' _Before we graduated? But how? When? Who?'_ Sakura thought to herself. She wanted to voice these but she was certain that Naruto wouldn't give her the answers she was looking for. "That's enough for now. Mr. Tazuna I need to speak with my student alone so if it's not too much trouble could you give us a minute?" Kakashi asked politely. "Sure. I need a drink anyways." Tazuna said. He had enough of the conversation and he had a lot on his mind. "We'll be waiting downstairs if you need anything." Tsunami said. She was shaken up by everything that has happened and she needed time to regroup. Sakura didn't say anything but she looked back at Naruto before the door was closed. Both Kakashi and Naruto waited until they could hear the footsteps of the three aforementioned people leave before they both relaxed.

* * *

"So when are you going to let your daughters out?" Kakashi spoke up randomly after a few minutes of silence. Immediately as soon as he said this the temperature in the room plummeted to well below zero. Kakashi absentmindedly thought that he might as well go back to the Land of Snow with how cold it was in the room.

Naruto wasn't going to pretend and feign ignorance. He wasn't stupid and he didn't think Kakashi was stupid for even a moment. He was an Elite Jōnin and not only that but one of the top Jōnin of the village and his name alone carried a considerable amount of weight and power behind it. All of the ninja knew who he was. He didn't doubt for a second that Kakashi might have been on to him from the beginning but that doesn't mean he had to like the fact that the grey haired man chose now of all times to confront him about it. Kakashi was in better shape than Naruto and if he wanted to do anything that Naruto might not like then there was nothing Naruto could do about it.

"How do you know about them?" Naruto asked simply. Frost started to build up all around the room and Kakashi's bed in particular was covered in a thick sheet of it. "We both know they can't maintain their transformation forever you know. They were going to have to release it and stretch at some point. Remember it's been two days and I've been up since yesterday." Kakashi said nonchalantly. He had his orange book in hand but at the moment he couldn't turn the page since his arms were numb and stiff due to the thick sheet of ice covering his body.

"Do you have a problem with me bringing them along?" Naruto questioned. More ice forced its way up Kakashi's body. "Naruto I know every decision you make you make in the best interest of those two girls. They've said it themselves. While bringing them along might not have been the best decision I know you didn't have a choice. You don't want to be separated from them for too long and more importantly I don't think you can separate yourself from them for too long either." Kakashi stated in an observation like tone. He was stating fact.

"I can't. Their powers are growing every day and my body is like a conduit for them. I have to be around them to help regulate their powers. While they would never intentionally hurt anyone their powers are dangerous and powerful and the only one who can help them control them is me. Not to mention the fact that I can't bring out my full power without them and they can't limit their own power without me." Naruto stated. Judging from Kakashi's tone he's known about them for a long time so he should also know about the bond that he shares with them. Taking a look at the older man's eye was enough for Naruto to confirm this.

"How do you know so much about me and why do I feel like I can trust you?" Naruto said as the ice surrounding Kakashi started to recede and disappear. "I thought it would be obvious by now but oh well it will come to you in time Naruto." Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. It would come in time to Naruto that he actually knew him for a lot longer than he realized. Deciding not to comment on that Naruto instead sent the mental signal for Iris and Chaos to release themselves. In a cloud of smoke Iris and Chaos appeared and right away Naruto knew he was in trouble. Iris had a very angry look on her face and Chaos wasn't smiling and that blissful look in her eyes was not present. While she never really showed any anger in her eyes when she was angry which was rare, Naruto could tell right away that she was not happy either. Chaos expresses her emotions a little differently than most and Naruto knows what queues and signals she projects to get his attention.

Naruto unconsciously swallowed a lump in his throat as Iris and Chaos climbed onto his bed. "Hey girls how are…"

SMACK!

Naruto's face was forcibly turned to the side with a red mark growing on his cheek. A shocked look was on his face as he turned back to look at who did it and when he did he immediately wished he didn't. Tears were streaming down Iris's face with no signs of stopping. Chaos's lips were pulled down into a frown. Something that's never on her face. "You idiot. You idiot. Daddy you are a bloody idiot." Iris cried pitifully as she lightly pummeled her fist into his right shoulder. The strikes didn't hurt like the slap she gave him but with each strike he felt like his very soul was being hit. "Why didn't you let me help you? We could have easily defeated that stupid man. Just me and Chaos alone could have taken him on and gave you the opening you needed." Iris sobbed.

Naruto looked like he was going to say something but the little blond continued. "But no you had to show off and do things your way. You nearly died. You're lucky to still have your left arm and you almost lost your head. It took so much of my power to keep you from bleeding out. I had to fix the bone in your shoulder blade because it was split and fractured. I had to regrow it for you." Iris sobbed some more. She had her face pressed into her hands and tears were falling into her lap. Naruto was briefly shocked at hearing this. He didn't realize that Zabuza's blade actually cut into the bone of his shoulder. He couldn't feel the full effects of what was happening to him because of the amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Seeing his princess crying her eyes out Naruto now realize just how big of a mistake he made. He could feel his heart constricting with each tear that landed in her lap. He could also feel the immense amount of concern and worry swelling around inside of Chaos and although it couldn't properly be shown on the little girl's face he could still sense and feel it through their special bond and it was enough to make Naruto want to punch himself.

"Girls… I'm so sorry. I had no idea this would have happened. God I'm an idiot." Naruto apologized. He could feel himself involuntarily tearing up as his vision got a little blurry. Just the sound of Iris crying let alone seeing it was affecting Naruto more than he cared to admit. "You've been very naughty dada." Chaos said and she didn't giggle or laugh like she normally would at the end of most of her sentences.

That alone let Naruto know he was in the dog house so to speak. But what drove it home was the fact that Iris's accent which she normally tries to control since Naruto, Chaos, and Eva waste no time in playfully teasing her about it was let loose here. She only ever really speaks with her accent whenever she lets her emotions control her actions. Whenever she experiences a heavy dose of any particular emotion then her accent will become heavier depending on how much of that emotion she if feeling.

Right now her accent was heavy and very prominent and along with that she was trembling from crying so much. "Come here sweetie. I'm so sorry. Daddy is a big idiot. I'm so, so, so, sorry." Naruto apologized repeatedly as he held Iris in his good arm which was his right. She looked like she wanted to push away but instead she buried her face into his chest. "You're right. I should have called on you for help. I should have done things differently. Can you forgive me?" Naruto asked as he squeezed the little princess to his chest. He could feel that she was still trembling but she had stopped crying and instead she was sniffling.

"I… I… You idiot." Iris sobbed as she buried her face back into Naruto's chest. "I know. Daddy's a big idiot." Naruto said. Chaos climbed into his lap since she couldn't approach him on his left side with his arm wrapped up in heavy bandages. "Dada has been very bad. You have to be punished. No ramen for the rest of the time we are here." Chaos said in a lower tone. Naruto for a brief moment felt like protesting that idea but he pushed that notion out the window. "I understand sweetie. No ramen for daddy." Naruto agreed. He wanted to make them forgive him and if being punished by them was the only way to let them get out their anger than he would do it in a heartbeat.

"I won't heal your shoulder any more. It's stuck like that." Iris said with her fist clenched. She was looking at the wrappings surrounding Naruto's shoulder and it looked like her will was wavering. She looked like she wanted to take back the words she just said. Seeing this Naruto used his hand to turn her head and eyes away from his wounded shoulder. "I understand honey. I'll do it the normal way. I won't use your powers or Eva's." Naruto agreed again without hesitation. On the inside however he carefully considered what having this injury meant for the mission but he decided to worry about it later.

"Daddy I was worried about you." Iris said while trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I know and I won't hesitate to ask for your help next time. I don't want to see you cry like this. Especially if I'm the one who caused it in the first place." Naruto said as he took his finger and wiped a tear away from Iris's face which made the little girl blush lightly at the soft tone her father was using. She wanted to be angry and mad at him but she expended all of that anger with her crying and it was replaced by the need to be close to him and to worry about his injury. However now that he agreed to the punishment she gave him it would be hard for her to convince him to let her heal him.

"I would yell at you too but you're in enough trouble as it is." Evangeline said softly. Having nothing to say to that Naruto just sighed. "So what are you going to do about the infiltration teams?" Kakashi asked in curiosity. At this point Naruto wasn't surprised anymore and in truth was just very tired. "So the old man let you in on what's happening." Naruto commented. It wasn't a question. It would make sense if what Dino said was true. In fact Naruto was going to confront Kakashi about that very subject when he got a moment alone with the grey haired Jōnin. "Yes he did. Gatō is supposed to die before the end of this mission." Kakashi responded. He flipped a page in his book as he said this.

"I'll have to speak with them tomorrow. I'm in no condition to move at the moment." Naruto said as he used his eyes to point down to Iris and Chaos who were quietly resting now. Iris's tears had dried up but she had a vice grip on his right arm and Chaos's full weight was bearing down on his chest. _'Not that I would want to move right now anyways.'_ Naruto silently thought to himself. "I see. Well tell Aspen I said hi for me." Kakashi requested lightly. This time Naruto still had a little room to be shocked. "You know Mr. Aspen?" Naruto questioned. "Yes I do. I worked with him a few times in the past. Somehow I got dragged along to his farewell party when he retired as an active Shinobi. Might Guy didn't give me much choice in the matter." Kakashi conversed lightly. He was remembering that time in his head.

"I see. Well I'll tell him that. The teams are fine. They are going to stick to the plan and infiltrated into the town and set up shop. They will scout out all of Gatō's forces and help us neutralize them. They also have some separate missions to do while they are here and it all depends on the action our team takes. Me especially so I didn't want to screw up but it looks like I already did." Naruto said quietly. "Naruto it's ok. You did what you had to. I'm proud to see how strong you've gotten. But it would appear that we have our work cut out for us. Gatō isn't going to make things easy and Zabuza will only go down swinging so we will need a plan for him." Kakashi said reassuringly.

Nodding his head Naruto smiled a small smile. "Yeah I'll work on a plan for him. Thanks sensei you were a big help." Naruto thanked Kakashi honestly. "No problem. Thanks for bailing me out back there with Zabuza's water prison." Kakashi retorted. "Humph. I still don't know how you held your breath in there for that long. Let alone speak." Naruto said while shaking his head in exasperation.

"Huh did you say something Naruto?" Kakashi said with a confused tone of voice.

Naruto blinked at this and so did Evangeline. They both felt like they heard that line before and the sad thing is Naruto had just remembered from where earlier when he discovered Zabuza's little escape trick. It would seem that some of the side effects of the medicine were kicking in.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Gold Dust Spirit Water Healing** \- One of Evangeline's signature techniques and one of the abilities that comes instinctively to her. She releases a golden powder from her wings that when it comes in contact with water will cause anything inside of that water to heal almost instantly. The more severe injuries take longer to heal but eventually they will heal as well. The drawback of the technique is the fact that Evangeline can only heal you while that specific body part is in contact with water. Her Gold Dust works by having a chemical reaction with water so it's impossible for the gold dust to heal anything on its own without first being in contact with water.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone. So how was that?

I hope this aftermath was well worth the wait. So as we all expected Zabuza is still alive but the way Naruto found out was quite different than in the Manga. Naruto and Sasuke but heads over Naruto's superior strength and skills. Sasuke is feeling inferior and confused about Naruto's hidden strength. Also not only do we see the extent of Naruto's injuries at the hands of Zabuza but the team also discover the 4 Claw Marks left behind by the Demon that attacked Naruto years ago.

Also Kakashi finally confronts Naruto about the existence of Iris and Chaos. We can see that Naruto didn't initially take that to well and we also see how Naruto's daughter feel about his injuries.

So what's going to happen next? Is Naruto going to get better? Will the Mafia teams find out what happen to their colleague? Will Naruto and Sasuke butt heads once again or will they come to terms with each other?

Stay tuned and find out next time everybody. I hope everyone is having a great day and stay safe everyone.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 12 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 9/25/15


	14. CH: 13 Tazuna's Family

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone I'm back. I know it's been awhile and I apologize that I haven't updated in awhile. I've been very busy not to mention experiencing some fatigue and it's affected the way I write so I had to take some time off from updating. However I do have the next few chapter already pre written so I'll just upload them in intervals so that I don't get bogged down and overwhelmed.

Anyways I've kept you long enough let's get to the chapter.

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Chapter 13

 _ **Tazuna's Family**_

It was early morning when Naruto's eyes opened up to the world. Without his trusted alarm clock to awake him he was slightly surprised that his body saw fit to wake itself up. Thinking about it he supposed it was a good thing. He had a lot to do today.

Sitting up in his bed he had to bite back a hiss of pain as his shoulder decided to shoot searing pain into all of his nerves at that moment. _'Man if that isn't a wakeup call then I don't know what is.'_ Naruto cringed. Feeling a tiny stir of motion in his hair Naruto used his one good arm and reached up to grab the small fairy that is his other half. "Morning Eva." Naruto mumbled out with the little winter fairy returning the gesture. After a little small talk in which Eva asked him about his shoulder and neck Naruto reassured her that everything was ok.

' _Morning girls.'_ Naruto called out in his mind. Since they were not supposed to be seen for the time being Iris and Chaos had to be in their transformed states and as such they couldn't share the bed properly with him like they would normally do. It worked out best for him since he couldn't hold them properly with essentially one arm, nor could he easily support their weight either. The girls find it very difficult if not impossible to properly sleep without being near or next to him so he has to make them share the bed with him or else they would be up all night and that would mean no sleep for him. He counted himself lucky that Anko wasn't here right now.

The psychopathic woman who pretty much moved into his house without his permission loves to sneak into his bed at nights and most of the time she is only in her underwear. On the nights were she had her fun she would end up wearing lingerie that wasn't exactly child friendly. It also didn't exactly help him either given his age and what that entails. He would mostly end up in a wrestling match with the older woman in the following morning were either of them would have the other in a submission hold until the other gives in… which they are both known not to do.

In a way he kind of felt a little empty without the wild woman who he secretly thinks of as an older sister here to greet him in the morning with her usual antics. _'Would you look at that? I feel home sick and I'm missing Anko already.'_ Naruto thought with a shake of his head.

[Morning daddy.] Iris's voice rings out like a gentle bell inside of his head. Her little accent was out and it made her sound adorable. [Mmnnn. Morn'in dada.] Chaos mumbled out in a sloppy slur. He almost couldn't make out what she said. Chaos is not a morning person and it usually takes her some time to actually start functioning normally. In all actuality this is one of the few times in any given day where she is actually quite and manageable.

' _Sleep well?'_ Naruto asked as he quickly walked out of the room after gathering up everything he would need and balancing all of it in his one good arm. He walked past Kakashi's bed who appeared to still be asleep but Naruto wasn't a hundred percent sure if the man was awake or not. Naruto was in his boxers and nothing else and the only other covering anywhere on his body was the bandages around his neck and shoulder. He normally didn't go around without a shirt on because he was self-conscious of the mark on his back left by the demon that attacked him. In his apartment sometimes yes but even then he normally didn't do it.

[Yeah. How is your shoulder?] Iris asked. Naruto could hear the worry and concern in her voice and it made a small warm smile cross his face. No matter how angry she says she is at him her love for him always shows through more. Iris is naturally a person who shows compassion and empathy for others and she places their well-being above any other emotion she is feeling at the time. It makes him feel a swell of pride for the little princess. _'It's fine sweetie. No need to worry about it.'_ Naruto said reassuringly. [You're still on punishment dada.] Chaos mumbled out some more reminding Naruto of the situation he is in.

He had a seal on him that stores away items and he had a whole collection of ramen inside that would last him and the girls on the mission. Not being able to eat any of it was a serious blow to Naruto and he was tempted to sneak and eat one but he knew that was impossible. Furthermore his injury that Iris refused to heal was another spot of bother but one he could live with since he had a natural healing factor that was not attached to the separate powers the three girls bonded to him possess.

' _I know sweetie. I didn't forget.'_ Naruto reassured as he stepped into the decent and well-kept bathroom the house had. Naruto closed the door and locked it before letting Iris and Chaos out to not only stretch but to also help them freshen up. Kakashi told Naruto that he had to help the two while he was still unconscious. He had enough chakra in him to create a shadow clone that took them to the bathroom and helped them brush their teeth. The girls were considerate enough not to give the clone to much trouble since they are used to doing things a certain way which mostly only Naruto knew how to do.

Naruto helped his girl's brush their teeth, wash up, and do the normal cosmetic's that are a part of their normal every morning routine. In turn Naruto also brushed his teeth as well but he also needed to take a bath and change the wrappings around his shoulder. The girls offered to wash his back and change his medical wrap for him and he quickly agreed. Naruto was not at all ashamed of being naked in front of the girls and he was actually comfortable around them since he was the one who normally gave them baths. While they had no problems letting Aria or even Anko give them baths they usually threw a temper tantrum whenever he tried to give an excuse as to why he couldn't do it.

Naruto learned the hard way that they were always going to win that argument so he normally agreed just to save time and unneeded property damage. Their apartment that they've lived in most of their lives while in a lot better shape than it was in years prior which was all due to Naruto's efforts was still just held together by some duct tape and a lot of love. Some repairs were not easy at all to do.

After all was said and done Naruto was dressed in his normal attire with a fresh set of bandages covering his healing shoulder. Kakashi was up by this time and so was everyone else in the house. Naruto made his way down to the kitchen where he could see Tsunami making breakfast and Tazuna was at the table with a newspaper in his hand. A cup of coffee was in front of him and he was dressed for work already. His hard hat was already on his head. Naruto didn't like coffee because it was too bitter for him; he preferred tea over coffee and it just so happens that despite her young age Iris was an avid lover of tea, who also didn't mind coffee as a substitute on occasions.

Sitting at the table Naruto greeted the pair who acknowledged him and the three engaged in a light conversation while the other residence of the house entered the room. Sakura came in next looking fresh and well rested and she sat on the opposite side of the table from Naruto. Sakura engaged in the conversation with them as well with Naruto returning the favor. He silently thanked the girl for not bringing up the conversation from yesterday because that would have made everything tense and awkward. Sasuke and Kakashi entered the room together and sat at the table. Tazuna was sitting at the head of the table and two seats were already reserved to his left and right. Kakashi was sitting next to Naruto next to one of the empty reserved seats and Sasuke was sitting directly in front of him.

The young Uchiha didn't even say a word to him and Naruto had to sigh at this. He didn't appreciate the boy trying to interrogate and probe into his personal live. He never let anyone do it before and he wasn't going to start now. However Naruto knew he should have handled the situation better than what he did yesterday. He wasn't making any friends with how he went about handling the conversation. He had nothing against Sasuke at all and he even wanted to be friends with him but the boy repeatedly pushed him and his friends away in the academy when they tried to reach out to him. Add on to the fact that the boy was tolerable at most during team exercise's since he wanted to do things his own way and it caused a small bit of tension between him and Naruto since Naruto secretly had far more experience than him and so he knew what Kakashi was trying to teach them.

The one time where he helped the boy out with those bullies was the only time they ever worked together. To be friends with him Naruto would have to place his trust in you. And Naruto's form of trust comes with the protection of his girls. The one thing Naruto wanted more than anything else in the world was a family and with Iris and Chaos in his life he got just what he wanted. To trust someone would mean that he also trusts you with his girls and that was a big commitment in his eyes. All of his adult friends in his life he could trust are because they are mature and powerful enough to protect themselves and others. Sasuke and Sakura didn't have that level of trust because in Naruto's eyes while they were all the same age he considers his teammates not mature enough to earn his trust. Sasuke was too elusive and obsessed with his own personal issues to be trusted with his girls and Sakura while she was a little better off she was very naïve and not serious about her training.

"Inari come down for breakfast!" Tsunami called out after preparing everyone's meal. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't know there was another resident in the house. Moments later a small boy around Konohamaru's age came in. He had shaggy black unkempt hair and a bucket hat on his head. It was stark white with two large bands of blue going horizontally across the hat. He had large wide black eyes with no visible pupils. Inari had on a beige colored shirt with a thick collar as well as green overalls. The boy had small bags underneath his eyes and his eyes themselves were concealing a large amount of pain, sadness, cynicism, and angst. It was a poisonous combination that Naruto frowned at.

"Thank you for the meal." The boy sullenly said. "So now that we have the chance I would like to tell you guys that I'm going to be giving you all some specialized training to prepare us for when Zabuza returns." Kakashi spoke up as everyone ate their food. "What type of training sensei?" Sakura asked in curiosity. "Oh you'll see when it's time." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Naruto had a clue what type of training the copy ninja had in mind and he thought it was about time.

"What good would training do? Just look how you guys came in. Especially him. Just give up." Inari said indignantly. The tone in his voice was bitter and angry. Naruto narrowed his eyes at this. The boy got up from his chair and left the room. His food was already eaten. _'What was that all about?'_ Naruto thought to himself. [I can sense a lot of anger in him.] Iris added in. She was a little put off by all the negative energy surrounding the boy since she is a being that host's and represents so much positive energy. [I can sense it too. However his energy is the bad kind.] Chaos chirped. She was especially sensitive to negative energy and she could visibly see it surrounding the boy like a toxic cloud.

Naruto sent a look at Tsunami and she had an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry about that. He's my son. But he has had a troubled past so please forgive him for anything he might say." Tsunami requested as she looked at Naruto. Apparently the others knew of this and it was a given since he's been out the last two days and his teammates were obviously ok compared to him.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind." Naruto said as he stood up from his chair. He placed his plate in the moderated sized sink along with the other dirty dishes. Naruto passed by a picture frame hanging up on the wall and it had Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, and one other person who's face was cut off. Inari and his family were smiling brightly in the photo and Naruto instantly frowned at this since it didn't take a super genius to figure out that something happened.

"Where are you going Naruto? Sakura asked as she saw Naruto heading for the front door of the house. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon." Naruto said as he approached the door.

"Oh my. You shouldn't be doing any strenuous activities while you are recovering. You should rest." Tsunami called out. She had a worried look on her face as her eyes tracked over to his injured shoulder and neck. Naruto felt a warmth settle into his chest at the compassion the older woman showed. It was the eyes of a mother. Only Shoko ever looked at him with those eyes before. Naruto smiled. "I appreciate the concern but I'm fine really. All I need is some fresh air that's all. I won't be gone for long." Naruto said reassuringly as he slipped on his sandals and walked out of the house. Sakura and Tsunami looked at each other in concern but Kakashi had a calm aura about him and Sasuke didn't even respond but 5 minutes after Naruto left Sasuke expressed an interest in leaving the house as well with Kakashi consenting.

* * *

The snap of sticks underneath his feet and the gentle rush of wind was just some of the many sounds Naruto heard as he trekked through the forest after leaving his client's house. The crunching of leaf's and the smell of dew on the grass were some of the most prominent phenomenon Naruto was experiencing since the Land of Wave's is a very damp and heavily moistened region. He knew where his team would be setting up camp and he was heading their right now. Using Iris's affinity for birds he had sent one off to find his team and when it did they attached a small note to the bird's leg and sent it back to him with their coordinates on it. He did this as soon as he had gotten into the bathroom earlier this morning and surprisingly the bird returned after he had finished getting himself dressed.

He knew Sasuke was silently following him and as much as he would want to deal with his teammate now and settle what was going on he knew he couldn't put off what he had to do with his colleagues any longer. He hated putting off important things for later and as much as he considered what his team did as important the overall mission took priority.

' _I'm almost back up to 100% as far as my chakra reserves are concerned. But I don't want to waste it too much when I don't have to. So just one burst should be enough to get me where I need to go.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he passed by a thick huge tree. " **Acceleration**." Naruto whispered as his body glowed light blue right before he disappeared kicking up a tornado of leaves and letting out a gust of wind.

Sasuke who was at least two dozen yards away came rushing into the clearing after he saw Naruto disappear. "What?" The last Uchiha whispered to himself as the whirlwind of leaves fell on top of him after settling down.

* * *

Touching down Naruto's body lost its glow as he could see a few dozen yards ahead of him that a small clearing was set up and several figures could be seen. Making his way into the clearing at a sedate pace Naruto knew he was detected by his colleagues the moment he touched down. Most likely even before that in Aspen's case. "Hey everyone so what's up?" Naruto said casually because he knew what was coming. "Naruto?!" Henrietta called out in shock. She like everyone else knew he was coming and they even knew that he was injured during the battle but what he did not mention to them was just how badly he was injured.

"What happened to you? How come you never mentioned you were this hurt?" Henrietta stressed as she suddenly found herself at the blond haired boy's side. Naruto barely even saw her move. "Because I knew you would be worried about me. Like you are now." Naruto said with a sheepish smile on his face. He knew that Henrietta cared for him a lot and it would distract her greatly from her mission if she was constantly worried about him. "But look at this. Your neck and shoulder are ruined. How exactly did this happen?" The brown haired girl pressed. Aria as well was on this mission even though Naruto wanted her to stay with Shoko in the village. Shoko shot the idea down and told Naruto to take the young witch with him since he is her handler after all.

The concern in her eyes at the moment was all he needed to see to let him know he was going to be getting an earful from the witch as well. "It will heal soon Henrietta. There is no need to worry about it." Naruto reassured. "But master. You shouldn't have hid this from us. Oh… I wish I was there to help you. At the very least I wish I could have taken care of you." Aria whined softly. She was bitter that she was not by her master's side during this mission. She wished she could be with him but she was not a ninja and her abilities were not like anything any ninja possessed. It would raise a lot of questions from people up top and they would be questions that she would not want to answer anytime soon.

Naruto could see the hurt and longing in the witch's eyes and it made him sigh in sadness. Unlike Hinata and Henrietta who he couldn't always read or understand Aria was a complete and open book to Naruto. She hid nothing from him and she was pretty much incapable of hiding anything from him. Again unlike his other two best friends he knew exactly how Aria felt about him. She had an intense devotion towards him and a serious drive to please him and make him happy. Also beside that was a small innocent crush on him. Naruto felt honored that she would devote herself completely to him but at the same time he was put off by it. That is why he doesn't like when she calls him master. He didn't want to control her or own her; he just wanted to be her friend, but she didn't see things that way.

Not only had Shoko saved her life and taken her in under her wing, but the older woman introduced the young witch to her partner who Aria was sure would be absolutely furious with her for indirectly having a hand in nearly getting his partner killed but to Aria's shock Naruto didn't show the indigo themed girl any spite or hatred. Sure he was wary of her in the beginning and didn't know how to approach her but he never turned her away and then he did the unthinkable. He offered Aria a place in his home with no string attached simply because she needed it and Shoko's apartment was not suited for two.

The witch was beyond touched by the kindness Shoko and Naruto showed her. After that Naruto showed her Iris and Chaos and Aria instantly fell deeply in love with the two sisters. Aria from that day forward silently promised herself that she would repay every ounce of kindness they showed to her. Aria is a Witch. A being that is halfway human and halfway into the supernatural realm. They are persecuted and condemned by both humans and supernatural creatures alike. Even with that being said Aria's instincts are very sharp. The moment she met Naruto she could sense that he was different. While she was sure he was human what she could sense coming from him was not. What Aria was sensing was the ambient Yōki his body naturally produced as a result of being bonded to Eva for so many years, but not only that Aria unknowingly sensed Iris's and Chaos's power as well. When she met Iris and Chaos she instinctively knew they were not human.

One she knew that they were higher up on the food chain than her. That was something she could instantly tell just by being around Chaos. She could tell that the little girl while apparently innocent and nice was very powerful and most importantly dangerous. While around Iris she felt incredible warmth. It was pure and felt like bliss. But what always confused Aria the most was that she couldn't sense an ounce of power from the little girl. Aria would stretch out her senses to the max and she would feel nothing but at the same time she could feel something right beyond the edge of her senses and that something terrified and awed the young witch for reasons she couldn't understand.

These feelings played on Aria's natural instincts and it caused her to be submissive to the two small blonds. With Naruto the feeling came less naturally and more out of her own will and sheer obligation to serve him. She could sense Iris's and Chaos's aura entangled within Naruto along with his own power and Aria knew that while he was already strong at the time they first met it would be nothing compared to how strong he would be when he became older. She made her decision that day to serve him. To her it was only natural. She was weak and from one of the most looked down races in the supernatural world. She felt that her place was at a strong master's side. Naruto however didn't see things that way and tired at every opportunity to dissuade her from such thoughts. However these thoughts are a part of a supernatural being's very DNA and it's not something that can easily be changed. Even humans have the same problems.

Aria was 12 nearly 13 the day she met Shoko at the dock years prior and currently she is 15 nearly 16 after spending the last 3 and a half years with Naruto while he is 12 and in some months will soon be 13. He always thought she was beautiful and it was true. Aria had an exotic look with her silver hair and turquoise eyes along with her unique choice of clothes that just seemed to suit her perfectly. Aria was very attractive for a girl her age when she was 12 with budding breast and a curvaceous body but as of now at 15 things has changed. She added a few inches onto her height but she also added onto other features as well. She is around a d cup and her body would make any male break their necks the second she would walk by but her body is balanced out by her childlike face that is still full of blissful innocence.

Within recent months Naruto has started noticing these things among others and it's caused an unnoticeable tension in the house. With Aria pretty much being like his own family maid he sees her every single day and they are always together. It's hard not to notice such things. Further add on to the fact that Anko is not the best role model around and it gets a little tense. Shoko isn't much of a problem since while she is over at Naruto's apartment almost every day she at least has the decency to wear proper clothes as well as sleepwear. Anko on the other hand does not do any of that.

At the end of the day Naruto could see why Aria would be so fanatically devoted to him. He gave her everything she ever wanted. A family; a stable home (mostly); caring friends; a safe environment; and a purpose to live for. It was the exact same thing with him. He got a family in the form of Iris and Chaos which increased to include his closes friends including Aria; a stable home (mostly); caring friends in the form of some of his classmates and colleagues in the Casino. He was too embarrassed to say it but he considered Hinata and Henrietta to be a part of his small rag tag family; a safe environment in the form of the Casino and too many extents his apartment. It's his safe haven and he's poured hundreds of hours into fixing the place up to be liveable for him and his girls; and a purpose for living in the form of his two precious girls. They gave him a true purpose in life and he would gladly give it up if it meant they could survive.

So in that regard he could see exactly where Aria was coming from, however it didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't want her to feel as if he was controlling her or she was obligated and had no choice but to serve him. She took over doing the chores in the apartment and cooking as well. Naruto however insisted that they do these things together or in turns since he didn't feel comfortable with her doing all that labor intensive work alone, especially when he is fully capable of doing those things as well.

As for her little crush on him he was initially shocked but then he became flattered that she would have those feeling for him. In actuality he only just learned this about a month ago shortly after the incident between him and Evangeline. She sat him down in private and told him about her feelings. Again he was shocked but soon after that he calmed down and thought it over. He was a tad bit concerned by the age difference between them but he pushed it aside since it was a trivial matter especially in a world like the one they lived in. He told her that he was completely unsure of his feeling for her but he accepted hers all the same. She was immensely happy that day. She said that she didn't want anything to change between them just as long as he knew she cared deeply about him. Naruto was thrown for a loop by that since he expected her to want things to change between them. Apparently not but Naruto from that point on treated her even more gently than he did before. He also gave her special attention every once in awhile. He wasn't sure if that was enough but Aria assured him that all that he was doing was enough for her. They never kissed yet but he was prone to giving her hugs and more affectionate gestures more often.

He asked her what type of relationship did they have now and she just laughed as said she didn't know. Naruto laughed too since he didn't know what to think of the strange relationship he shared with Aria. Speaking of which Hinata and Henrietta found out that very next day and they took off with the witch for the entire day and when Aria came home she had some bruises and cuts on her body and when Naruto asked what happened the young psychic witch explained that she had a sparring match with Hinata and Henrietta. Apparently Evangeline joined them as well since soon after Aria left Eva took off as well.

Nothing bad happened between the close nit group of girls who were very close to each other; but they weren't going to let Aria just get away with pulling ahead of them all and take first place so to speak. They had to remind her that while they were completely overjoyed for their close friend it didn't mean they were going to sit back and let her get off easy. Aria actually smiled at them and suggested that they spar. Aria's unique psychic powers allowed her to fend off the other three girls and her age compared to them helped as well but she eventually fell to the combined might of the three strong girls who worked well together.

After that things returned to normal between the girls although Aria's actions gave the other girls more determination to be more confident around Naruto. As it stands the four girls made a promise to each other never to let their friendship end over their feelings for Naruto. Hinata and Eva told Aria and Henrietta how many of the girls in their class ended their friendships with each other in pursuit for Sasuke. Ino and Sakura just so happened to be the most noticeable and popular one since they were at the top of the Sasuke fan girl club. In fact other girls in the class did the same, they traded in their friendship for a rivalry that would ultimately get them nowhere and it saddened, but mostly disgusted and disappointed Hinata and Eva when they witnessed it first hand during their time in the Academy. Hearing this Henrietta and Aria were disgusted just the same and they vowed never to let that happen to them.

The truth is the four girls valued their friendship more than anything. Evangeline, Aria, and Henrietta are orphans and Hinata has grown up in the oppressive household of the Hyūga clan without a mother which helped stunt her growth and it would have continue to do so if she hadn't met Naruto that day. Because of this the girls craved the close bonds of having another female companion they could confide in and they found that within each other so they were not going to be giving that up for anything. Not even Naruto. Because at the end of the day not only would he not want them to destroy their friendship all because of him, but in the end they could still all remain his friend and close to him without having feelings for him.

"Hey Aria it's fine ok. Come here." Naruto said as he beckoned the witch closer. Coming close Naruto reached out and patted the girl on her hat covered head. Aria had a small blush on her face since Naruto was unknowingly giving her one of his charming smiles. Naruto had that natural "baby face" that could charm girls and make them consider him cute which worked completely to his advantage.

With a gesture Naruto released Iris and Chaos from their transformations and the two girls were eager to stretch and run around. Chaos immediately started to pester Rico and Triela who while worried knew that Naruto was fine and he would downplay his injuries as to not worry them. The two older girls were eager to play with the hyperactive girl who had an abundance of energy that could not be contained. Iris decided to remain by Naruto's side since she wanted to talk to Aria and Henrietta. The princess wanted to ask Henrietta how she was coming along with a little project she requested of her. Henrietta was making small little buttons and hair pins in the shape of bear faces. Along with that she was also crafting them in the shape of little birds. It turns out that Henrietta was great at crafting and she took it up as one of her few hobbies. Aria also shared this hobby as well and with her psychic powers it allowed her to make interesting things. The two girls passed this hobby down to both Iris and Chaos but surprisingly enough Chaos picked up on this like a fish to water. However it should be noted that Chaos used her advanced talents in this field for her own mischievous ends.

* * *

"Naruto we need to talk." Jean called out. His face was cold and he had his usual scowl on his face but Naruto noted that he seemed angrier than normal. Walking over Naruto stood in front of Jean, Aspen, Jose, Victor, and Alessandro. They were other handlers and partners in the clearing but Naruto did not know them personally and he didn't work with them often. They were content to just sit around or be on guard in case something happened.

"What is it? What new information do you have for me?" Naruto asked. He was ready to talk strategy in regards to how they would plan out the next phase of their mission. Now that they were all inside the Land of Waves the mafia teams would go about setting up a branch in the country as well as removing Gatō's presence. Fighting a criminal organization with an organization that is the pinnacle of what organized crime can be. The mafia is the top power in the criminal underworld and it stands at the top of all crime. In the Elemental Countries there are five Mafia organizations that stand above the rest. The Jasmine Dragons and Hotel Moscow led by the King Pins Dino and Balalaika respectively are two of the five great Mafia families as it's called. The other three stay to themselves although the Jasmine Dragons deal heavily with the Mafia from the Hidden Sand.

Other organizations such as gangs, bandits, mercenaries, and bounty hunters all fall under the Mafia on the totem pole in terms of power and influence. The thing with the Jasmine Dragons however is the fact that not only do they control and regulate crime in the Land of Fire but they also neutralize it if it comes in conflict with their ideals and goals.

"One you need to get your shoulder fixed now. Why didn't Iris heal it already?" Jean questioned with a calculating look towards both Naruto and Iris who was close by. "She choose not to heal my arm because of my reckless actions in dealing with Zabuza. Looking back at it even I can see that some of my tactics were wrong. I should have handled it better but I didn't and it got be injured. She was angry at me so she refused to heal my arm. She only stabilized and fixed the bone inside my shoulder but she didn't go further." Naruto explained. Jean and Aspen frowned at this, more so Jean than Aspen. Jose had a raised eyebrow at this but even so he still frowned somewhat.

"Iris come over here and heal Naruto's wounds. We don't have time for your childish and petty reasons." Jean said with his normal cold tone. However he was quite serious now. Iris flinched at suddenly having someone address her in such a manner but when it finally registered in her mind instead of being scared a feisty and defiant look crossed her eyes. "And if I don't? I've already said I won't heal daddy's wound. It will heal quickly enough on its own." Iris said as she stared up at Jean who clenched his jaw. "Listen girl I said you will heal his arm now!" Jean raised his voice.

"JEAN! Do not take that tone with my daughter again." Naruto cut in. His voice had an edge in it that was sharper than Zabuza's sword and the clearing already dropped at least 30 degrees in temperature. His eyes took on their dark cold look that only appears during battle. He would not allow anyone to talk like that to his daughters especially in his presence. He would not let anyone get away with such a thing and he was not going to start now.

Iris had a shocked look on her face since no one ever demanded or commanded her to do anything before. Let alone say it with such force behind their words. However the defiant look did not leave her eyes and it was clear to everyone that she would have responded if Naruto hadn't stepped in at that time. However at the moment she was looking at Naruto with admiration shining in her eyes. Chaos bright and cheerful smile dimmed just a little bit when Jean initially addressed Iris and it took a noticeable dip when Jean raised his voice at her sister but now Chaos was looking at Naruto with interest clear in her eyes.

Jean walked up until he towered over Naruto with his superior height. "I don't think you understand the situation we're in boy. So let me explain." Jean spoke while glaring down at Naruto.

"We did some scouting while you were taking your little nap." Naruto gritted his teeth at this. "We found out that the village is in disarray. It's worse than we thought possible. Famine, starvation, and sickness are at an all-time high. It's just as bad if not worse than what the slums district use to be in our village." Naruto widened his eyes at this. "But that's the least of our worries. We managed to infiltrate the port of the town and we survey the area and took a detailed analysis of everything going on. Gatō has an army of bandits and mercenaries working for him. Numbering in the hundreds." Jean explained.

"Hundreds." Evangeline whispered to herself in disbelieve. Naruto was thinking the same thing. "But our main problem is in who Gatō hired. He hired from what Aspen knowledge has provided us 4 Jōnin and 16 Chūnin. All missing ninja's from small villages as well as a few from the 5 great nations." Jean revealed and it left Naruto speechless. 20 ninja. 20 highly trained ninja. Not only did that prove just how wealthy Gatō was to be able to afford and maintain that many ninja who undoubtedly would request a lot of money for their services but it also spoke volumes to his influence and the connections he must have.

"Impossible. How could he get his hands on so many ninja?" Naruto said breathlessly. While 20 opponents didn't sound like much in the long run it was actually a large number especially when you consider the fact that they would most likely all come after his team which consist of one elite Jōnin and three Genin. One of which is a Chūnin in strength but even then that would not help against a force such as that. Especially since they have Zabuza on their side who proved to be more than a match for Kakashi in their previous battle.

"At your full strength going full out you would be able to take down maybe 6 of their Chūnin and that would be if you used your powers wisely instead of brute forcing your way through them. Maybe 8 but that is definitely pushing it. Once your element of surprise is over those Jōnin would swarm you and kill you. Now do you see why I need you at 100 percent? It's so that you stand at least somewhat of a chance of facing off against such a force." Jean explained gruffly.

Naruto's glare completely disappeared at this time as he seriously contemplated everything that was said to him. He could feel a knot in his chest and a pit in his stomach at listening to what was said to him. He knew Jean was right. He could probably take down 6 of those Chūnin but that was just a basic observation. That's not even taking into account the many variables of any given fight. Naruto knew that in the end he would die if he faced such a force alone. Naruto could feel a trickle of sweat role down his cheek.

"I won't let that happen." Iris suddenly spoke up. Everyone turned their head to the little girl and most were surprised to see such a defiance and passion in her eyes that it took some of the people present by surprise. "I beg your pardon." Jean replied. "I won't let such a thing happen. You speak as if daddy would be going into battle alone. He's never alone and in such an event if those ninja were to attack I would fight alongside him. I'd make them regret attacking us." Iris said with an edge in her voice. Her vibrant blue eyes were turning green and a look of power was reflected in her eyes. She was completely serious about what she just said.

Many birds of various species started to congregate in the clearing the Mafia was meeting in and they were all perched up in the trees and some on the ground. A gentle breeze flew in through the clearing but the air itself was warm like sitting next to a campfire and it was warming everyone up since the Land of Waves is a pretty damp and moisten region. Iris's yellow dress fluttered a little since it would seem the wind was caused by her.

"I would punish all of those mean bullies for hurting dada." Chaos said with a grin but her grin had a slight psychotic glint to it that most missed unless you knew her. She was serious as well. It actually looked like she wanted someone to actually try such a stunt this very second.

"Master would not be alone. Where ever he goes I'll go too. And if he ever has to fight such a battle then I'll give it my all and fight by his side." Aria stated with passion and conviction coating every single word she spoke. She also had a look of defiance in her eyes and she was standing tall and confident in what she believed in.

' _Girls.'_

A proud smile came across Naruto's face at hearing the sheer amount of resolve and support they were giving him. Not including Aria on their own individually Iris and Chaos are a lot stronger than he was at their age and together the two sisters are a lot more than what anyone would expect from two six year olds. They truly surprise him sometimes with their strength and not just with their physical power either.

Jean looked put off by what the girls said. "You're going to need more than just pretty little words to get this job done." Jean said with his normal scowl back in place. "Then we are going to need reinforcements." Naruto said as he turned to Jean with his signature charming smirk in place. It looked a lot like Iris's but in this case we know where she gets in from.

"Let's talk strategy."

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Acceleration** \- A secret technique created by Naruto that allows him to move at hyper speeds. However this is not a technique that can be copied or duplicated by any other person because of the unique way in which it works. By drawing on Iris's and Chaos's energy that is constantly circulating in his chakra network and then mixing it in with his and Eva's energy Naruto can create a cloak of various shades of blue with slivers of other colors such as orange and purple. While in this cloak Naruto can move at rapid speeds.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So how was that? Things are a little bit more complicated than we first thought. For one Naruto has met Inari and the boy is the same kill joy from the manga and anime. We learn a lot more about the relationship Naruto and Aria share and just how meaningful it is to the both of them and finally we learn that Gato is a much bigger threat than we ever thought possible. His reach and influence is much more noticeable and vast compared to his Manga counterpart and when the time comes he will not hold back on Team 7.

So what is Team 7's next move. Stay tuned and find out.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 13 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 10/20/15


	15. CH: 14 The True Tree Walking Exercise

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter. This one is significantly shorter than all the others but it isn't really a filler chapter but more like a intermediate or break. It's still important for character development and exposition but other than that it doesn't go further than that. Anyway's I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 14

 _ **The True Tree Walking Exercise**_

Later that day Naruto returned home from his "walk" and he found himself back at Tazuna's house. Entering he found Tsunami in the kitchen just doing small little chores. "Your back." Tsunami exclaimed when she saw Naruto kick off his shoes. "Yeah that walk was just what I needed. Where is everyone?" Naruto conversed.

"Father is in the back with the rest of your team. My father brought over some of his friends and they are talking about the plans for the bridge." Tsunami explained. "I see well then I guess I better get out there then." Naruto replied as he went to get his shoes again.

"You're not like your teammates. What happened to you?" Tsunami spoke up stopping Naruto in his tracks. Naruto's shoulders sagged. "What didn't happen to me?" Naruto rhetorically asked. "I'm this way because that's just the hand I was dealt in live. I was never allowed to just simply be a kid and run around and play and be naïve. I was shown the harshness of this world and I was forced to act and be a grown up before I even knew what it was like to be a kid. It's as simple as that." Naruto said softly.

Tsunami had the aura of a caring mother and it made him want to open up to her. The only other person he would open up to in such a manner would be Shoko but she's not here right now and while he would not want to admit it Naruto could feel the pressure on his shoulders especially after learning what Gatō has up his sleeve a few minutes ago.

"But why?" The older woman asked. She didn't get it. She was an adult and yes she lived in this world dominated by shinobi just like everyone else but she was just a simple civilian in a small country. She didn't live in a Shinobi village nor did she understand their life style and culture. She didn't fully understand how cruel this world could be up until a few years prior when Gatō set his eyes on her home but even then she still didn't see the big picture.

"Because that's just how it is. I'm not complaining though. A lot of good as come from me walking this path. Things so good that I wouldn't give it up for the entire world. So in some ways I'm glad I've gone through the difficult things that I did because it was all worth it in the end." Naruto said softly with a melancholy look in his eyes. He was gently stroking the collar that he put around his wrist and the small little teddy bear like accessory that he had around his waist. He couldn't wear the collar around his neck which is actually Chaos in disguise because his neck has to heal so he put her around his wrist. Tsunami noticed this but she didn't quite understand the significance of those items. However she did notice that they were extremely important to him based on the look in his eyes that she could see.

Walking to the door Naruto slipped on his shoes. "If I never went through the things I did then I never would be where I am today and I never would have these good things around me. So I'm grateful because it's made me better and stronger than I could ever imagine." With that Naruto slipped out the door leaving the mother in silent awe at the young boy's strength. Hearing that it just made her want to know more about the boy who came all this way to save her home and country.

Entering the backyard of Tazuna's residence Naruto saw everyone standing around talking and conversing. Walking up Naruto grabbed everyone's attention. "Naruto your back." Sakura noticed. "Yeah that walk did me some good." The blond haired boy replied. "I'm sure it did." Sasuke said with a hidden glare in Naruto's direction. Naruto sent an apologetic look towards his teammate but Sasuke deflected it by walking away. Sighing Naruto came up to the adults and saw that they had big diagrams and blue prints spread out on top of a wide wooden table. "So what's going on?" Naruto asked. He quickly got acquainted with the workers that Tazuna worked with and after some idle chatter they explained to him their plans for the bridge and informed him of the materials they had left. Other information was shared as well and Naruto took it all in.

"Naruto why are you so concerned with all of this strategy talk?" Sakura asked Naruto. She was bored of the talk the adults were having but it would seem that Naruto was eagerly engaged in the talks. Kakashi told them they were going to start their training after this little meeting. "Because Sakura this information is important, soon we will need it and it will be useful. Besides when we get older we'll need to sit in on strategy meetings and things like this." Naruto calmly replied.

A few minutes later they finished talking and decide to go back home. They didn't have the necessary supplies to continue working on the bridge so construction would have to be put off. They would gather the supplies and start fresh tomorrow.

"Ok team lets go train." Kakashi spoke up. He was walking with a pair of crutches since he wasn't fully recovered. "I don't see the point in you guys trying. Nothing you do will be enough." Inari bitterly said as he stormed off. He was present with the adults who were talking and he too was interested in what they were talking about, but that was a given since his grandfather is a master construction worker. Naruto did some research on Tazuna when he had the chance and he learned that the old man was credited with creating many bridges and other land mark's all over the continent and he was granted the title master bridge builder because out of all of his different achievements his bridges were his most famous projects.

Some of his most famous bridges to date were the Kannabi and Tenchi bridges in The Village Hidden in the Grass with the Kannabi Bridge no longer standing do to it being destroyed during the Third Shinobi World War and a massive Stone Arch Bridge located in the Land of Iron. He is credited with many other bridges that are located in the other lands as well including the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. Because of those lands geography they are perfect places to create bridges. He is quite famous for those achievements.

Naruto frowned heavily at this. He ignored it at the breakfast table because that was the first time he heard Inari say something not to mention he had just met the boy but to hear it again in the same day was a little off putting.

* * *

Bringing them to a clearing a few dozen yards away from Tazuna's house Kakashi stopped and turned to his students. "Ok guys we are going to start your training. And the way we are going to do that is by climbing trees." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Sakura and Sasuke looked completely lost but Naruto had a smile on his face. "Climbing trees? How is that going to help us?" Sakura asked. She looked completely skeptical. "If this is a joke Kakashi then it's not funny. Stop wasting our time." Sasuke said irritably. "Oh I assure you it's no joke. What I meant to say is you will be climbing this tree without using your hands. So in other words you are going to walk vertically straight up this tree to the top." Kakashi said and to prove it he walked over to a tree and put one foot on it and then another and then another and soon enough he was walking vertically up the tree like it was a horizontal surface. Showing off Kakashi walked out onto a thick branch but the thing was he was upside down and he was not falling off.

"What?" Sakura whispered in shock. Sasuke's eyebrows raised at this. "See easy as pie." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Yes that version you're using is the easier one sensei." Naruto said from another branch above Kakashi. He too was hanging upside down. Sakura and Sasuke had shocked looks on their faces however Sasuke's soon turned to jealousy and anger. "What version? What do you mean by that Naruto?" Kakashi asked in curiosity.

Naruto dropped down from his branch which was very high up and landed in a crouch completely ok. "Sasuke you asked me why am I so strong, and how am I so much stronger than the both of you? Well for one the most important reason is because I have two very special reasons to be strong." Naruto started and he was thinking of Iris and Chaos when he said that. He could feel their giddiness and appreciation when he said that. "And two is because I've long since mastered this exercise in its entirety." Naruto said as he walked up to his two teammates.

"Oh and what are those two special reasons?" Sasuke challenged as he stared down his teammate. "One of these days really soon you just might find out that reason Sasuke. But as for this exercise I learned it the proper way. Not to mention the hardest way." Naruto continued as he rolled up his sleeve and started to circulate chakra throughout his body. Dozens of seals appeared all along his arms and they were all arranged in neat rows. Placing his finger over one Naruto ejected a small amount of chakra into the seal and in a large plume of smoke everyone heard two loud thuds like sounds hitting the ground. When the smoke cleared the other three members of Team 7 saw two full grown adult sized manikins dressed in plain clothes.

"Naruto why do you have manikins on you? And how did you summon them?" Sakura asked as she went over to one. As a girl who loves shopping Sakura sees these things in many of the stores she frequently visits. She was just wondering why Naruto had them. "Well, one they are for our exercise and two I summoned them with seals Sakura. We went over the basics of this in class." Naruto simply explained.

However what his teammates didn't need to know was the fact that these manikins actually belong to Iris. She loves to dress them up in clothes since she is into that sort of thing. Naruto wasn't completely interested in that at first but he was forced by the young girl to learn about fashion and other girly subjects. However he wanted to make her happy so he swallowed his very boyish pride and learned the ins and outs of fashion and after a while he came to enjoy it as a pass time since it was relaxing and it was a great stress reliever to work your mind around such a simple subject instead of battle strategies.

"Here is what you have to do." Naruto started to explain. By this point everyone was gathered around him. Sasuke was reluctantly listening since Kakashi looked like he was interested in what was going on. He seemed to be remembering something judging by the look in his eye. Naruto picked up the heavy manikin that actually weighed 140 pounds. It was the average weight for an adult male of this size. He used only his good arm. Walking over to the tree Naruto laid down on his back which was slightly difficult with his sore shoulder and with the manikin on top of him it made it even more difficult but he managed.

"Now take one foot and place it on the tree. You must regulate your chakra and make it stick to the tree. Once you feel like your foot won't come off then you place your second foot higher on the tree and make it stick. Once you have that then you place your first foot above your second one and so on and so forth. On the flip side you must also concentrate on holding onto this manikin and making sure that it does not fall from your grasp. It is heavy. Heavy just like a normal human body. So you have to be careful. You must make it up to the top of the tree and then make it back down without dropping your manikin once or falling off. The second you either drop your manikin or you fall off you have to start over." Naruto explained and as he was talking he was physically demonstrating his point by walking all the way up the tree and then back down. He walked up to his teammates who were shocked at this.

Kakashi had a certain look in his eyes that the others couldn't place but Naruto thought it looked like he was remembering something good. Like an old memory that was filled with nostalgia. "How did you learn such a thing?" Sakura said in absolute shock. She wasn't stupid. She could see the slightest bit of strain on Naruto's face as evident by the fact that she and everyone else could see a small bit of sweat building up on Naruto's face. The others could tell that his broken shoulder was affecting him even now and that it slowed down his demonstration.

"By a very precious and special friend of mine." Naruto replied with a fond look in his eyes. Sasuke and Sakura were curious now about that look since they don't usually see Naruto with such an expression on his face. "Special friend? Are you talking about Hinata?" Sakura guessed. It was no secret that Naruto was very close to the Hyūga Heiress and they could be seen sitting together all throughout their academy years. Not to mention the way Naruto acted on graduation day against Kiba.

Hearing this, a somewhat shy blush spread across Naruto's face at Sakura's innocent suggestion. He would freely admit that Hinata was special to him and she was his closes friend with Henrietta taking up the very close number two position. But in that regard Naruto never really ranked his friends in terms of importance since they were all extremely important to him because of how he values trust and friendship. But in terms of whom he's known the longest and been around the longest then it would be Hinata.

Naruto was thinking of Shoko at the moment. Out of all of his friends Shoko has changed him the most. She changed him from the little orphan who always got in way over his head and had to steal just to get by into a capable Shinobi and proud member of the Mafia who has the strength to protect his family and a will to never give up. For that he will eternally be grateful to her and always appreciated her. But there is one thing that's she's done for him that no one else can or did. She showed him what it's like to have a mother. The warmth and gentleness of a mother is something Naruto's always dreamed about. Shoko showed him this on multiple occasions and it's helped him get by when he really needed it.

"No it's not Hinata but maybe you'll get to meet her one day." Naruto corrected as he handed the manikin off to Sasuke who grabbed it but looked like he was uncomfortable holding it. The manikin is quite heavy. _'She?'_ Both Sasuke and Sakura thought. Now they were more curious but they had to focus on carrying the heavy manikin with them. "Why did she teach you this method?" Sasuke asked as he laid down on the ground like Naruto instructed. He didn't know why he was even going along with this but he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested.

"Because let me ask you this Sasuke. Have you ever killed a person before?" Naruto asked and this had everyone's attention. Sasuke was taken by surprise after hearing such a question but he contemplated this for a minute before turning to Naruto. "No… no I haven't." The last Uchiha replied. "Have you ever saved a person's live before?" Naruto continued. Shaking his head Sasuke replied no.

"Then that is why you will do this exercise. This manikin is your responsibility. You rescued it and now you have to protect it. They are hurt and injured and you have to get them to safety. You cannot drop them under any circumstance and you cannot let them get injured in any way while you are carrying them. The bottom line is you have to use your power and skill to protect them and get them to safety." Naruto explained and he said it in such a way that the others knew he was experiencing some form of flashback.

He was remembering in vivid detail that day were he lost his patience and yelled at both Shoko and Evangeline. He was seven at the time and after two weeks of nonstop grueling training in her version of the Tree Walking Exercise Naruto was fed up and tired of it all especially after Shoko refused to tell him the real reason why she had him doing that version of the exercise. He apologized eventually after Shoko scolded him for his immature behavior and it was right after that Naruto told Shoko and Hinata who was also present how he met Evangeline and the tragedy that happened on his 4th birthday.

"She had you do all that?" Sakura asked in disbelieve. "Yes and because of that my chakra control is leagues ahead of anything I would have ever been able to do at this point if I didn't have her help. That lesson taught me many things and they have been things that I later went on to use. He used the full mechanics of Shoko's lesson when he saved that girl's life from Toiret the Ogre in Firebend Town 4 years ago.

"Now there are several variations and levels to this training that will push you past your breaking point but we don't have time for all of that so we'll just stick with the basic one. In order to complete this task you have to walk up and down the tree with the manikin for one hour straight." Naruto stated. Sakura had sweat coming down her forehead at this and Sasuke looked the tiniest bit hesitant until Naruto looked him straight in the eye and nodded at him in encouragement. Sasuke grunted as he started his task. Naruto looked over at Sakura who looked like she didn't believe in herself. "Sakura you will never be able to complete this task unless you try." Naruto said softly.

Slowly Sakura got into position and started to walk up the tree. She only got 5 paces before she fell off and hit her head because the weight of the manikin forced her to fall head first into the ground. Sasuke got just a few steps farther but he got blasted off the tree when he added too much chakra to his feet. The manikin hit the ground on its neck and everyone knew that if it was real then it would be dead right now.

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" Kakashi asked. He approved of this method and he knew exactly who taught it to him. Sasuke and Sakura heard his question as well and they were keeping an ear out for Naruto's response. "I'm going to go train some on my own. There are some things I need to do. However I need to speak to you in private for a moment." Naruto explained. Consenting both teacher and student went off to the other side of the clearing out of earshot from Sasuke and Sakura.

"I see Lady Shoko has been teaching you well Naruto." Kakashi commented as soon as they were out of earshot. "She has. I'm not even going to ask how you know her. I'm not surprised anymore." Naruto responded. "You could say I know her." Kakashi said in a softer voice than normal. Naruto picked up on it but otherwise didn't mention anything by it.

"Sensei there is a few things I need to tell you. One, we have Intel on Gatō's forces and we are heavily outmatched; I've also sent a messenger bird back to the Village. I'm asking the old man if he can send us reinforcements." Naruto explained. "It's that bad?" Kakashi asked with a serious look in his eyes. He could hear the grave tone in Naruto's voice and it set him on edge. "Yes it is but I have a plan that might help us." Naruto reassured.

"Kakashi sensei. Tell me everything you know about Zabuza Momochi." Naruto asked with a glint in his eyes.

* * *

 _ **To be Continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Some very good character interactions like with Naruto/Tsunami, and Naruto/Team 7. Naruto has opened up to his team a little more and is trying to trust them more which is a big step for him. To prove it to them he shows his team what he dubs the True Tree Walking Exercise which he learned from Shoko years ago which takes place back in early Part 1. I also thought it would be cool to give Tazuna a bit of a better background with him being responsible for the many bridges that were featured in the manga/anime. I thought that it would make his character come more to life.

Now finally the question that remains is what is Naruto's plan and next move?

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 14 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 10/21/15


	16. CH: 15 Meeting the Secret Hunter

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey Everybody. Happy Halloween I hope everyone is safe and enjoying themselves. I know I am. Here is the next chapter. Tempers and emotions are flaring in this chapter as Naruto meets a certain someone. So strap yourselves in and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 15

 _ **Meeting the Secret Hunter**_

The last two days have been particularly eventful to say the least. Sakura and Sasuke have made great progress with the advanced Tree Walking Exercise. Sasuke has finally managed to walk up the tree and back down it. He was able to do this for about 15 minutes before he ran out of chakra and his body's muscles gave out on him. It was impressive but to be expected. The reason why Naruto was able to master the technique in a matter of only two months was because his chakra reserves were massive compared to everyone his age. Not to mention the fact that his Yōki is mixed in and fused with his chakra, this makes it more potent. Not only that, but his Yōki naturally enhances his muscles without conscious effort which allowed him to keep going.

For Sasuke to do what he did without those advantages was very impressive since he didn't know how to enhance his muscles yet. He was relying on his own physical strength. The way holding the heavy manikin effects your center of gravity going up and down the tree helps increase his endurance, muscle strength, and much more.

Sakura came in a little behind him. She walked up the tree and back down it without the manikin and she had zero problems doing this but that was because her chakra reserves were so small she had no problems controlling and regulating it. On the flip side it also meant that she couldn't keep going up the tree for long periods of time. She was further slowed down by the heavy manikin but Sakura showed surprising resilience by continuing on. She had a deceptive amount of physical strength. She lasted for 9 minutes so far.

However with all those good points and progress there was one bad note.

Inari.

The son of Tsunami was antagonistic, pessimistic, depressing, and an overall kill joy. He's denounced and put down all of Team 7 and their accomplishments since they arrived at his house. He's moody and always locked in his room and rarely interacts with them. When he does it's only to antagonize and pass condescending and down putting remarks. Team 7 has tried it's best to ignore the little boy but it was starting to grate on their nerves having to listen to the same broken record mantra for the last two days especially when they would return to the house exhausted from hard training and then they would hear demeaning words meant to discourage them.

Even Iris and Chaos were getting annoyed at hearing such words and they were not even directed at them. (Mainly because nobody knew they were there except Kakashi.) Right now everyone was sitting at the dinner table eating a fresh and tasty dinner that Tsunami made with Naruto's help. Naruto knew every inch of a kitchen and exactly how to use one to make the best food in the world. Well at least Iris and Chaos thought his food was delicious. But then again so did Shoko, Anko, Aria, and Evangeline. So Naruto could safely say that his food wasn't terrible; and judging by the pleased looks on everyone's faces he now had proof that he was a decent cook.

Everything was going fine but the decent atmosphere was ruined again by another one of Inari's degrading comments after Kakashi implored Sakura and Sasuke to share their progress with him. Finally Naruto had enough.

"Inari how long do you plan to mope around and degrade us. You've shown us nothing but disrespect since we've gotten here and we risked our lives to grant your grandfather safe passage back into his country but not only that he begged us to help save you all and instead of being grateful for that you turn around and undermine everything your grandfather went through. What is bothering you so much? Why do you dislike us so much?" Naruto asked. His question cut a thick line through all the talking and festivities of everyone's dinner. Now everyone was focused on what was happening.

Naruto said his words calmly but in reality he was biting his tongue a little. He was very annoyed by the boy's attitude but he didn't want to seem rude in a guess's house. Shoko and Hinata managed to beat etiquette and manners into him from an early age.

Inari glared at Naruto for calling him out in such a manner and forcing him into a spotlight he obviously didn't want to be in. But now that he was there he couldn't back out now. "You want to know why I don't like you." Inari asked with a sneer. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the kid for his obvious disrespect. "What gives you the right to come here and act all cheerful? How can you all be so relaxed? How can you say you're going to save my country yet you all are obviously weak since you came here nearly dead? How can you say you're going to save my country when you all don't know what we've been through?" Inari ranted. His voice raised an octave for every question he asked.

Naruto gritted his teeth a little at hearing the last two questions. The first one stung his pride while the second one offended him. Sasuke and Kakashi also felt the slight pang of their pride being wounded but more so Sasuke than Kakashi. The experienced Jōnin was far above rising to such insulting words but he's still a man so his pride is still susceptible to being wounded.

"You all don't know the first thing about suffering! You don't know how we suffered here at the hands of Gatō. He's ruthless and cruel. You all are from some big and fancy village that's safe and you guys probably never have to worry about a thing! You guys don't know what it's like to struggle or suffer like we do yet you come here trying to be heroes! BUT GUESS WHAT HEROES ONLY GET KILL-!"

 **BANG!**

Inari's belligerent tirade was cut short by Naruto slamming his good hand into the table so hard that everyone's plate's briefly jumped into the air before coming back down onto the wooden table spilling little bits of the food out.

"Are you done?" Naruto asked in a cold tone. His tone was so unforgiving that everyone except for Kakashi subconsciously flinched. "What?" Inari whispered. "I said… Are you done? Because all I've heard come out of your mouth so far are blasphemous words against everything your family is trying to do. Do you not even understand the danger you grandfather is putting himself in everyday when he goes to work on that bridge? It is beyond me why Gatō hasn't assassinated your grandfather yet. It would be a trivial matter for one such as him. Better yet he could just kill off all of Tazuna's workers who have been his friends for decades and put an end to all of this. Or I know he could just strap thousands of explosive tags to the columns of the bridge and sink it in seconds. All of Tazuna's blood, sweat, and tears would have sunk to the bottom of the river along with his bridge. Then what would you do then. You guys would really be screwed. Those supplies and resources didn't fall from a tree you know. I bet the bridge is sucking up every last drop this country can produce in its poor state right now. Yet your grandfather knows all of this and he still continues to work his hardest because he knows if he can get that bridge done then the far reaching benefits will outweigh all of the losses and sacrifices he's had to make up until this point. Now this just leaves us at you." Naruto stated in a cold and detached voice.

The way he spoke of the different ways Gatō could stop Tazuna was like he was speaking about the weather. No better yet everyone thought. It sounded like Naruto was speaking as if these would be plans he would come up with and execute. Like he was trying to decide which one was better or more amusing. It sent a chill down everyone's spine when they thought of this.

"You've done nothing but whine and complain about how we should give up and go home; that we don't belong here and that we're only getting in the way; that we don't know what suffering is and we've never tried walking a mile in your shoes. These are some real hypocritical words coming from someone who has already given up." Naruto said as he bored a hole into Inari's eyes. Inari had silent tears running down his face as he stared back into the cold navy blue icy chips that were Naruto's eyes.

"How dare you?" Inari said barely above a whisper as his hold body trembled in silent rage, sadness, guilt, and remorse. "HOW DARE YOU!" Inari screamed as he lunged out of his chair but before he could even take a single step Tsunami who was sitting next to him grabbed him by his shoulders since that was the only place she could grab given how she was seated. "Inari calm down you must stop!" Tsunami struggled; she was trying to get out of her chair to restrain her son, but given the position she was in it was not helping. Tazuna who was on the opposite side was getting up as well. Naruto didn't even flinch when Inari exploded.

"I DON'T CARE SO SHUT UP MOM!" **BANG!**

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

"I don't care! Now shut up Eva!" A very young Naruto yelled to his trusted partner. The little winter fairy had tears pooling in her eyes since Naruto never in his life talked to her in such a way. Then the pain came even before Naruto could fully register it.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

Naruto's hand moved faster than he could even register it.

 **SLAP!**

Silence. The entire room was as silent as a grave yard. Nobody moved. Inari's face was turned to the side and his cheek was swollen with a large red spot. Naruto had slapped Inari straight across the face and he didn't do it lightly either. The back of Naruto's hand was red as well. Inari slowly panned his eyes up to Naruto's and they nearly fell out of his head. Naruto's eyes were dead. There was no life in them just two jaded dark pits that made you feel as if your skin was ice cold or was that caused by the actual temperature in the room being close to the freezing point since it just plummeted in seconds. Inari didn't know or care and neither did the others in the room either since nobody's ever seen this side of Naruto before.

"I don't care if you are angry with me but don't take your anger out on others especially your family. Now apologize to your mother for hurting her." Naruto said in a cold tone as he panned his eyes over to Tsunami. Inari involuntarily followed his eyes and his small black ones widened beyond disbelieve. Tsunami was bleeding. The dinner they were eating was different and as such they were using utensils such as knives and forks instead of the customary chopsticks. When Inari yelled at his mother he jerked back and used his shoulders that she was holding onto to push her off of him. However since she was trying to get out of the chair at the time she didn't have a proper balance so she fell back into her chair and pushed against the table which caused the knife she was using to fall off and cut into her wrist.

Ironically enough it was the same wrist that Naruto injured the other day. Luckily it cut the top of her wrist instead of the bottom were the veins are located so she wasn't going to quickly bleed out or anything. "Momma I-I I'm sorry." Inari whispered in disbelieve and shock. The little boy couldn't take the sight of the blood dripping onto the floor and the fact that it was his mother's blood made it even worst. Inari fled the room as fast as he could and he didn't look back.

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw. Inari ran away without checking to see if his mother was ok. He wanted to chase after the boy but he was feeling uncharacteristically tired at the moment and he could feel his strength leaving him. Naruto's mind was already made up for what he was going to do next.

Walking over quickly Naruto grabbed the glass of water that Tsunami didn't drink out of yet and scratched his head. A small lump of golden dust piled up in his hand courtesy of Evangeline who like always was one step ahead of Naruto in his thinking pattern. Naruto dumped the dust into the glass of water as if he was pouring tea spoons of sugar into a drink. The water immediately started to sparkle and reflect light in a golden hue just like all the times before. Everyone widen their eyes at this except for Kakashi.

Naruto grabbed Tsunami's wrist and placed it over the sink. He poured the glass of golden water over her wrist and everyone heard a hissing sound. Everyone's eyes widen beyond believe when the large cut on Tsunami's hand closed up in a sizzling smog of steam.

Naruto was silent as a mouse the entire time. He didn't say a word. Despite all of the crazy feats he's seen the Ninja do in the last week alone Tazuna could honestly say he's never seen anything quite like what he just witnessed.

' _What on earth?'_

' _How is that even possible?'_

These were the thoughts of Sasuke and Sakura who couldn't take their eyes off of Tsunami's wrist that was healed miraculously right in front of their very eyes. Naruto still as silent as ever walked pass everyone with his head low and shadowing his face and headed for the door. He slipped on his shoes and before anyone could regain the ability to speak watched him walk straight out the door.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

"HOW DARE I?"

"HOW DARE HE!"

Naruto screamed as he was in a clearing half a mile away from Tazuna's house. It was late at night and the nighttime ambient sounds of the forest could be heard by all except for Naruto who was in a very rare uncontrollable rage. He seethed as he slammed his blue colored fist into a nearby tree with a roar and watched as it was literally ripped from its roots and blasted apart in two by Naruto's **Acceleration Punch**.

All around the small clearing he was in the forest was destroyed and torn up. Thin sharp lines cut through many of the trees and bushes indicating Naruto must have either used a sword or his wind style probably both and there was some patches of frozen grass and tree limbs as well as puddles all over the clearing with many of the trees soaking wet down to their bark. It was clear that Naruto lost control over his power since the clearing did not look anything like what it was supposed to be.

"Hey, hey, Naru. It's ok. It's ok now. You can calm down. It's ok." Eva soothed as she finally got Naruto to look at her. He was panting and his eyes which were clouded over in rage and anger returned to their brighter ocean blue color but again they were clouded over but this time by fatigue and exhaustion as well as seeds of confusion and shame.

Naruto tumbled back and landed against one of the very few trees unscathed in his siege of the forest. "Eva what happened to me? Why did I lose control like that?" Naruto asked with undeniable disbelieve and confusion in his eyes. The anger he felt was his own but he didn't believe he should have been that angry. "I'm sorry Naru. I was also quite angry at Inari. I couldn't properly keep my own anger in check either so my Yōki influenced your emotions and enhanced them. I've been siphoning them out of you for the last 10 minutes now. I'm sorry." Evangeline apologizes once Naruto finally calmed down.

"It's ok Eva. There's no point in pointing fingers at anyone right now. I'm just so tired after today. Who knew dealing with a kid like that would leave you this drained?" Naruto stated as he leaned his back against the thick tree.

"Daddy? Are you better now?" Iris asked in worry. Iris and Chaos released themselves soon after Naruto left the house. They were equally worried about Naruto who was emotionally and physically at his limit. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but the news of what they were up against and the new developments that keep popping up have been taking its toll on Naruto and his mental stability has been stressed because of it. Not to mention his physical abilities are hampered by his injury that has been healing remarkably these last few days. Naruto estimated that by the end of the week he would be completely healed and would have full function over his arm and neck again. Also Naruto has been silently worried about Shoko and everyone back in the village so it's was a small weigh in the back of his mind as well.

"Yeah sweetie. I'm sorry you had to see me like that. You must have been scared." Naruto said as he took his hand and scooped up Iris into his lap. He gently rubbed his hand against her cheek and the princess didn't protest but instead she leaned into Naruto's touch. Her face although marred with worry for her father, was also blended in with contentment form his current actions right now. "I was afraid I was going to have to step in and calm you down myself. But I figured you needed to get this stress off your chest so I stayed back." Iris said softly although with a tad bit of hesitance in her voice. She wasn't sure if Naruto would approve of her stepping in like that. He would most likely be angry that he might hurt her by accident.

"I'm sure you would have calmed me down without any problems. Your powers are amazing after all." Naruto said in his soft and gentle voice. It was the voice that was reserved solely for Iris and Chaos. With Eva he was more casual but he could sometimes be softer whenever they were having a tender moment. Naruto picked up on Iris indecision so he wanted to make sure that she knew he was fine.

Iris blushed both bashfully and with her usual shyness at her father's praise. She buried her face in his chest to hide her red face. Naruto smiled at this since he knows which buttons to press on Iris and Chaos to get them to react a certain way. He's had a lot of practice since he's raised arguably two of the most manipulative girls in their age group. They were never malicious with their schemes and manipulations but they knew Naruto inside and out and had him firmly wrapped around their pinky eagerly at their beck and call. Anko often teases Naruto that he's whipped by two little girls but instead of rising to the obvious bait Naruto would usually respond with a small content smile while confirming that he knew what they were up to most of the time.

"Dada you should do that again that was so much fun. Eeeeeeeh!" Chaos said with a girlish squeal. Her large slanted purple eyes were wide open with a giddiness that Naruto rarely sees on her face. Chaos looked like Christmas came early. Naruto knew why of course. The negative and chaotic emotions that he was giving off were like an aphrodisiac towards Chaos who lives off of such emotions. He could tell and sense that she fed off of his earlier rampage and glancing around Naruto noticed a few signature marks around the clearing that he is incapable of making but a certain mistress of destruction is.

"It probably wouldn't be a good idea for me to do that again Chaos. Although I do feel better now." Naruto idly said as Chaos skipped over to Naruto and her sister with a noticeable pep in her step. Sometimes he underestimates just how much his ever changing emotions affect his daughters. Just the slightest amount of either positive or negative emotions could drastically affect his daughters and how they act when those emotions are present.

Sitting down next to Naruto Chaos leaned in and placed her head down partially on Iris's lap who was enjoying sitting in her father's lap. "That boy has a lot of growing up to do. He is to narrow minded and ignorant of how this world works. He's not the only one who has suffered." Naruto said after a few minutes of silence. "I know and I agree. However his will has been broken. That picture in the kitchen a person has been ripped out of it. I assume Gatō has killed one of his family members. Most likely his father." Eva speculated. She was naturally attuned to emotions being a demon and it helped her a lot with figuring things like this out.

"I was thinking the same. I'll have to deal with him real soon. This cannot be allowed to continue. We already have enough problems and enemies to deal with as it is. It would be crazy to have an enemy in the very person you're trying to save while fighting against an enemy who nearly killed you once before." Naruto said tiredly. His mental and physical might has deteriorated rapidly in the last few days. Naruto truly needed to rest and that was exactly what he was planning on doing. He could feel himself dozing off.

"Are we heading back to the house?" Eva asked tiredly. "No we'll head back in the morning. It's too late to head back and I don't think I would be able to go even if I wanted to." Naruto replied as he closed his eyes. "Goodnight girls." Naruto mumbled as he made one last adjustment to make sure Iris and Chaos were comfortable. "Night daddy/Naru." Eva, Iris, and Chaos responded before they all drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 _ **The Next Morning**_

The sun was just rising over the horizon bathing the forest in a soft light. In a small clearing in the woods a boy that looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old was propped up against a tree with a small little girl no older than six wrapped tightly in his arms, a small girl with wings as small as eight inches tall lay in the boy's messy blonde hair; all three were a sleep.

A small girl also about six years old sat staring at the three from the first branch in the tree they were leaning on. The clearing was quiet with only the sound of the many birds that have gathered in the surrounding trees. The peace and quiet was kept for a little while longer until small dull footsteps could be heard approaching the clearing at a methodical pace.

Upon hearing the intrusion of peace the little girl quickly turned her head to the direction of the sound and her eyes quickly flashed a dangerous robotic red before it faded back to the soft purple color they always are; whatever she saw must have excited the girl because a big smile spread across her face, but for some reason the smile seemed a little off, a little demented looking even. With that being noted the little girl seemed to slowly fade away into the background of trees just as the footsteps entered the clearing.

Iris the name of the girl who was sleeping soundly in the arms of her surrogate father suddenly awoke upon sensing the disturbance nearing them. Her spatial awareness and ability to sense emotions particularly positive ones were second to none even at her very young age. These traits and skills came easy to Iris just like breathing. Iris's baby blue eyes scanned the clearing quickly and she spotted a figure coming into the clearing. Thinking fast Iris transformed herself into a brow teddy bear with a green collar around its neck. It was resting securely in the boy whose name was Naruto arm.

Entering the clearing was a relatively short person standing at 4'11 maybe a solid 5'0. The person had long black hair, pale skin and large dark-brown eyes, and a slender frame. Around their neck was a small black band. The mysterious person had on a pink kimono with a dark pink swirl designs scattered around for aesthetic designs. A white sash helped keep the kimono closed. The person had on thin sandals that added an extra 5cm to their height but nothing more. In the person's hands was a small straw basket that had a few freshly picked herbs and plants in them.

Naruto stirred awake not only at the sudden shift in weight on his body do to Iris transforming but also because he too had a highly developed spatial awareness that he naturally had to develop with a lot of trial and error. As he is now his awareness is comparable to an experienced Jōnin.

Opening his striking blue eyes Naruto scanned the clearing in seconds and discovered the mysterious person approaching him. Naruto closed his eyes and pretended to sleep since he could easily tell that this person was a stranger. Once the person was a foot away from him Naruto heard them drop their basket.

[Daddy this is strange, I don't sense any malice or evil intentions from this person.] Iris's voice rang out in Naruto's head. Her voice was always something Naruto enjoyed listening too since it was so unique and elegant. _'I see. That is a little strange. Maybe it isn't an ambush or something.'_ Naruto contemplated as he receded from his inner thoughts.

"Hey wake up. If you stay out here you'll catch a cold." The person spoke up. Their voice was very feminine and soft yet it was a lot deeper than an average girl's voice. Opening his eyes Naruto's then blue eyes widened to the point of nearly falling out. _'Holy crap who is she? She's got to be the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my life.'_ Naruto thought to himself with his jaw unhinging a little. Naruto could feel a stirring in the back of his mind and he could sense that Iris was suddenly in a bad mood.

"Hey there I see you're awake now." The apparent girl spoke up. Again the voice was soothing yet just a tad bit deeper than the average girl. Thinking this Naruto felt another spike of anger from Iris. "Um yeah, uh hi." Naruto fumbled with his words. None of his tuned shinobi senses were going off around this person so he didn't have anything to fear. However he was still trying to be cautious. "My name is Haku what's yours?" The attractive girl asked. Her large doe brown eyes were staring into Naruto's cerulean colored eyes with curiosity and a hint of mirth.

"Oh me… I… uh… my name is Naruto." Naruto said as he again stuttered over his words. It would seem like his inability to function properly around pretty girls was coming back to haunt him again. It started with Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen Stand; then it went to Hinata. He fumbled around with Hinata for some time after meeting her. He didn't know how to properly act around what he considered to be his first real friend and the fact that she was a shy girl made it worst. The day they met in the forest was just him being forced to respond to the fact that she discovered Evangeline and he felt like he owed her because she got dragged into his mess. This then went to both Shoko and Henrietta who he also didn't know how to act around. However he never really acted this way around Aria when they met.

It would seem like his instant crushes syndrome was making a return. "Nice to meet you Naruto. May I ask what were you doing sleeping out here all by yourself?" Haku asked simply as she sat down in the soft grass next to Naruto. With the amount of moisture in the air it made sure that the grass was always soft to the touch. "Oh nothing really. I was just doing some late night training but I was exhausted so I fell asleep here." Naruto answered in a half lie, half-truth. Even if he didn't sense any bad intentions from the girl in front of him he still instinctively didn't fully trust anyone he just met.

"So is that why the clearing is half destroyed?" Haku asked again in curiosity. Her brown doe eyes panned the clearing and took in the damage done to the area. "Yeah I guess I went overboard huh?" Naruto sheepishly replied while scratching the back of his head in a nervous/embarrassed habit that he's had for as long as he could remember. "I would say so. But why were you training? You look plenty strong to me." Haku said with a tilt of her head. This caused Naruto to blush while turning his head to the side. Again he could feel Iris's presence in the back of his mind and for some reason his princess was not happy and he could sense that he was the cause.

"Oh well I'm not all that strong really. I need to continue training. I have to get stronger." Naruto admitted. In all honesty Naruto knew that he was quite powerful for someone his age and especially during this time period were the countries and villages were not in constant war. Back then many children were pushed into active service and they either grew strong enough to survive or their lives were tragically cut short. There were no other alternatives. Those were the only two options you had. For him to be this strong while not in the same scenario as his own sensei and those of his age group who he knew grew up during the Third Shinobi World War based on their age was nothing short of impressive. Naruto knew that he was easily high level Genin/low level Chūnin just with his base skills. Add in his signature Ice Style moves and then he would be high level Chūnin at best. But going full out using his trump card the High End Skills that would place him closer to an average low level Jōnin. But going full out is not something he can maintain for long and none of his techniques are so strong that they are unbeatable.

While his advanced growth rate and street experience not to mention his training at the hands of Hiruzen, Weasel, and Shoko has left him far above those of his age group; Naruto knew that any experienced Jōnin or any other opponent could still beat him based on experience, skills, and any unique ability that they may have. So Naruto knew that he was not all powerful. He knew that he was a heavy hitter and a powerhouse but he humbly knew that he was very far from being exceptionally strong. Shoko saw to that over the years with the numerous spars and training sessions they've had. Realistically speaking Naruto wasn't going to march into Hiruzen's office and beat him in a one on one duel or somehow outclass Shoko in a swords match. It was just not possible.

"What is your reason for growing stronger? Do you have something to protect?" Haku asked while eyeing Naruto carefully. Naruto thought about it for a quick moment and a warm smile spread across his face. He instantly thought of Evangeline who was his other half. They were like two sides of the same coin. They completed each other. Iris and Chaos was obvious. They were his daughters and there was nothing more important to him in his live than them. They wormed their way into his heart and life and held on tight. He couldn't imagine living without them. Shoko and Anko came next. Naruto privately imagined to himself that Shoko must be like what having a mother would be like. She holds a special place in his heart for all that she's done for him. Anko was the crazy annoying older sister that you can't help but love and silently become attached to. Naruto also owes Anko a great deal for all that she's done for him. Finally Naruto came to Hinata, Henrietta, and Aria who are his closes friends and the three friends that he trust above all else.

Naruto's thoughts also drifted to Hiruzen; the Ichiraku family; Iruka; his classmates and friends Shikamaru, Choji and Shino; Dino; his colleagues; and a few others. But he knew he would always care about them.

"Yes I do. I have things very important to me that I have to protect." Naruto admitted warmly. He could feel Iris's apparent anger start to dissipate. Her emotions from what he could tell became bashful and shy again just like any other time he would think about her. For whatever reason she got angry Naruto was just glad he was able to make her happy again.

Haku smiled gently at Naruto. "Then you will become strong. I believe that when a person has something that they want to protect then they will unlock and achieve their true strength. A strength that will allow them to defeat anyone who would stand in their way of protecting the things they cared about." Haku stated with a lot of passion laced in with her words.

"Those are some very wise words Haku. I can easily see the truth in them. It's a really nice saying." Naruto complimented with a smile. He could easily see the purity and truth in those words and they were sentiments that Naruto's felt for a long time regarding his rag tag surrogate family that he loves more than his own life. When you're an orphan who has longed for a family for all your life and then you meet and befriend a group of people from all different walks of life you become attached to them. Especially when they are so diverse that they can sympathize and empathize with you.

"Thank you. They are words I live by." Haku said with a small smile. Naruto returned the smile before his eyes trailed down to the basket placed next to Haku. "What are those herbs for?" Naruto asked in curiosity. He wasn't stupid. He didn't mistake them for normal flowers. The assortments of flowers in the basket were used for making herbs and remedies. Shoko being an experienced medic drilled those lessons into Naruto among a wide range of other useful information and skills.

Not showing any shock Haku smiled once again. "My father recently became ill. These herbs will bring him back to health." Haku explained simply. There were some patches of flowers still in the clearing and her eyes were drawn to them. "I'll help if you want me too." Naruto said with a light tinge of pink on his cheek. "I would love the help." Haku agreed.

Naruto and Haku made small talk as they picked the necessary herbs for Haku to make a remedy for her sick father. In that time Naruto could honestly say he quite enjoyed Haku's company. She was a great girl who had a sense of humor and was interesting. They talked for about half an hour in which time Haku asked Naruto simple questions like what happened to his arm and why did he have a teddy bear with him. Naruto answered those questions and in turn he asked Haku his own list of questions. Haku answered these questions easily and the two continued their conversation before Haku told Naruto she had to go.

"Thank you for the help Naruto. I appreciate it very much. With this I can make my father better." Haku said with a charming smile on her face. Blushing at this Naruto watched as Haku started to walk away. As he watched her walk away Naruto's eyes subconsciously started to trail down to Haku's hips and butt and the second they did Haku turned to look at Naruto who had surpassed Hinata in the blushing department. In his mind he thought he was caught.

"Oh and by the way I'm a boy." Haku said coyly as 'He' walked away leaving Naruto frozen as a statue. With that Haku left the clearing leaving behind a catatonic Naruto who was frozen stiff like a living statue. Once Haku was gone Iris revealed herself and she had a scowl on her face. "Daddy what…—? Daddy? Daddy?" Iris said as her scowl turned to a looked of irritation and confusion as she snapped her fingers in front of Naruto's face who would not move an inch. Not even his eyes moved. "Step aside Iris. I got this." Eva said with a sigh. With that Eva blasted Naruto with a stream of water that knocked him onto the ground.

"Huh…? What…?" Naruto mumbled out in a disoriented haze. He wiped his eyes and face of the water that was blinding him and looked to see both Iris and Eva in front of him with annoyed and irritated looks on their faces. "What?" Naruto said in confusion.

"Daddy you're an idiot." Iris said with a huff as she turned away from Naruto while crossing her arms over her chest. She had a scowl on her face as she glared a hole into the path that Haku took to leave the area. "What did I do?" Naruto mumbled. "Naru, I'm so angry at you right now." Eva said in a deadpan. Her voice didn't sound angry but she looked like she would freeze Naruto any second now based on the irritated look on her face.

"Wait Haku's a boy. Oh my god! Haku's a boy. HAKU'S A BOY!" Naruto exclaimed as the shock finally caught up to him and he fainted in the same fashion Hinata would. Eva's eye was twitching and a ball of water was floating above her head. It didn't take a genius to know that she was really annoyed with her life partner.

Iris's glare intensified and with one final growl of repressed irritation she stomped her foot on the ground and the tree closes to her spontaneously combusted into a magnificent painting of whites, oranges, yellows and reds of fire. Eva watched as her little sister stomped off in one of her very, very rare temper tantrums when something she didn't like happened. "Great now I got to put out that fire before the whole forest burns down. Naru this is all your fault." Eva muttered while glaring down at her other half. _'Wait where is Chaos?'_ Eva thought in a brief afterthought after not seeing Chaos.

* * *

 _ **Further into the Forest**_

The boy was walking along the path with a calm only a 'civilian' could possess as he whistled a small little song completely unaware of the disturbing encounter he was about to have. Chaos was silently trailing her newest victim… (I mean soon to be friend) with a happy little smile on her face. When he reached far enough away from the clearing Chaos decided now was the time to finally greet her new friend.

 _ **Haku's POV**_

' _He sure is an interesting boy. To think he could push master Zabuza so much. Just being near him I could sense how much power he possessed. It's staggering. Even injured I know he would pose a challenge to defeat in a straight up one on one battle. I should have taken him out then and there away from his team but something in my gut was telling me not to. I wonder what it was?'_ Haku thought in serious contemplation. He was genuinely curious about Naruto as he is someone definitely different than anyone he's met before.

Haku was brought out of his musing as a figure was approaching him from the direction he was headed. The figure turned out to be another boy about two years younger than him he had black hair with bangs falling to the side of his face as well as hair in the back of his head. He would have kept observing if not for the fact that he got a weird vibe from him they did not even make eye contact with each other despite the fact the path was a little narrow. Then the moment was over they passed by each other without even acknowledging each other. _'That's one of Naruto's teammates. If what I heard was right his name is Sasuke. He's interesting and will certainly be threat but he's not as interesting as Naruto.'_ Haku mused to himself.

Haku was content to keep on walking when he froze as he heard a little girl's voice speak directly into his ear "Hi there want to be friends?" Chaos whispered with her signature giggle in Haku's ear. Haku quickly spun around to discover he was the only person on the path as Sasuke who he pasted not even five seconds before was no longer there. "Who's there?" Haku asked as he heard little footsteps running around him but they were never in his line of sight. The boys eyes scanned the path as he tried to discover where the sound of the footsteps were coming from but he could never find it. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worst his vision started to get blurry as the scene in the forest kept on changing from the morning forest that he knew he was in to a dusk setting with a dark sky with a moon and the snowy trees covered in blood, if that was not bad at all he could hear heart wrenching screams in the distance.

' _What's going on? Is this a Genjutsu?'_ Haku thought in a panic. He surged his energy but nothing happened. "He sure is interesting isn't he?" Chaos asked in a disembodied voice. "Are you talking about Naruto? How do you know him?" Haku questioned as his vision would blur and then fix itself. "I've been watching him for a long time now. He's my most favorite dolly of all. He's so much fun to play with." Chaos replied with a giggle that sent a tiny shiver down Haku's back.

The scene of trees covered in snow and blood kept coming back in and out each time he heard the little girl giggle. "Where are you, show yourself? Whatever game you think this is it's not funny, if you don't stop I will be forced to hurt you!" The boy yelled out into the path as he got a reply again in his ear "But I'm just saying hello like a good little girl *giggle.* But I have some questions to ask you. One is would you like to be my friend because I don't have many; two would you like to play a little game I like to call sanity survival; and three what is your favorite type of horror scene? *giggle*"

Chaos asked these questions with childlike laughter that sounded demented. Ever since coming to the Land of Waves Chaos could feel herself being riled up. She mention this to Naruto on the boat ride into the country. Like Iris Chaos is very sensitive to emotions of all kinds but unlike her sister Chaos could actually see the Emotional Wave Spectrum with her naked eyes. She could see what type of emotions a person was having and she was specifically attuned to negative and chaotic emotions.

She could feel herself becoming more and more agitated and riled up the more time she spent in Wave. It got bad when Naruto was incapacitated for two days because he wasn't conscious to comfort her and suppress her instincts. Her instincts acts up whenever she absorbs to much turmoil and chaotic energy. The land of Waves right now is the perfect place for her to absorb such energy because of all the suffering going on behind its borders. Naruto was able to suppress some of it by spending time with her after he finally regained consciousness but it wasn't enough. Especially when the feeling was growing every day.

Before the boy could answer any of the questions he was then assaulted by wave after wave of disturbing scene's each worse than the last. This went on for a couple of minutes with the boy screaming after he saw scenes of snow with blood in it, after a while he begged her to stop. "STOP! PLEASE!"

"Aww! But we were just getting to the good part!" The little girl whined out as you could hear the disappointment in her voice. "Please stop. Why are you doing this to me?" Haku asked while trembling. He was just forced to relive and remember some painful memories that he would have rather left buried. "Aww. So that's what you are. I never would have guessed that. That's pretty neat Haku." Chaos said with childlike amazement in her voice as she discovered something about Haku. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. Some people are just ignorant and deserve to die." Chaos commented. Haku could feel the palm of a little girls hand gently rub his hair but when he looked over his shoulder no one was there.

"What did you do to me?" Haku asked in fright. This was not a Genjutsu. As far as he knew this was real or some type of illusion so powerful he couldn't break free. "I just looked into your memories. I wanted to see if you were some kind of threat to my dolly. But I never would have guessed that you had a past like that. I'm so sorry. You must have been so scared. No one was there to give you any love." Chaos said sympathetically. She truly was sorry for whatever she saw in Haku's memories but the boy couldn't tell that she was genuine with her concern since he was to weary and scared of this strange and dangerous encounter he was having.

"Who or what are you?" Haku asked with a shake of his head. He has never encountered something like this before and for the live of him he could not locate Chaos. She was completely beyond his sensing range yet he knew she was close by.

"I told you already silly that I'm just saying hello; I am your new friend. My name is - and I want to play with you." Chaos said with a happy tone in her voice. Her voice cracked and became distorted when she tried to say her name. "If we become friends we can play together all the time and I can teach you all about LOVE!"

By the time she finished the sentence and reached the word Love the tone in her voice went from happy to Insane.

* * *

 _ **Later on that day**_

A door was flung open as a boy in a pink kimono dragged himself into a wide open room with wooden walls and floors. The room was Spartan in design but it had the basic amenities. There was a bed in the room and on the bed a tall man was covered up in the covers but he acknowledged the boys presence but his eyes widened for a moment when he took in the boy's appearance.

"Haku what happened to you?" The man asked in surprise. Haku was sweating profusely and his straight and perfectly maintained hair was disheveled and in a mess. His kimono was disheveled as well and covered in sweat. Haku's face was paler than usual.

"Master Zabuza. We have a problem."

* * *

 _ **With Naruto later on that day**_

After being forcibly woken up after fainting Naruto tried and failed to get Iris to pay any attention to him. He knew she was angry with him but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why and the princess was not being forthcoming with information. Usually when Naruto tries to get Iris's attention she would come running since she loves to be showered and pampered by Naruto's overwhelming attention and dotting. But at the moment she was ignoring her father who she was angry with.

Eva was also angry at Naruto but she was more jealous than anything. She was jealous because Naruto gained another one of his instant crushes on another girl. In the past she didn't mind because she got to know those people who would quickly go on to become people she would consider her family but this girl who was without a doubt drop dead gorgeous and Eva would freely admit that came out of nowhere and somehow managed to capture Naruto's attention.

Eva couldn't truly blame Naruto for taking notice of Haku like that. She was again drop dead gorgeous and definitely one of the prettiest girls she's ever seen. She could understand how Naruto or any boy would instantly become smitten with her. Heck the moment Eva saw Haku her jaw dropped but luckily she was hidden away inside of Naruto's thick and spike hair underneath one of her simple illusions that could fool many people because it's not Genjutsu.

However it didn't stop her from being jealous of the girl. Her feelings for Naruto were coming to the forefront in this and she was heavily annoyed that some girl managed to get a reaction like that out of Naruto. However Eva would freely admit that Haku was a great catch and she was very interesting. If Eva didn't already love Naruto to such an extent and if she wasn't already in a committed relationship with Hinata which she took seriously even if it was mostly a joke between the two girls then Eva could honestly say she would like the girl too.

She could also understand why her little sister Iris was upset as well. While she doesn't show it Iris is extremely territorial over Naruto and she doesn't like it when other people especially girls take his attention away from her. While she doesn't mind Hinata, Henrietta, and Aria she still sometimes gets annoyed when they take Naruto's attention away. Now however she was furious because she recognized how beautiful Haku was and as a girl who knew she was exceptionally beautiful for someone her age Iris felt both threatened and jealous that Haku could grab Naruto's complete attention like that.

Eva was completely shocked when Haku said she was actually a boy. Eva was so shocked she almost fell out of Naruto's hair. Now this revelation actually stung her vulnerable feminine pride a lot. Eva doesn't have the best self-esteem about herself because of her size and growing feelings for Naruto but to see that a boy (admittedly an extremely attractive boy) could ensnare Naruto's attention like that was a sucker punch to Evangeline's face.

After a while Naruto was able to get Eva and Iris calm enough for them to walk with him. In a few minutes Naruto ran into Chaos who had to biggest smile on her face but Naruto instantly knew that it wasn't her normal smile. It was the smile that she wore when she let her instincts take over. Naruto instantly scooped Chaos up into his arms and began to stroke her head. Physical contact among other things was the only way to stave off the effects of Chaos's natural instincts.

After hearing what Chaos did and who Haku truly was a frown came on Naruto's face. "This complicates things." Naruto said as he returned to Tazuna's house. Iris and Chaos returned to their transformed states. _'I wonder what Ms. Tsunami made for breakfast?'_ Naruto asked himself as he turned the handle to the door. Stepping inside Naruto looked up and his eyes widened considerably.

"Guys?!"

"Naruto?"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Acceleration Punch -** The only known technique of  Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes (A/N):**_ Hey guys I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. This one actually took some time to write but I'm happy with it and I hope you guys are too. Naruto and Inari have had a serious disagreement. Naruto has also revealed some of his power to his teammates unintentionally and he also had an uncharacteristic breakdown brought on by the stress he's been trying to hide from everyone.

In the clearing he meets the one and only Haku who he has an interesting reaction too; which is consistent with previous run in's he's had over the years when it comes to pretty girls. We also see Iris and Evangeline jealous of Haku as well. However it's the interaction between Chaos and Haku that was a real highlight of this chapter I'm sure. Our little Angeloid of Chaos has discovered some things about Haku that no one was supposed to find out. Finally who is at the house when Naruto got back?

All of this and more will be revealed in the following chapters so stay tuned and find out.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 15 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 10/31/15


	17. CH: 16 Reinforcements Arrive

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everybody I'm back with another chapter and this one will be one you will all enjoy. A little drama, tension, and revelations to get the blood pumpin. Just what the doctor ordered. So strap yourselves in and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 16

 _ **Reinforcements Arrive**_

"How long do you plan on pacing around my dear?" Dino's gentle rumbling like voice called out as his eyes paced left and right repeatedly while shining with mirth in his eyes. The reason for this was because he was watching as Shoko wore out the hardwood floor in his office. She was repeatedly walking back and forth in front of his desk and she had a distraught look on her face. "Sir I'm sorry but I can't help it. I'm worried about him." Shoko responded as she looked at Dino with concerned eyes.

"It's understandable my dear but you must understand that he's growing up, not to mention he's quite powerful and resourceful. He will complete this mission and be back before you know it." Dino said in reassurance but again underlining his understanding eyes they shined with a barely hidden mirth and amusement as he watched one of the strongest Kunoichi's in history pace back and forth in front of him because she was worrying over her partner who she thinks of like a son was gone off to another country without her on an important mission. She was acting like an overprotective parent and it made him happy to see this side of her but he also thought it was funny.

"I know he'll complete the mission sir. I have faith in him but I'm worried now. Especially with the report we just got this afternoon. He's hurt. He fought Zabuza Momochi and that bastard seriously hurt my Naruto!" Shoko said and at the end her voice raised as she was quite upset that Naruto somehow went up against one of the former members of The 7 Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Not only that but he nearly got killed by one of them. It sent a surge of panic and worry not to mention white hot fury upon hearing this news earlier in the day.

"It is quite surprising. To have a shinobi of his caliber operating under Gatō's banner is not something that we expected. He's quite the formidable opponent. Even young Kakashi couldn't beat him but we know he couldn't go full out with his client and team so close by." Dino said as he browsed through the report he received about an hour earlier. It was sent by Aspen along with a letter from Naruto to the Hokage who Dino passed along as soon as he read the report from Aspen who mention what that letter was for.

"That runt still has a long way to go in terms of swordsmanship; and if I was there he would be dead at my feet." Shoko said with a dark edge to her voice. She was really upset with what happened and the fact that she stuck herself inside the village because of a certain someone was riling her up. "I'm sure that would be the case. Even if Zabuza and Kakashi teamed up they still wouldn't be able to beat you. Of course you would come out of such an engagement with some injuries of your own. You're still not quite back to your prime in terms of power but you're a lot closer than you were 6 years ago." Dino analyzed idly.

He was right Shoko's overall power has increased dramatically since she recovered from her fatal injuries three years prior. Ever since Naruto revived her she's thrown herself back into her training to reclaim the lost power she used to wield back during her prime which was during the Third Shinobi World War. Back then she had a fearsome reputation that garnered her quite a lot of attention both good and bad.

"It won't be long before I'm back to my old power sir. It won't be long." Shoko said as she finally stopped pacing back and forth. She sounded confident that she could regain what she lost. "Are you sure about that Shoko? In terms of power and skill yes you are very close to what you once were there is no doubt about that but can you handle being that way again? Your spirit isn't completely healed yet. You won't be able to use that special power of yours that gave you your moniker if you don't confront the demons of your past." Dino said in sympathy while looking at the young woman who tensed up at her leader's words.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to use that power again sir." Shoko said in shame as she looked down at her hands before she clenched them. "In time you'll learn about yourself my child. You will regain all that you've lost and I have a feeling young Naruto will be the one to help you on your journey." Dino said reassuringly with his own grandfatherly smile. Shoko cracked a smile at this as she sat down in her chair. She shared a close relationship with Dino who she saw as a surrogate father. He cared for her for years and has always been there for her. For that she's eternally thankful to the old man.

"Hello am I interrupting?" A husky voice cut into the conversation.

In that very same second a blade was pressed up against the neck of the person who spoke up. Balalaika was reclined in a relaxed position in the chair next to Shoko and said woman had her beautiful blade pressed against the jugular of the blond haired woman. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure from you this afternoon Balalaika? You do know it's rude to barge into a room and interrupt a conversation like that? I thought your mother would have taught you better manners." Dino said idly as he sipped some of his tea. He had it out as he reread the report Aspen sent him that reached the village about an hour and a half ago.

"I have been enjoying the amenities this village has to offer for the last week now. They certainly live up to their reputation." The King Pin said in a relaxed tone despite having a very sharp blade pressed against her neck. "Is that so? I'm glad to see tourist are enjoying them. But I thought I said no smoking in my office?" Dino implored and in a silver flash the cigarette that was lit in Balalaika's mouth was cut clean in two by Shoko's sword.

"Now that's just rude I could have put it out." The scarred blond haired woman idly said. She reached into her breast pocket to retrieve her packet of smokes and the second it was revealed it suddenly went up in a small ball of flames. "I was serious young lady. Defy me again and I might have to punish you." Dino said as he peered at Balalaika from over his tea cup. The look in his eyes were gentle but behind that laid something that was overwhelmingly powerful.

The flames didn't even so much as burn the woman's skin but she still looked at her hand and nails as if to see they were ok even though all three occupants of the room knew such thing couldn't hurt her in a million years. "I see… I tend to forget such things." The Hidden Stone King Pin said while idly moving Shoko's blade away from her neck with one finger. Shoko pushed back on her sword and the grinding of metal on metal was heard in the office.

"Now, now that is enough. Shoko stand down. Balalaika if you are here to talk then stop antagonizing Shoko." Dino said as he micromanaged two of the most powerful woman in history. It was a very awkward scene to witness especially if you knew and saw what the two women were capable of back during the war.

"As you wish." Balalaika said as she looked to Shoko who looked like she wanted to cut the woman's head off. "Shoko." Dino said in a patronizing way. He sounded just like a father scolding their daughter. Shoko scowled at the blond haired woman before slowly taking her sword away from her neck which was being blocked by her finger. Shoko's sword disappeared back into her seal and the purple haired woman crossed her arms over her chest.

Shaking his head Dino looked to Balalaika to being speaking. "Now what is it that you wanted to discuss?" Dino implored. "Oh I was out window shopping earlier when a stray thought came to mind. Where is that fascinating young man I met when I first got her? I haven't seen him in over a week. And those two young girls either." Balalaika asked and she smirked when she saw Shoko's scowl increase.

"Oh… and why would you be interested in them?" Dino asked in curiosity. "Oh I think you know why Lord Dino. Black shaggy hair in that style. I don't think so. Not in this village. So I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume that since he was under a transformation his natural hair color is blond. Bright blue eyes in that particular shape and they even appeared just the tiniest bit amethyst. Round face and thin frame. He's definitely no Yamanaka that's for sure and no one else in this village has blond hair in that style… boy this is the hardest mystery to solve." Balalaika said with sarcasm in the end.

Yet again Shoko had her sword pressed up against Balalaika's neck and again the woman was blocking Shoko's sword with her finger. The sound of metal on metal was heard in the office again. "Stop playing games. Just say what you have to say already." Shoko said with a freezing glare. "Now girls I thought I said no more fighting in my office?" Dino said as he locked eyes with both woman and they both felt an immense weight settle down on their shoulders. It was a simple look but both women knew just what the man in front of them was capable of even in his old age.

"I'm sorry Lord Dino it's just that I'm so happy to know that Minato and Kushina's son is still alive. We all thought that he died on that night." Balalaika said with a mocking happy look on her face. At this point Shoko was trembling in rage and she wanted nothing more than to cut the antagonistic woman's head off.

"Is that so? So what do you intend to do now that you know your greatest rival went off and had a child. What are your intentions with her child?" Dino asked as he eyed the King Pin carefully. "My intentions? Oh my! Whatever do you mean? You're not suggesting that I would harm Kushina's child are you?" Balalaika asked with a fake scandalized look on her face. It wasn't fooling anybody and it wasn't meant too.

"That's exactly what he's asking and you better consider your answer carefully Sofiya." Shoko threatened. The mocking look on Balalaika's face was wiped off and she grabbed Shoko's sword with her bare hand without being cut and forcibly moved it away from her neck. "You don't get to call me by that name. On Kushina could." The King Pin said with a glare in Shoko's direction. This time Shoko didn't back down and returned the glare but they both stopped when the weight returned to their shoulders only this time it was three times as powerful. Dino calmly placed his tea cup on his desk and as soon as he did the entire room started to lightly shake. "Now girls I don't think I made myself clear. There will be no fighting in my office so either behave yourselves or I'll have to punish you. Do you understand?" Dino said and an edge was starting to creep into his voice.

The two women let go of each other reluctantly while keeping their eye on the old man sitting in front of them. "Need I remind you child, that while you may be the strongest Kunoichi in the world that does not mean you are above the rules. You are a guest in this village and more importantly you are a guess of my establishment right now. I won't tolerate such belligerent behavior." Dino scolded while eyeing Balalaika to see her response. The woman smirked and relaxed back into her chair.

"Still as scary as ever. Between you, Lord Hokage, and Danzō I would find myself in a spot of bother if I was to anger you further so I'll play nice for now." Balalaika conceded. "You talk as if I'm not relevant." Shoko said with a glare. "Oh I was only mentioning people who are a threat to me. Besides you already have your own rival to worry about. You're lucky I didn't bring her along. I know you wouldn't be able to control yourself if you saw her. You have no idea how tempting it was for me to bring her." Balalaika stated while eyeing Shoko.

Shoko's eyes turned dead as she watched the Kingpin closely. She took her sword away from Balalaika but it was clear that there was a lot on her mind. "In regards to Kushina's son I want to meet him again and formally this time." The Hidden Stone Kingpin requested. "Why would you want to meet him?" Dino asked. "Because I want to see if he's worthy." Balalaika stated but this time she had more of a serious look on her face. "Worthy of what?"

"I want to see if he's worth of the legacy Kushina left behind. That woman was the strongest kunoichi in history and she long since surpassed Lady Tsunade and took her title as strongest. Her power shook this world to its core and she was what every aspiring kunoichi and swordswoman wanted to be. I want to see if that little brat is worthy of her name. Not to mention Minato and his pedigree. He has a lot to live up to and I will be quite upset if the son of my greatest rival turned out to be a disappointment. Poor Kushina would be rolling around in her grave if her son turned out to be a wimp." Balalaika said with finality in her voice.

"You're wrong about Kushina. She would never be disappointed in her son. She would just want him to grow up happy and safe. Whether he became a shinobi or not would not affect how she feels about him." Shoko said in defense of the woman she loved above all others. Shoko could feel a pain in her chest just thinking about the red haired woman.

"Well then you should be happy to hear that her son is quite powerful for a boy his age not to mention quite resourceful and skilled." Dino informed while drinking more of his tea. "Is that so? Well that's good to hear. I'm more eager than ever to meet him. So I'm to assume you sent him out on that little mission to get rid of Gatō?" Balalaika inquired. Dino raised his eyebrow at this. "And just how would you know about that?"

"Oh come now sir. Gatō is a business partner of mine and what you're doing is only going to hurt my profits in the end. It could cause problems between our two families if he was to suddenly die." The Kingpin stated. "Yes it can create problems on your end but are you suggesting you're going to get in my way if I don't back off of your associate?" Dino probed in curiosity. However it wasn't just curiosity, it was a veiled threat.

"I may have to. But I can be persuaded quite easily to turn the other way and ignore this matter completely if you grant me two things." Balalaika offered while looking into the eyes of Dino. The robust old man hummed to himself in thought. "And these two wishes of yours?" Dino inquired. "A chance to meet Kushina's legacy and 30 percent of the profit you gain from Gatō's death." Balalaika revealed.

"Absolutely not!" Shoko cut in.

"Granted." Dino said simply.

…

"What! Sir you can't be serious?" Shoko turned on Dino when what he said finally registered in her mind. "I said granted. I will arrange for a meeting between you and Kushina's son and you can have 30 percent of our profit. However Balalaika I will be presiding over this meeting of yours. If you try anything against her son you will have to deal with me. Am I clear?" Dino instructed.

"Crystal." Balalaika said with a smile on her face that would send a shiver up your spine. "However you will have to wait for some time you see. This mission will take some time so he won't be back for at least another two weeks." Dino informed in an afterthought. "That is fine. I must return to my village as it stands already. I've been absent for too long. However I'll return once all of this is done. Please contact me when he returns." Balalaika requested as she stood up from her chair.

Dino had written a contract during the entire length of their conversation and he had just put his finishing touches on it. He rolled up the scroll and placed his stamp on it. He stood as well with the scroll in his hands. Seeing this Balalaika smirked and reached out her hand to shake Dino's. Dino and Balalaika placed their hands together with the scroll in between their hands and shook in a formal way while placing their other two hands on top.

What they just did was the formal tradition between two King Pins when they make a contract or deal with each other. Even though they were Mafia they had a special code of conduct and rules that they must follow. It was something that all Mafia had to abide by even if you hated the other person. Not following this code was a serious offense and could get you killed. When they shook hands they placed their chakra into the special chakra conducting paper the contract is made out of and it recorded their signature onto the paper. This action finalized the deal between the two parties.

Taking the scroll and placing it into her large green coat Balalaika bowed to Dino with the old man doing the same. "It's always a pleasure doing business with you Lord Dino. Till next time." Balalaika said as she turned to leave Dino's office. Before she left she turned to Shoko and gave her a taunting smirk. "You be good Biohazard… Oops I forgot you're not that same person as you were before." With that last parting shot the Kingpin of Hotel Moscow left Dino's office leaving behind a tired old man and a seething young woman.

Once Balalaika was gone Shoko rounded on Dino with rage clear in her eyes. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Shoko screamed. She had tears pooling in her eyes. "I did what was best my child." Dino explained. "You let the most dangerous woman on the planet near Naruto. What if she tries something?" Shoko angrily questioned. "She will then have to deal with me and you. Not to mention Hiruzen and perhaps Danzō if he ever comes knocking." Dino explained calmly.

"That doesn't matter she's no ordinary woman or did you forget that?" Shoko said while shaking. "Shoko my dear. Balalaika already knew Naruto was still alive. She probably knew he was never dead to begin with. Sooner or later she was going to reveal herself to him. What would happen if she decided to meet him on her own when none of us were around? He would be all alone against a force he could not possibly begin to understand. We are lucky that she decided to do what she did today." Dino pacified.

Shoko fell down into her chair and started to cry. "This isn't completely about her is it?" Dino probed. "I CAN'T BEAT HER!" Shoko screamed. "She's too strong. Never in my life have I been able to defeat her. Only Kushina could but she's gone now and I'm all alone with her son and I'm not even strong enough to protect him. It's hopeless. Not to mention if Balalaika brought along that dog of hers then it would be pointless to continue. It's two against one and I'm not even as strong as I used to be. All the while they only got stronger since the war." Shoko sobbed as she covered up her face. She was crying uncontrollable because she felt despair settle into her heart.

"I thought you would have said it was 4 against 1?" Dino wondered as he got up from his desk and walked over to Shoko. "The Raikage has his village to lead and no one knows where that wanderer goes. He just goes wherever he feels like. So it's 2 against 1 and it's against the two people who would want to see me dead." Shoko cried as Dino wrapped his arms around the young woman. "It's ok my child. It will be ok." Dino said as he patted the head of the broken woman whose life was completely unfair.

* * *

 _ **Hokage's Office**_

"And that is the scope of your mission. Is that understood?" Hiruzen stated as he sat behind his desk with the robes of the Hokage draped on his body like usual. "Yes Lord Hokage. We understand our mission." Kurenai assured as she stood in front of Hiruzen's desk. She was not alone however. Anko stood next to her and behind them were their teams. Team 8 and 6.

"Very good. You will leave in one hour. Time is of the essence so do not be idle. Dismissed." Hiruzen commanded. "Yes Lord Hokage." Everyone chanted as they quickly left their leader's office. "Anko Kurenai please stay behind for a moment." Hiruzen requested before the squad leaders could leave with their teams. After explaining to Anko and Kurenai some more classified details regarding the mission Hiruzen dismissed them as well. Once they were gone Hiruzen turned around in his chair to look out at his village through the large windows of his office.

' _Naruto I hope you are ok my boy.'_

* * *

 _ **With Team's 6 and 8**_

The two teams were in the compound outside of the Hokage tower and their squad leaders were in front of them. "Ok guys I want you to hustle double time. We have to leave within the hour so gather your stuff and meet me at the main gate as soon as possible." Anko instructed while looking at her team. Ami, Kasumi, and Fuki all looked back at Anko and shook their head yes. Nothing much changed in their appearance since their time in the academy but they all looked older.

"That's right. I want you guys to hurry ok." Kurenai instructed to Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They all shook their heads yes but Hinata had a worried look in her eyes. With that both teams scattered at top speed to get to their homes.

* * *

 _ **Hinata's POV**_

"Naruto's in trouble?" Hinata blurted out during the meeting with the Hokage. Everyone just got the news that Team 7 requested reinforcements to The Land of Wave's. "Yes Hinata. Team 7 is in a spot of bother. They received word that enemy reinforcements are operating in the country they are in and it's only a matter of time before those Shinobi act.

"In the report it was stated that both Kakashi and Naruto took some injuries during their initial engagement with the enemy. That enemy being none other than Zabuza Momochi. Ex member of the 7 ninja swordsmen. He however was severely injured as well but he is expected to recover and attack Team 7 again. Also as for the enemy force it composed of 4 Jōnin and 16 Chūnin." Hiruzen said with a grave tone.

Everyone widened their eyes at this. "That many?!" Anko asked in shock. This was not something she was expecting to hear. "How on earth could there be that many Shinobi operating like that and go undetected all this time?" Kurenai question with a confused and shocked look across her beautiful face. "Lord Hokage if I may speak?" Shino spoke up in his monotone voice. Acknowledging the Aburame Clan heir Hiruzen shook his head at Shino. "Sir I fail to see how our teams will be adequate enough to deal with such a force. Surely a more suitable team could handle this situation?" Shino inquired with his Clan's ever famous logic and realism.

"It's a good thing you mentioned this Shino. At this moment we don't have all the resources to send a better team equipped to handle this situation but in the following days we should. Either way it goes the Hidden Leaf will be occupying the Land of Wave's with our Military soon enough. You all will be the first step in this process." Hiruzen elaborated while smoking his trusted pipe. "I understand Lord Hokage." Shino relented after hearing what his leader had to say.

During all this Hinata was deep in thought about what she had just heard. _'This was supposed to be a simple C-Rank mission. It shouldn't have turned out like this. And you ended up getting hurt for it. Please be ok Naruto.'_ Hinata thought to herself.

"And that is the scope of your mission. Is that understood?" Hinata came out of her thought when she heard the voice of her leader. Once Hiruzen dismissed them Hinata aimlessly wandered to the main courtyard outside the Hokage's office where she waited for Kurenai and Anko to show up.

"Hinata are you ok?" Shino asked. He was standing next to Hinata and he being the keen observer that he is noticed how troubled she was. Of course he already knew why and even he was worried for Naruto who is a good friend of his. Even if Shino makes it slightly difficult for them to hang out because of his stoic behavior. "Oh… yeah I'm ok Shino. Thanks for asking." Hinata said reassuringly. "He will be ok. Naruto is strong and resourceful not to mention he's a lot more powerful than he lets on. But of course this is something you've known since the day you first met him. Am I right?" Shino elaborated.

Hinata bowed her head at this. "You're right. He is a lot stronger than he lets on. The only reason he hides this is because it's not easy for him to open up and trust people. The day that I met him we both were kind of at a low point and we both latched onto each other for support, also certain circumstances at the time made it so that we had no choice but to interact with each other. In the end it paid off." Hinata explained in her soft voice.

"I understand. However I can tell one of these days he will show all of us the real him. The side of him that only you know about." Shino predicted. "You may be right. Are you mad at him for keeping some secrets from you?" Hinata timidly asked. "Logically I can understand based on what I know of him why he would feel the need to do these things but on a… friendship level I will admit that I'm a little put off by the fact that he's hidden things from us. Things that only you know." Shino confessed although he was caught between his logic and his feelings.

"I'm sorry things had to be this way Shino. However I promise that once this is over I'll asked him to sit down with us and talk. It will do us all some good." Hinata offered with one of her gentle smiles. "Logically that would be the best course of action." Shino responded. Hinata could do nothing but smile at this. As an Aburame Shino wasn't the best when it comes to showing emotion. The people of his clan preferred and encouraged logic and reasoning over emotions and feelings. However being around Hinata and Naruto for many years it's allowed Shino to open up more than he would have otherwise. It's what allowed Shino and Hinata to have a close brother/sister relationship and it's helped form a friendship between Naruto and Shino.

"The idiot probably got himself hurt because he was careless and he froze up. I can't wait to rub it in his face that I had to bail him out." Kiba bragged as he walked up to Shino and Hinata. He was conversing with the all-girls team of squad 6 and he failed at impressing any of the girls especially Fuki. "You shouldn't say that Kiba. Besides Naruto would never freeze up. The enemy he was facing was someone way out of their team's league." Hinata said in defense of Naruto and his team.

"Tsk… whatever. I don't know what you see in him Hinata?" Kiba said in a lower tone of voice. Hinata lowered her head a little at this. This was a problem that's been going on since their days in the academy. Hinata knew that Kiba harbored some feeling for her but because of the fact that she and Naruto were practically attached at the hip made it difficult for him to make a move on her. It also didn't help that not only did she not express an interest in Sasuke like everyone else in the class which was the reason which caught Kiba's attention in the first place but Hinata also didn't show any interest in any boy besides Naruto which really angered Kiba. It made it worst that everyone could see how close they were yet they both denied that anything was going on between them which left Kiba in an awkward position.

It's the main reason that lead to several confrontations between Kiba and Naruto over the years. Hinata didn't have any feeling for Kiba but she still wanted him to be her friend yet she also didn't want to hurt his feelings. But in that regard she didn't want to hurt anyone if she could help it and that sentiment goes double for her friends. It's left her in a tough spot as well.

"Ok guys I want you to hustle double time. We have to leave within the hour so gather your stuff and meet me at the main gate as soon as possible." Anko's voice cut through the air gaining Hinata's attention. Hinata could tell that Anko and Kurenai just heard some things they probably didn't want to hear. As a Hyūga Hinata was trained since she could walk to read body language and understand people's emotions. She could see that the two women were tenser than earlier.

"That's right. I want you guys to hurry ok." Kurenai encouraged. She too had a serious look on her face. Hinata shook her head like everyone else before jumping away at high speeds towards her clan compound.

* * *

 _ **Hyūga Clan Compound/ Clan Compound District**_

Reaching her compound in minutes Hinata entered without much trouble and entered her room. As a shinobi you have to optimize your room to be able to gather all of your equipment in a timely fashion so that you can be in and out fast. So with this in mind Hinata didn't have to do an extensive search for all of her equipment. It was all tightly packed up in neat stacks on one of her shelves. As she was gathering her stuff she heard a shuffling of feet behind her.

"Sis?" A girl's voice spoke up. Turning around Hinata saw Hanabi her little sister standing behind her. "Hanabi? How are you?" Hinata asked in surprise. She didn't see her sister all day. Kurenai wanted her team to do an early morning exercise so Hinata left before her sister woke up. "I'm doing fine sis… what's going on? Where are you going?" Hanabi asked Hinata with a concerned face. Just like with any other Hyūga, Hanabi was specially attuned to reading people and their body language. She saw Hinata run past her room a minute ago and she wanted to make sure she was fine.

Hanabi now at the age of 7 nearing 8 has changed a little since the time she first met Naruto and his girls. Hanabi's hair has grown out to the middle of her back and obviously she's gotten taller but she's maintained a toned body due to the intense training members of her family must go through. However what sets her apart from other Hyūga is her gentle nature. Due to spending a lot of time around Naruto and his girls Hanabi has retained her gentle and more childlike nature. Her father wanted to push her in her training at the behest of the Hyūga elders and such training would have made her cold and arrogant but do to being exposed to Iris and Chaos she's been able to let loose and still be a child. However being exposed to the Uzumaki twins had a lot more positive effects than normal.

Being around the twins actually helped with Hanabi's skills and training. The three girls would have regular friendly sparing matches that would go on for a surprising amount of time and that experience did wonders for Hanabi's growth and development as well as the friendship that came along with it.

"I have an emergency mission that I need to go on. I'm going to be gone for a little while." Hinata said as she didn't stop what she was doing while addressing Hanabi. "An emergency mission? Did something bad happen?" The little girl asked. She could see a weight on her sister's shoulders. Something was bothering her. "No it's nothing bad Hanabi don't worry." Hinata said with a fake smile. Hanabi frowned at this and came up to her sister before giving her a hug. This stunned Hinata and stopped her from moving. "Hanabi?" Hinata questioned in shock.

"It's Naruto isn't it?" Hanabi asked in a whisper. "How?" Hinata blinked in surprise. "You get like this whenever you're worried about him. Did something happen to him on his mission?" Hanabi asked in slight worry. Hinata blushed at what her sister stated but hearing the concern in her little sister's voice brought a smile to Hinata's face. Just like when they were younger Hinata returned Hanabi's embrace and rubbed the top of Hanabi's head.

"Naruto and his sensei got injured on their mission and now Naruto's team is heavily outnumbered by enemy ninja. My team as well as another is being sent as reinforcements. I don't completely know what's going on but it's something big. Lord Hokage said that he wants to occupy the country Naruto's team is in and he's going to be sending more ninja out that way. It's confusing but all I know is that I have to go help Naruto and his team out." Hinata explained the best she could but her voice sounded uncertain in some aspects.

"Will big bro be ok?" Hanabi asked in concern. After spending so much time around Naruto Hanabi came to see the blond haired boy as her older brother. With how close he was to Hinata it wasn't so unnatural to her. "Yes he will be fine. You know every once in a while Naruto can get a little reckless. I just have to help him out this time that's all." Hinata said in reassurance. Hanabi smiled at this. "Yeah your right. Besides Iris, Chaos, and Eva are with him so he should be fine." Hanabi said in confidence. Ever since meeting the Uzumaki family Hanabi has become close to them.

With Naruto she saw him as her older brother and Naruto welcomed that affection since he didn't know what it was like to have a younger sibling or a sibling in general. Until Anko came along Naruto didn't understand that concept. Along with Hanabi the Konohamaru squad, were the only people Naruto considered his younger siblings so they meant a lot to him.

With Evangeline it turns out that Hanabi showed even more curiosity with the little fairy then Hinata did when they first met. Hanabi showed in intense curiosity with Eva and was eager to learn everything about her. Eva was happy about this and it went to her head a little. She then took an instant liking to Hinata's younger sister and she's one of the few that she lays in their hair other than Naruto.

With Iris and Chaos she grew very close with. Not only are they her best friends but she also sees them as her siblings. The three girls are inseparable and they are very similar to Hinata, Henrietta, and Aria in that regard. In Iris Hanabi found a confident person who she could confide in and respect as well as understand. Iris often time's acts just like a princess and is very elegant in everything she does. Just like a rich noble which Hanabi is so the two girls can understand each other in that respect. With Chaos Hanabi found the wild and crazy sister that you somehow get attached to. Even though Chaos teases Hanabi mercilessly at every chance she gets Hanabi knows that the carefree girl cares immensely about her and her twin sister. Despite all that Chaos does Hanabi feels safe around the other girl.

"You're right Hanabi, they will be just fine. Now I have to go ok. Please be good alright." Hinata said as she kissed Hanabi on the forehead with the younger girl blushing in embarrassment. "Ok. But please be careful ok." Hanabi requested. "Of course. I promise ok." Hinata said as she patted her sister on her head just like she always would which is an action Hanabi not so secretly likes. With that Hinata walked with her sister to the front gate were surprisingly enough Hiashi was standing with his arms folded.

"Father?!" Hinata asked in surprise. "I see you have an important mission to go on. Do not disappoint Hinata." Hiashi stated in his commanding tone. His eyes are normally cold but even so Hinata stood her ground. "I will do my best father." Hinata calmly replied. Seeing this Hiashi shook his head in approval. "I see. Then don't waste anymore time get going." The Hyūga clan leader said with a nod of his head. Smiling a small smile Hinata turned and placed one last kiss on Hanabi's head and bowed to her father before racing off across the rooftops to the main gate.

Hiashi was left standing there with his youngest daughter who watched as her older sister took off. Hiashi turned to see Hanabi smiling and raising his eyebrow at this he addressed her. "What are you smiling about?" Not being deterred Hanabi smiled more. "I'm just glad you and big sis are getting along better now." Hanabi stated. Frowning a little Hiashi folded his arms and started to walk back into the compound.

"I suppose I owe this all to that Uzumaki boy." Hiashi said which stopped Hanabi in her tracks. "How?" She asked. "Did you honestly expect me not to know about him? I understand why you two would keep your involvement with him hidden from me but I'm the clan head of this house for a reason, not to mention a ninja. Secrets won't stay hidden from me for long especially inside my own house." Hiashi said in a matter of fact tone.

"You're not angry with us?" Hanabi asked timidly. "Angry? No. In the beginning yes but I stopped myself from acting when I saw just how much his influence boosted your sister's performance in her training not to mention her growth. On the very first day that she met him Hinata came home and did twice as good on her training then she did ever before. I decided to hold off judgment until I could learn more. Then you became involved with him and your growth increased as well. I decided to wait until you two were comfortable to reveal him to me. However you two took to long for my liking." Hiashi explained as he and Hanabi made it to the large training hall in the compound.

"We're sorry father we never meant—"Hanabi started to apologize but she stopped when Hiashi held up his hand. "It is fine, you and your sister's growth and performance are both satisfactory, and I see no reason to hamper it. However he will formally introduce himself to me when the time is right is that understood Hanabi." Hiashi commanded. "Yes father." Hanabi complied. She looked out the window and saw a small orange bird on a tree branch. Hanabi smiled at this.

* * *

 _ **Main Gate**_

Hinata just touched down at the main gate and she could already see Anko and Kurenai were there. Everyone else showed up only minutes apart from each other. "Ok did you get everything you need? Is everyone ready?" Kurenai asked in one final check of conformation. "Yes sensei." Team 8 chanted. "You guys good to go?" Anko asked nonchalantly. "Yeah we got it?" Ami said. Her purple hair was still in its asymmetrical format.

"I'll go check us out." Anko said as she jogged over to the booth next to the gate. Izumo and Kotetsu were sitting idly by bored out of their minds since this was the job they were stuck with most of the time. "Team 6 and 8 checking out." Anko said as she filled out a quick sheet. The actual procedure was more complex than that but it was village secrets.

Coming back over Anko nodded to Kurenai who nodded back. "Ok let's get going."

With that both teams formed up on their sensei's and walked out of the main gate. "Ok teams we will be putting in overtime. We want to reach The Land of Waves in two days max so I don't want to hear any complaining from any of you. Got that?" Anko explained. Everyone complied with this since they could tell it was serious.

Right before they could take off the heard the sound of high heels clicking on stone and everyone turned around to see a tall blond haired woman with a cigarette in her mouth walking out of the gate. She wore an expensive red business suit with a large green overcoat with gold design's. She had scars all across the visible spots on her body that bespoke someone who has survived many battles. She walked with a commanding and superior purpose that no one else could achieve.

She walked right by them but her eyes passed over them and stayed on Hinata for a moment longer. With that she continued her walk. "Good luck on your journey. You'll need it." The woman said before disappearing from their view. "Was that?" Kurenai said with pure fear in her eyes. She was looking to Anko who was lightly trembling. "That was… but I haven't seen her since…" Anko whispered.

"Kurenai sensei who was that woman?" Kiba asked while trembling. For some reason the second she came near them Akamaru hid in his hood and refused to come out. All of his more animalistic senses were going off and warning him of danger.

"Someone you don't ever want to face in your entire life. Now come on let's go we've wasted enough time." Anko cut in as she looked at the spot Balalaika just stood. Anko knew the woman was long gone. Her speed far greater than anything she or Kurenai were capable of.

* * *

 _ **Two days later**_

"Ok were here." Anko spoke up. The two teams had raced all the way from the Leaf Village over to the Land of Waves with minimal intervals of rest and brakes. For Genin the trip was quite taxing but due to their training they pulled through. Anko and Kurenai being Jōnin didn't feel the strain too much. They only need a few minutes to catch their breath and they would be fine. Right now the teams were in a small clearing that was misty and provided great coverage for them. It was early morning and the last two days were nothing but nonstop travel.

"Mr. Tazuna's house is north of here and at a normal pace it will take us 30 minutes at the most to get their so let's get going so we can finally have a moment to rest." Kurenai said as she hefted her backpack further up on her back. Everyone was carrying a backpack with their supplies and equipment in it. With the added weight it made the travel a little bit more uncomfortable but they all managed. For Anko and Kurenai the weight was almost unnoticeable since they've had years to get use to such things.

Everyone agreed to this since they would finally have time to rest. Hinata during the trip kept using her Byakugan to scout the area ahead and around them for precaution and with her range she could see Tazuna's house in the far off distance. About half a mile after that was when her vision started to become blurry as she reached her limit to how far she could see. At that far off range she would start to lose detail in her vision and chakra signatures would start to become a blur and mix together. Luckily none of that was the case here since everything she needed to see was well within her range of superior sight.

However Hinata noticed some interesting things. For one another clearing was in the area they were in and with her eyes she could see residual chakra and Yōki in the area. A unique thing that Hinata discovered over the years was that her Byakugan was sensitive to Yōki and other energy signatures. She found this out when she showed a clan member a piece of ice that Naruto created and they said they couldn't tell what it was despite the fact that the chunk of ice was overflowing with Yōki since he had created it earlier that day. At most they said they could tell that it was similar to the ambient chakra that resides in nature that all Hyūga are taught to identify and separate from a Human or Animal chakra signature so that they don't mistakenly confuse the two.

Hinata thanked the clan member and left before they could question her further. It confirmed for her that her eyes had adjusted and became use to identifying Yōki all because of her extensive exposure to Naruto and his mixed energy signature. As it turns out Hanabi is also sensitive to Yōki because of her overexposure to Naruto and his daughters who give off their own unique energy. One thing Hinata discovered was that both Iris and Chaos could make themselves completely invisible to her Byakugan.

With Iris it was like Hinata was looking at Nature itself. Iris's signature completely matches that of the ambient chakra nature gives off. But a more accurate thing to say would be that Iris's signature matches all of the living things in nature. Chaos on the other hand matched the areas in nature that lost a lot of life or things that were not alive like stones or other such objects. Normally she could see them but if they wanted to they could go completely invisible to her eyes and they've done it many times over the years especially when she would play hide and seek with the girls or when Chaos wants to sneak up on her to either scare or prank her. This is almost all the time.

Judging by the amount of chakra and Yōki in the clearing she could tell that Naruto recently just created all that energy and she could tell that he just left since there was as small trail moving back toward Tazuna's house. She couldn't see any other signature in the clearing but she thought she could see another signature that she was unfamiliar with but she couldn't tell because Naruto's chakra was very thick and hard to see through.

Hinata didn't bother mentioning this since at the pace they were going they would beat Naruto to the house by a good margin and she thought it would be funny to see his face. With that in mind Hinata turned off her Byakugan and focused on where she was going. Soon they reached Tazuna's house and knocked on the door.

Seconds later they heard footsteps and the door was opened and a woman with blue hair in her late twenties was standing there. They could see Kakashi a few paces behind her on his crutches. "Hello who are you?" Tsunami asked in confusion. She saw their headbands so she knew they were leaf ninja and Kakashi was the one to encourage her to open the door.

"Hello mam we are shinobi from the leaf. We were sent here to reinforce our team that is already here." Kurenai said politely. Tsunami turned to Kakashi who was waving at Kurenai with his ever famous eye smile. "Please come in." Tsunami granted while stepping inside. Kurenai and Anko bowed to the woman since they were entering her home. The six Genin did the same as they passed by. "Hello Kakashi." Kurenai said as she raised an eyebrow at Kakashi who was leaning on crutches.

"Man Zabuza must have really wrecked your face for you to be using crutches Kakashi." Anko snidely said with a grin as she looked Kakashi over. "Yeah it wasn't my best performance but can't win them all can you?" Kakashi replied with his eye smile. He was trying to cover up his embarrassment since he knew he was a powerful shinobi and to be in this state was not his proudest moment.

Just then the door opened up behind everyone and Naruto was the person to step into the house and they all watched as his eyes widened upon seeing them. "Guys?" Naruto said as his eyes instantly locked with Hinata who had a small smile on her face but he could see that a small pool of worry was inside of her eyes as they trailed down to his shoulder and neck.

"Naruto?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everybody how was that? I hope that got your blood pumping and your brains racing. I had a blast writing this particular chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it.

So now the question is what has Shoko so worried about Balalaika? Why is does she so such animosity towards the woman? What is Balalaika's connection to Minato and more importantly Kushina and why is she so interested in Naruto? Finally reinforcements are on the way and we see who it is now. A lot is going on and there is more on the way so stay tuned for more everyone!

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 16 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 _ **Published:**_ 11/10/15


	18. CH: 17 Famine of the Waves

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 ** _Author's Note (A/N):_** Hey guys I'm finally back. I super sorry that I've taken so long to upload anything. It's that time of year and I've been super busy. Especially when it comes to physical labor. But I'm back and I got this juicy chapter filled with great content that you will drool over. A lot is going on in this chapter and it's quite important so I hope you enjoy it. It was definitely a blast to write this chapter.

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Chapter 17

 _ **Famine of the Waves**_

It's been two days since the reinforcements arrived and now the leaf teams were preparing for the inevitable showdown with Gatō's forces. Naruto while shocked was happy to see Hinata again and was quick to talk to her. She scolded him for getting himself injured in such a fashion. Naruto was quick to submit to Hinata's feminine stare that every male knew meant that they were in trouble. Naruto was secretly happy that all of his friends were so worried about him. Anko of course was very happy to see Naruto again and she wasted no time in letting him know that. As usual with Anko she was always dramatic and over the top not to mention crazy with her interactions around Naruto.

Tsunami and Tazuna took notice of how Naruto was acting differently around Anko and Hinata compared to everyone else. He was smiling more and showing more of his personality. It looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. This made both father and daughter duo curious about this new behavior in the boy who was quickly catching their attention. Sakura and Sasuke tried to question Naruto about what happened the other night and how he healed Tsunami's wrist. Naruto sighed sadly while giving his teammates an apologetic look. He told them that as it was looking like he would have to tell them all soon. Sasuke and Sakura were confused yet curious but Naruto told them that he would explain everything to them after the mission.

While they were not satisfied Naruto refused to budge. At this point in time his shoulder and neck were about 90 percent healed and he had regained much of his mobility in that area. He knew he would be ready for when the time came.

When Anko had first ran up to him and gave him one of her overly enthusiastic hugs a smile came to his face as he felt his body relax. He knew right then and there that he actually was feeling homesick and more than that he knew he had missed Anko as crazy as that sounds. But the proof was in how he felt in that moment. A soft warmth had settled over his heart when Anko hugged him and that was all that he needed to figure out that he was actually growing to love Anko as the crazy annoying older sister that she was. The thought of knowing he was growing to love her put Naruto's soul at ease.

Of course those pleasant feeling were immediately washed away when Anko being Anko had to ruin the moment with her usual antics. Her mouth that has been frozen by Naruto on more than one occasion started to talk with no signs of stopping. Her usual embarrassing and improper remarks were in full force and Naruto had to quickly stop the older woman before he died of embarrassment. Even without saying a word Anko was still embarrassing because of the choice of clothes that she usually wore which was not appropriate for a young boy like Inari to see.

Speaking of which Tsunami's son decided to stay far away from Naruto after what had happened the other day. Naruto tried approaching the boy but he didn't persist since he didn't want to come off as being forceful. After expending that much anger the other night Naruto felt bad for what he had done even if he felt what he did was right. Naruto did notice that Inari had been following him around though in secret, the boy was watching him from afar but most of the time his eyes were not overflowing with anger but a mixed range of emotions. Naruto never called him out on it though. Whatever the boy was looking for Naruto would not stop him from finding it.

For the last two days the other teams also joined in on the Tree Walking Exercise that Naruto had his teammates doing. Kiba was quick to complain about why they were being made to do this exercise when Kurenai had already started them on it soon after taking the team but even Kurenai could see the benefit from the training and she had a feeling she knew who taught this to Naruto and her suspicions were confirmed when she asked Anko about it. Shoko, Anko, Kurenai, and an ANBU Black Ops Agent whose real name was Yūgao Uzuki would hang out at every chance they could find and spend girl time together and shop and gossip.

Shino simply raised an eyebrow once Naruto explained the nature of the training exercise. Fuki frowned for a brief moment before being forced to pick up a spare manikin. It turns out that Naruto actually had more manikins on him. A very well kept secret about Naruto is the fact that he has a little bit of a hording problem. Since he was little he would steal many things with Eva by his side. However he often took many copies of the item depending on what it was. It was a compulsive addictive problem that he's never really talked about much at all and he's kept it relatively a secret from many people since he was rather self-conscious about people finding out about his problem.

The extras were hollow and did not have much weight to them. To compensate for this missing weight Naruto applied simple weight enhancing seals to the manikins to simulate real body weight. At the moment everyone was practicing with the training method right now and Kakashi was sitting back watching as the Genin climbed the dozens of trees in the clearing.

Even Naruto was getting in some training in this method to help him train his new muscles in his shoulder and neck. With his rapid healing new muscle fibers grew in to replace all of the damaged and cut ones he received from his fight with Zabuza.

As it turns out Hinata already knew this training method for years now since the first time she met Shoko. Soon after Naruto revealed his past to Hinata and Shoko the older woman offered to train Hinata in this method as well. Hinata was initially hesitant due to her shy nature but Naruto managed to convince her and from that point forward the two trained together for years. Of course Hinata could never match the progress Naruto made since she didn't have an all-powerful 9 Tailed Fox bolstering your stamina to inhuman levels.

On his own Naruto already had crazy amounts of stamina that took long periods of time to exhaust but add in the 9 Tails and you have him going to inhuman levels. Compared to this Hinata actually made impressive progress over the years and her already superior chakra control from being born a Hyūga was further increased to levels that other Hyūga or children her age just could not compete with.

With her enhanced chakra control and large chakra reserves it's helped Hinata develop her skills over the years to comfortably match Naruto in combat when they spar. It was Naruto who helped her discover her Chakra Nature and between him and Shoko they taught her water style Ninjutsu as well as other basic Jutsu that the Hyūga clan avoids like the plague.

While not widely known to many Hinata can actually match and pressure Naruto in their sparing matches due to her impressive skills. The Gentle Fist Taijutsu Style of combat that the Hyūga clan invented is a devastating Taijutsu style that is deadly to fight against. Now in Hinata's hands the style is quite different and lethal due to the fact that she has not limited herself to just her family's fighting style.

Also a side effect of this training Hinata put herself through over the years is the fact that it's added quite a lot of muscle to Hinata but at the same time she's somehow managed to keep her body lean without letting to much muscle bulk her up. However one thing Naruto took notice of above all else is the fact that because of how lean her muscles and body are they've helped pronounce some vastly growing assets that Naruto has to struggle not to stare at. Naruto secretly thanked every god he knew that Hinata didn't always wear her big bulky jacket that he got her for her birthday years ago. The first time he had this thought Iris didn't speak to him for the rest of the day much to Naruto's complete confusion.

At the moment Naruto and Hinata were running up two trees that were side by side. Naruto was lagging behind just a little bit because of some left over pain in his shoulder but he was quickly catching up to his best friend who was surprising everybody else with excelling at this exercise. Hinata was completing several laps in the time it took the others to even do one. Even Sasuke was falling short of Hinata's progress. Now this angered the Uchiha who didn't know the reason why this was happening.

Naruto was pushing himself harder than he normally would so that he could be ready for the next big engagement with the enemy. He was drenched in copious amounts sweat right now and he was using subtle amounts of Yōjutsu to manipulate the sweat off his body as an added training method. It was hard work both mentally and physically and it was exactly what Naruto needed to make the most out of the training he was doing. Reaching the bottom of the tree again after another successful lap Naruto decided to take a quick break by drinking some water from a water bottle he had with him. He could see Kakashi sitting on a low hanging branch from a tree nearby. The grey haired man had his nose glued to his orange book at the moment but Naruto could tell that he was paying attention to the Genin.

Kurenai and Anko were busy guarding Tazuna as he and his workers continued work on the bridge. The old bridge builder nearly had a heart attack when he first laid eyes on Anko. The Jōnin's revealing attire and sultry attitude nearly drove the poor man up a wall. Anko always told Naruto that old men were perverts and for the most part he would have to agree but he was unconvinced if Tazuna was one. Tsunami was concerned for both Tazuna and Inari being exposed to such a thing so she planned to ask Anko to cover up but Naruto beat the mother to it by hitting Anko over the head and reprimanding her about her attire. Naruto mostly did it because he was embarrassed about what Anko was doing and how it could be traced back to him due to their close relationship.

As of now Naruto had finished his bottle of water and was about to start climbing again when he sensed Inari just beyond the clearing in hiding watching as the Genin trained. More specifically he was watching as Naruto trained. Naruto didn't give any indication that he sensed the boy and decided just to let it go. Walking back over to his tree Hinata just reached the bottom again and she was sweating so much that her clothes were sticking to her body.

"Naruto Inari is back again." Hinata said as she could see Inari watching them from beyond the tree line. "I know… he's been like this for the last two days now. I know I shouldn't have gotten angry with him like I did. It wasn't my place… but…" Naruto said sadly while trying not to look in the direction of the boy who thought his presence had gone unnoticed. "I know you meant well. It's rare that you lose your temper like that. His actions and what he was saying was affecting you more than you care to admit." Hinata said comfortingly.

"Yeah I guess your right but I sense something is different about him. But I don't know what." Naruto said in a tone that let Hinata know that it was a mystery that intrigued her blond haired best friend. Speaking of blond hair Eva was inside Hinata's coat at the moment catching up on some girl time as Hinata trained. The Hyūga heiress was all too happy to see her fairy friend again after Naruto's team left over a week before.

"You'll know soon enough. By the way where is Iris and Chaos?" Hinata asked in a whisper. She got to reunite with the twins the day she arrived in private and since then she's spent some of her free time with the girls but at the moment she could tell that they were not with Naruto. "I let them roam around for a while. They were getting pretty cranky for being cooped up for so long. They are in the area right now. I told them not to go to far." Naruto explained.

Hinata widened her eyes a little at this. To her this was big news. Naruto never lets his girls out of his site and he certainly never lets them go off on their own without any supervision. He's very paranoid and overly protective when it comes to their safety and wellbeing. For Hinata to hear this shocked her somewhat. It would seem that Naruto was becoming more comfortable with letting the girls out of his site.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, you never let them out of your site. Not even for a second." Hinata questioned her crush. "I know what you're thinking and it's not something I would do but I've been trying not to be so overbearing with them. It's not healthy to keep them cooped up in my apartment or attached to me all the time. I know I can't truly be far from them since that can cause some problems but I want them to explore and run around and have some freedom. It's important for their growth." Naruto explained with a serious expression on his face before it changed to a small confident smile.

"Besides they are more resourceful than we give them credit for. With Chaos's abilities it will be impossible for anyone to detect them and Iris knows not to go too far away from me. She can keep her sister in check just fine. In fact I think they are close by. They are probably spying on us right now. You know how Iris can get." Naruto said with a chuckle as he eyed a baby blue jay bird in a nearby tree. "Yeah I know. I can just imagine the cute little pout on her face right now since I'm spending all this time with you." Hinata said with a lady like giggle but she did have a giant blush on her face because of what she said.

It was a well-known fact that Iris would be prone to jealousy whenever another girl would spend too much time with Naruto. The only person who Iris didn't mind was Chaos. Even Eva would be subjected to Iris's pouts and glares whenever the little fairy would have her special moments with Naruto. Shoko, Aria, Hinata, and Henrietta are all subjected to the girl's pout and jealous glare which would often include Iris gaining Naruto's attention away from the others. She was never harsh or mean with it but it didn't mean she would stop. The others knew this and never reprimanded the princess for her actions since they thought it was cute but they all kept an eye out for her just in case.

"Race you to the top again." Naruto suddenly said with a challenging smirk. Hinata put on her own challenging smile that most people rarely see. Being around Naruto for years brought out more of Hinata's confidence and it's actually helped with her stuttering problem. Although she still regresses into that under intense pressure or embarrassment. "Loser has to buy the winner their favorite food when we get back to the village." Hinata proposed the challenge and prize. Naruto's eyes lit up in pure excitement hearing this. "Well then prepare to eat my dust Hinata." Hinata smiled. "We will see."

' _Old Man Teuchi I'm about to finally put you out of business.'_ Naruto thought in a dreamlike tone.

' _I can't wait to have a full box of cinnamon buns.'_ Hinata squealed in her mind. Naruto introducing her to cinnamon buns when they first met sealed the deal for Hinata's own food obsession.

* * *

 _ **With Iris and Chaos**_

"Someone's jealous again. Hehehehe!" Chaos's voice rang out as she laughed at her fraternal twin sister. Iris had on the cutest pout imaginable and she was glaring in the direction of the clearing from far off in the forest. "Oh shut up." Iris grumbled as her pout increased. Her accent was coming out again and it made Chaos who was lying on her back giggle more. Iris was sitting down next to her sister while watching her father and his team practice in the clearing up ahead of them through the use of a blue jay bird.

The two girls were roaming around exploring the forest and seeing nature in all of its glory. Iris felt right at home surrounded by all the bustling wildlife and it did bring a gentle smile to her face. "Hey look a squirrel." Chaos chanted. A tan squirrel carrying a nut scurried past the two sisters and came close to Chaos's head. They watched as it ran up a nearby tree and disappeared underneath the dense foliage. "I'm bored. When is dada going to be finished training. I want him to pet my head again." Chaos said with a whine.

Naruto has been keeping Chaos in check for a while now. The young girl was still riled up from the ambient negative energy floating around the country and Naruto even noticed that her mood was starting to manifest in the real world through unexplained and random cases of bad luck, karma, and other unexplainable freak events that were plaguing not only the residents of Tazuna's house but also his workers all the way at the work site. Naruto knew he had to keep his daughter under control or else it could get worse and cause them major setbacks so he's spent as much time as possible with her to cure her of her instincts.

"Probably not for a while now. He's flirting with Hina again." Iris mumbled with a scowl. She really wanted her father's attention at the moment but she didn't want to distract him during his training and she knew that she couldn't spend every moment literally attached to his hip. It was frustrating but she was putting up with it because she loved him and she didn't want to distract him with her childish needs or behavior which always got under her skin. Her overly developed and mature mind sometimes hated her more childish actions despite the fact that she was only 6 years old.

"Iris can you pet my head please." Chaos requested as she placed her head down in Iris's lap. The princess smiled gently at this and began rubbing her twin's head much to Chaos's delight. One of the few things Iris enjoyed above all else was interacting and spending time with her sister. Iris loved Chaos dearly and enjoyed every second she was with the slightly insane girl. The twin sisters never fought with each other and they were always holding hands about 90 percent of the time but they did argue with each other for every little thing in petty little arguments because their personalities while similar to each other at times were actually very different for the most part.

For a few minutes the two sisters were quite but Iris suddenly looked up when she saw something. "What is it? What do you see?" Chaos asked since she knew Iris saw something not with her eyes but through the eyes of one of her bird familiars. "Inari. I see him, he's watching daddy and the others practice." Iris said as a bird in the area accidently caught Inari spying on Naruto in the clearing. Iris's power was not limitless when it comes to what she can do with birds. While she can control hundreds at a time, she can only see out off a few at a time. As of now if she concentrated fully she could see out of up to 8 birds and their point of view.

It was taxing and mentally straining for the young girl and it's not something she can keep up with for long periods of time. For 1 bird she can do it almost indefinitely but 2 or more and it starts to become a problem. Looking from all of those perspectives at once is mentally straining so both Naruto and Hinata came up with a solution. Iris would force the conscience of all the birds to the back of her mind and the first bird to catch a glimpse of movement from whatever she is looking for will automatically send those images back to Iris's mind.

It helps relieve the stress it puts on Iris's mind. "Looks like we're not the only ones spying huh?" Chaos chuckled as she sighed in contentment. Her sister's fingers were heavenly to her. "I guess not." Iris mumbled as she focused in on the boy who caused her father some trouble for the last few days. "Do you think he will change?" Iris asked her sister. "After the talk we gave him?" Chaos questioned for confirmation. "Yeah."

"Maybe, he is a pretty wimpy kid after all." Chaos replied with her special little laugh. Iris smiled a little but she did look back to Inari and a contemplative look crossed her face.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

It was the night Team 8 and 6 arrived and everyone was off doing their own thing after dinner was served by the host family. Inari was sitting on the docks near his house looking out at the waves. The boy had a veil of depression and angst around him and he was skipping little pebbles into the water below him. "Dad why did you have to die?" The little boy sobbed to himself. "Why did you try to be a hero?" The boy was grieving but his thoughts drifted to the incident and what happened the night before. The sight of his mother with her bleeding hand did not leave the boy's mind since the moment it happened and the words that Naruto spoke are still ringing in his head even now.

Next to the boy was a picture of a young man with short spiky black hair and black eyes. He had a small white rope tied around his head which was tied on the right side of his head and a small x-shaped scar on his chin. He wore a black T-shirt that had a white outline and a white pair of pants. He also had scars on his arms. Inari traced the figure of the man on the picture frame. _'Dad.'_

Turning back to the ocean Inari was about to skip another stone when suddenly he saw one dart past him and start hopping across the water's surface sending ripples into the calm ocean. Startled by this Inari turned around and his breath hitched in his throat. The prettiest girl he ever saw in his entire life was standing behind him. She had on a cute dress that was primarily white but had yellow embroiled edges. On the center around her chest was a stitched on face of a brown teddy bear that used black buttons for the eyes and nose. And brown thread for the rest of it. On the dress itself, there were actual patterns of little brown bears scattered around in no discernable pattern. In the girl's hand was a big brown teddy bear with a green collar and she was hugging it to her chest. She also had a large pink bow tied into her hair that was pushing up her bangs.

"Beautiful." Inari whispered out with a dazed look in his eyes. Iris had the decency to blush but for the most part she had on one of her sly smiles that she wore whenever she had a goal in mind. "Thank you. Do you mind if I sit there?" Iris asked with her faint accent. Inari blushed even more at hearing the girl's voice. He has never heard someone who sounded like that before. "S-sure y-y-you can." Inari stuttered. Iris smiled at this. Sitting down Iris turned to face Inari. She had a goal and she was going to complete it.

"Who are you?" Inari asked shyly as he looked at the girl sitting next to him. "My name is Iris. This is Jean Paul. Oh and that is my sister Chaos." Iris said with a giggle. She motioned to her teddy bear first then pointed over Inari's shoulder. "Sister?" Inari questioned in confusion as he turned his head.

"BOO!" Chaos echoed into Inari's ear causing the poor boy to nearly have a heart attack. He screamed and nearly fell into the water. "Hahahahaahahah!" Chaos laughed at the expression on the boy's face. It was priceless in her opinion. It was also a bonus that she collected the energy his fear produced. That was icing on the cake for one like Chaos. "That's not funny." Inari gasped. "You're right it's not funny it's hilarious." Chaos chimed with a twinkle in her purple eyes.

Inari quickly took in Chaos's appearance. The psychotic girl had on a light purple dress with two straps going over her shoulders and above this dress was a near see through lavender dress that covered most of the purple dress below. A light purple almost pink ribbon tied the dress close around Chaos's chest. Both dresses were lacy with lots of frills with the outer see-through dress being looser with a deep V-neck that lead down to the ribbon on her dress exposing the darker dress below.

The clothes Iris and Chaos were wearing at the moment were actually their pajamas that they wear when they are sleeping. Naruto himself stitched on the brown teddy bear face on Iris's dress using a needle and a reel of brown thread.

"We came here to talk to you about something important." Iris spoke up after Inari calmed down. Giving the girl his attention Iris continued on. "What do you think of Naruto?" Iris asked. Saying her father's name like that felt weird rolling off of Iris's tongue; calling him anything other than daddy was foreign to her but she managed.

Startled by this Inari spoke up. "How do you know him? Are you guys related? And how come I've never seen you around here before?" The boy asked. A million questions ran through his mind and he wanted answers. He's never seen these two girls before in his life and he's definitely never seen them in the village either. "Boy you ask a lot of questions." Chaos commented with a chuckle. She was splashing her bare feet in the cold water below them. She was seemingly distracted and not paying attention at all to the conversation taking place. That was what Inari thought but Iris knew her sister was anything but distracted. She was paying very close attention to the conversation around her. She just expresses her concentration in a different way compared to normal people.

"You could say that we know him and we are not from around here; but what do you think of him?" Iris pressed. Inari didn't even hesitate. "He's an idiot! A jerk and a wannabe hero! He doesn't know a thing about what we've had to endure here. Yet he just comes in here already injured and says all those things like he can make everything better. I hate him!" Inari ranted as he clenched his fist in anger. Chaos looked a little conflicted as she absorbed Inari's anger since she was sitting next to him but Iris remained unfazed. Her baby blue eyes did harden into a darker color though.

"What if I told you that he does know more about suffering than most? More than even you?" Iris questioned as she regarded Inari with a hardened yet curious stare. "How could he possibly know more…?" Inari started to say until Iris spoke over him. "How would you feel if you were hated for a reason that was hidden from you for all 12 years of your life?" Inari closed his mouth at this. "What if that hatred was so deep that at the age of 4 on your birthday the first friend you ever made was tricked into attempting to murder you all because the people that hated you wanted you dead in the most twisted way possible?" Iris said with her tone not as delicate as it normally is.

Inari's mouth was opening and closing but no sound came out of it. Chaos had stopped splashing her feet at this point and a frown was on her face. It was a sign that she did not like the topic being spoken about. She never liked hearing about how her father suffered. It was one of the few things that could make her perpetual smile turn into a frown. "What if because of all that you were forced to live on the streets with no one caring for you? You had to steal most of your meals and clothes just to survive and the only house you could find was a broken down apartment that was decaying?" Iris pressed further. Her ever expressive blue eyes were studying Inari's expressions with expert precision.

"How could any of that be possible? There is no way any of that can happen to someone. You're lying." Inari refuted while shaking his head. He wouldn't admit it but hearing that made him want to throw up in disgust. "It is possible because all of that happened to Naruto. He knows more about suffering and pain than most. He knows what you are going through yet he does not cry like you do he instead chooses to fight. He fights to show that he is strong and that those who thought that they had a reason to hate him were all wrong." Iris explained as she hugged Jean Paul to her chest more.

Inari was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what to say to that. "I take it this man is your father?" Iris asked politely while tracing her eyes over the picture slowly. Inari slowly nodded while looking at Iris. Something about the girl sitting next to him was driving him crazy. He could feel his heart beating faster for no reason whatsoever. In contrast when it comes to Chaos Inari can honestly say she is just as beautiful and nice but something about the girl was telling him to be weary of her. What Inari didn't know was that because Iris was not human by any stretch of the word she had a passive influence on anything she meets. For those who have a weaker mental constitution it's easier for her to influence them. Her presence is also vastly different compared to those around her and any and everything around her automatically notices her and recognize her as being fundamentally different compared to them. The same thing applies to Chaos as well but with different side effects.

Iris's eyes turned emerald green for the briefest of moments as she looked at Inari's father in the picture frame. "He's quite handsome." Iris said with a giggle. Inari blushed at this. "He had a strong soul. Brave and courageous. I can tell you now that he is in a better place right now." Iris said with a small smile but Inari missed how Iris's voice changed slightly and how her eyes were now green instead of blue. "You think so?" Inari asked timidly. "I know so." Iris said confidently as her eyes returned to blue. Inari just thought that she was trying to be nice and comfort him and he appreciated that but what he didn't know was that Iris was speaking the complete truth.

"You shouldn't fill yourself with so much hate and anger. It's not good. You'll get yellow eyes and pale skin if you do." Chaos said with a giant grin on her face which was accompanied by her signature giggle. "What?" Inari asked in confusion. He didn't understand what Chaos was trying to tell him, but he thought she was trying to tell a joke. Iris however started to laugh at this with her bell like laughter at what her sister said. It would seem that Inari was left out of the loop when it comes to the joke that was just spoken. However he wouldn't be the only. If anyone else heard this they would be confused as well. It was something only beings like Iris and Chaos would understand.

"I know you may be angry now at losing your father but it's no excuse to bring everyone else down with you. I know Naruto didn't go about telling you this the right way but he meant well. He didn't want to see you suffer through your anger any longer. You must move on but more importantly you have to stop crying and stand up and fight. Your country can never truly be healed if its own citizens can't even heal themselves." Iris said as she placed a delicate hand on Inari's shoulders. The boy was seriously contemplating her words.

"Naruto is jaded and rough around the edges but he's a good soul and he understands you better than you think. Just think about my words and give him a chance. If you do you'd be surprised at the difference taking the first step can make." Iris said kindly with a small smile.

"Even if you do change I hope you know you're still going to be a wimpy kid." Chaos chirped as she giggled with glee in her eyes. "Hey that's not true! Take that back!" Inari said belligerently. Chaos's laugher was all Inari heard as he watched with his own two eyes as the girl seemed to distort and become a kaleidoscope of different colors which matched the surrounding area perfect. With that Chaos was gone as she seemingly faded from existence.

"What?" Inari whispered in total shock.

Turning to face Iris Inari saw that the girl was not sitting there anymore and looking behind him he say her walking away. "Wait!" Inari said as he scrambled to his feet. "You can change yourself Inari and make your father proud but only if you are willing." Iris said as she continued walking before fizzling out of existence with a gust of warm air.

"Who are they?" Inari asked as he looked at the picture of his father with a deep look of concentration and contemplation.

* * *

 _ **Flashback End**_

"I think he will do fine." Chaos said as she poked her sister's nose which grabbed her attention. Looking down into the large purple eyes of her sister Iris smiled and continued to pet her hair. "I guess you're right. I love helping people." Iris said with a beautiful smile which Chaos returned. "You know he likes you right?" Chaos said out of the blue. "Likes me?" Iris said with the cutest tilt of her head in confusion. Her eyes were squinted shut and a grin was on Chaos's face at seeing this. The facial expression on Iris's face was an exact carbon copy of Naruto's whenever he is confused about something.

"Hehehehe! You're as clueless as Dada! You're too cute and innocent Iris." Chaos said teasingly as she pinched Iris's cheeks. "Hey I'm not clueless." Iris said with an indignant pout. "Yes you are." Chaos chanted. "Am not!" Iris rebuffed. "Are too!" Chaos teased. This went on for nearly a minute until it dissolved into the girls wrestling each other with the both of them laughing the entire time.

* * *

 _ **A Day Later**_

The day was fast approaching that Zabuza would inevitably return and the teams were getting anxious especially when they were told that there was a large group of hired missing ninja in the area. The sensei's were scouting the area and coming up with plans when the inevitable battle takes place.

At the moment Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Tsunami were in the village looking for supplies for food. They were starting to run low and with so many mouths to feed they needed these supplies now more than ever.

The second Naruto stepped foot into the village he felt a wave of nostalgia and not the good kind. The situation in the village of wave was worse than ever. Naruto was instantly reminded of the slums district back home from years gone by and that was not a good feeling to recall.

Sick people coughing and wheezing at the side of the street and children running around begging for scraps of food. Seeing this Naruto was reminded too much of years gone by. Everyone had a depressed aura about them and most of these people lost their will to fight or live and they were just going day by day. A large frown came on Naruto's face at seeing all of this.

During the walk Tsunami explained to them just how bad it was in the country and that this was what everyone looked like. Sakura was horrified and disgusted by what she saw around her and what Tsunami explained to her. Hinata was much the same but she was more desensitized to this based on all the things she knew about Naruto's pass.

Speaking of Naruto the Hyūga Heiress saw that her best friend's mood instantly changed once they made it inside the town. She could see that he was reliving his past and it saddened her to see his eyes darken in repressed memories. Hinata blushed but she reached over with her hand and grabbed Naruto's own who was distracted by his thoughts. Naruto jolted out of his thoughts at the contact and when he looked down and saw Hinata holding his hand he blushed.

He was a little shocked that Hinata would do that considering how shy she is. While he managed to bring her stuttering problem down to a manageable level over the years it was still present every once in a while as well as her shyness never went away it was just that she got more confident over the years.

"Are you ok?" Hinata asked in concern. She was trying not to think about the bold stunt she just pulled. She normally would never do such a thing in public but she was concerned for her friend and she knew seeing all of the people around them suffering in the state that they were in, it was hurting him more than he cared to admit.

"I am now." Naruto said in an uncharacteristically shy tone of voice. A light blush was on his face as he looked away from his best friend. If he was honest with himself Hinata's hand felt nice in his own and he didn't want to let go but when Sakura and Tsunami looked back at them Naruto and Hinata both separated as quickly as they possibly could with massive blushes on their faces.

Sakura watched as a disappointed look briefly crosses both Naruto and Hinata's faces but as quickly as it came; it passed as they tried to cover up what happened. Deciding not to question them the group of 4 walked into a small broken down shop to buy supplies. After a few minutes they left with supplies that were barely above the level of rations in quantity and as far as quality was concerned it was an entire story in and of itself.

Stepping out of the shop and moving down the street the group was confronted by a group of bandits. Only a small group out of the many bandits lurking around under Gatō's control. Naruto was already in a bad mood considering they were in a place that reminded him to much of his past in years gone by and he wouldn't admit it but he was a little moody because he couldn't understand why letting go of Hinata's hand made him feel angry. Naruto wasn't always the brightest when it comes to his own feelings.

They were the typical bandits with no distinguishable features between them but the way they were looking at the girls was setting Naruto off. "Now ladies and gentlemen let's just make things easy for all of us and just don't do anything stupid." The lead bandit said.

"Move." Naruto said forcefully with a glare. He was in no mood to deal with scum like the people in front of them. They are largely responsible for the condition the people of this country are in and all they do is gloat about the power they have over the people. It made Naruto sick to his stomach.

Hinata could see that Naruto was in a foul mood. She didn't know what she was going to do but she was thinking but it would seem like this situation would be taking out of her hands. She counted 7 bandits surrounding them in the middle of the street and they were blocking their path.

"What was that little boy I don't think you… Ack!" The lead bandit started to say until he was cut off by an abrupt and sudden pain that caused him to pass out. All of the other bandits soon fell to the ground around them all out cold. Naruto was glaring daggers into the bandit that had spoken up. He saw the man reaching for the large machete attached to his waist and he also took notice of the particular look in the other bandit's eyes. The way they were looking at the girls in his group made Naruto sick to his stomach.

' _That wasn't his Acceleration. So was that pure speed or something else?'_ Hinata thought in complete shock. By now she was used to Naruto's Acceleration technique and she could instantly recognize whenever he uses it since she is so used to his chakra and how unique it is. But Hinata didn't sense any of that from Naruto so it really made her wonder what just happened.

' _Why must scum like that be allowed to have such power over others? If they tried hard enough they could do some good in this world. They could even make something out of themselves but instead they all stoop so low just because they have no desire or will to change their own lives. It truly makes me sick to my stomach. Especially the way they were looking at Hinata and the others.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a scowl on his face. The look the bandits had in their eyes as they gazed at the females around him especially Hinata set something off inside of Naruto. He's dealt with hundreds of bandits over the years and it was all the same in his eyes. Weak willed individuals who thought if they banded together in large groups they could scare and forcefully take whatever they wanted because they themselves were too scared to commit such crimes on their own. It truly brought clarity to the saying of strength in numbers.

' _What was that? How did Naruto do that, I didn't even see him move a muscle?'_ Sakura thought in complete shock and awe. One second the bandits were standing and the next they were out cold all around them. She knew it was Naruto. For one she would be surprised if it wasn't and two judging by Hinata's reaction and look on her face right now then it didn't take much to figure out what happened. Still it surprised Sakura a great deal and in all honesty made her feel inadequate compared to Naruto; and if she was secretly honest with herself she was both intimidated and awed by his apparent strength which was leagues ahead of her basic skill level.

Tsunami was at a loss for words since her untrained eyes couldn't even see any of what happened. She just knew that it was Naruto who did this. _'Who is this child?'_ Tsunami questioned herself with a small frown.

"Hinata can you take Ms. Tsunami home for me?" Naruto asked as he didn't turn around to face Hinata. "Naruto what's wrong?" Hinata asked in concern and worry. She was now legitimately concerned for her best friend. "It's nothing. I just need to take a walk and clear my head that's all." Naruto admitted but his voice sounded slightly strained. Naruto began to walk down the street leaving the others behind. Sakura and Tsunami were about to say something but Hinata's hand stopped them. They turned to look at the young Hyūga but were surprised to see so much concern in her lavender eyes. "Let's go. Naruto will be ok. And no one will attack us on our way back. If they do I can handle them." Hinata said with as much bravado as she could muster.

Having no choice but to follow after the heiress both Tsunami and Sakura were worried about Naruto. Hinata activated her Byakugan to look for Naruto who was not out of her line of sight and she nearly gasped when she saw red Yōki gathered around his back.

* * *

 _ **That Night**_

Naruto was in his bed wide awake. Kakashi was in the other bed next to his fast asleep. Or as asleep as a highly trained war veteran could be. Ninja were known to sleep with one eye opened or so the saying goes. For someone like Kakashi it could be quite the spot of bother. He could feel that he was off his game and a lot of anxiety and stress was building up inside of him. With Hinata and Anko by his side again a lot of it had diminished but stepping foot inside the town brought back all of his stress and anxiety not to mention bad memories.

Naruto could feel both Iris and Chaos reacting to his change in mood. Iris was becoming concerned for him and Chaos was absorbing way more negative energy than he would like. Eva had done her best to comfort her other half and while it helped some it was not enough to ease Naruto's mind.

' _Girls are you still up?'_ Naruto questioned in his mind. He felt two presences' become pronounced in the back of his mind as his daughters opened up a psychic link with him. [Yes daddy.] Iris responded sleepily. [I can sense how worried you are dada. You're going to get grey hairs if you don't stop. I want you to keep your blond hair so we can match.] Chaos commented but she wasn't giggling which let Naruto know that she too was concerned for him.

' _Girls I'm really worried.'_ Naruto started off. [I know what you're worried about.] Iris chipped in. _'I don't know exactly how we are going to handle Zabuza and Haku when the time comes. We were fortunate that you followed Haku Chaos but that still does not give us a solution.'_ Naruto said to the twins in a worried tone. [I know but if all else fails we can just beat them up.] Chaos said somewhat bluntly but with a little of her enthusiasm still managing to slip in. [It won't be that easy sis] Iris reminded Chaos. _'It really won't, but to think the Hidden Mist Village is in such a state that it's producing far more missing ninja than any of the other 4 villages right now is troubling. People like Zabuza barely manage to come out of that place alive but even then they are hunted down by their villages ANBU Hunter Squads. I just hope there will be no bloodshed between us when the time comes. I want to avoid that at all cost. Gatō is the real enemy here.'_ Naruto spoke as his mind was in a million different places at the same time.

[We will handle them when the time comes daddy but this is not the main thing that is bothering you.] Iris pushed. She was confident that they could handle the duo when the time came but she was more worried about her father at the moment. Naruto paused at this since he knew that his mood and emotions would not go unnoticed by his daughters. He took a few seconds to form his words since he didn't know exactly what to say or how to say it since this was very important to him but when he felt like he had his words down he spoke up.

' _I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep you hidden anymore. If I were to be honest with myself I'm tired of hiding you. I want to be able to proudly walk side by side with you in the public. But it's not that simple. Not with the way everyone dislikes me still in the village.'_

[We know daddy but you have to have more faith and confidence. Things will work out in time I promise.] Iris said as Naruto could feel the warmth of her presence wash over his body and sooth his aching muscles. [If they don't see how awesome you are then we can go on a pranking spree without end Dada and we'll get back everyone who ever bullied you.] Chaos said but both Naruto and Iris knew that Chaos's version of a pranking spree could be potentially dangerous.

' _I guess you're right, thanks girls.'_ Naruto said but the way he said it made it seem like he had more to say. [That's not all that is bothering you.] Iris stated picking up on the tone in his voice. Sighing Naruto decided to get the rest of his anxiety off his chest. _'I don't think we can win this all on our own. Kakashi will be tied up with Zabuza no doubt in their rematch. Anko and Kurenai will have their hands full facing off against two Jōnin each which is unfair and that just leaves 16 Chūnin level ninja to deal with. That is suicide. Between Me, Hinata, Sasuke, Fuki, Kiba, and Shino we stand a good chance and if I decide to go all out our chances of winning will be almost guaranteed but now we add Haku into this mess who is another unknown variable and then are chances go down again. Not to mention any outside interference that can happen at any time during the battle.'_ Naruto ranted in frustration. He was running over everything he knew about the mission and it was not looking good in his eyes.

[What are you trying to say Daddy?] Iris asked in a voice that Naruto doesn't really hear form her. She was probing him for an answer and he knew that it was at the tip of his tongue. It was like she already knew what he was about to say _._ _'I may need your help girls.'_ Naruto said with remorse, fear, anxiety, and many more emotions rolling off his tongue as he said this. It was one of his worst nightmares. To involve his daughters in a life or death battle that may get them hurt or killed. He never involved them with his battles in the past. The most they did was enhance his skills and allow him to use his Acceleration Technique to its fullest but other than that he never physically had them present for the enemy to target.

The mere thought of having them by his side in a battle made him feel like he wanted to throw up. He knew for a fact he would die if anything was to happen to his girls. Their lives meant more to him than his own and they meant the world to him. They gave him a true purpose in life and he would not endanger them for anything. He unintentionally nearly got Chaos hurt during his fight with Zabuza and that was still prodding at his consciousness even now. Now that he's admitted he might need their help it's made him feel even worst.

[Daddy it's ok to ask for help. You know we've been waiting for the day that you'd need us.] Iris said comfortingly. [Yeah now you and I can go finally break some legs. It will be so much fun Dada.] Chaos said enthusiastically but she was really only sounding this way to help cheer up her father. She knew just how badly this decision was affecting him. It's what's been behind all of his unusual behavior since the mission started.

' _Girls it's not that simple. I never intended for you to ever have to fight. I didn't even want you to attend the ninja academy. I wanted you to live a normal happy life were you wouldn't have to worry about a thing but that whole idea got thrown out the window the second you two started to manifest your powers. You're not even human. There's no possible way for you to live a normal life with you two being the beings you are. But I tried to shelter you from this and now I've backed myself into a corner. I feel like I failed you girls as your father.'_ Naruto admitted with guilt in every word he spoke. Although his eyes were closed small little tears were leaking out of their corners.

[It's ok. You never failed us. All you've ever done was keep us safe. And for that we are grateful but we all knew that one day we would have to fight by your side. You can't take on everything that will come for you one day. This is our battle just as much as it is yours.] Iris said soothingly. _[Especially since I was the one to bring you all of these problems.]_ Sōkyoku thought to herself with a frown. [We can win Dada. Or did you forget just how strong Iris and I are?] Chaos asked with a giggle.

Naruto's lips twitched up at this. He knew just how powerful his daughters are. Individually they are both more skillful and powerful than he was at the age of six. He would have no doubt if his six year old self ran into one of them he would find himself hard press to defeat either of them. He was almost positive that they would win the vast majority of the time. Now together they were leagues ahead of his six year old self and he would not stand a single chance of ever beating them. His girls were very, very, powerful for their age but then again he has to keep reminding himself that they are not even human and their powers are not quite like anything any of the other ninja's possess.

' _I'm just afraid that I won't be able to protect you. What if you get hurt? What if I'm not fast enough to save you? What if-?'_ Naruto started to say but he was cut off by Iris. [And that is why we will not get hurt, and why we will be the ones to come out of this battle alive.] Naruto paused at this. He could almost see the gentle smile on Iris's face. _'Huh?'_ Was his eloquent reply.

[We won't lose because you care about us so much. That's why we won't get hurt. You won't have to worry about are safety. Our enemies have no idea who they are dealing with. They've never faced someone like us before and we will beat them. I refuse to lose or give up and they can't beat Chaos either.] Iris said with pure conviction. Unwavering confidence was the only thing Naruto heard coming out of Iris's mouth and he couldn't help the surge of pride welling up inside of him. He felt more tears falling down his face but these weren't tears of fear and self-anguish but tears of pride and reassurance.

[Don't worry so much Dada. We're going to prank them so hard they won't ever want to show their faces to anyone ever again. And I promise that I won't get caught either.] Chaos said with a giggle. Naruto could feel her cheerfulness washing over him and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

[You've been under a ton of stress lately daddy. You were given a lot of responsibilities with not a lot of help. You're being overwhelmed. Now let us help you. I promise you won't regret it.] Iris said soothingly. Naruto could feel a weight lift from his shoulders and he couldn't help but sigh in relieve. _'Ok girls. You can help so let's do our best ok.'_ Naruto said with a smile forming on his face. {Ok daddy!] Iris said cheerfully. [Yeah! It's show time. Now I can show all of those meanies just what love is.] Chaos chanted. Both Naruto and Iris sweat dropped at this.

' _Thank you girls. It really means a lot to me. I'm so proud of you both.'_ Naruto said sincerely. He could both feel how happy his words made his two daughters. [We won't let you down daddy.] Iris said happily. [This is going to be so much fun!] Chaos said with glee.

Smiling Naruto really felt his love for his girls growing with each day. _'Good night girls. Love you.'_ Naruto said. [Night daddy. Love you too.] Iris replied happily. She always lit up whenever he tells her those special words. [Night! Night! Dada! Don't let the bedbugs bite. Love you!] Chaos said with a laugh.

For the first time since this mission began Naruto felt at peace and he closed his eyes as he felt both Iris's and Chaos's presence fade into the back of his mind where they usually stay. As he felt himself slip further and further into a peaceful slumber Naruto then felt a painful heat rising in his back. He tried to ignore it but it wouldn't stop. He thought that it was left over pain from his injury but now he wasn't so sure. He wasn't going to wake up his daughters again or Eva so he tried his best to ignore it.

' _So much for my peaceful sleep.'_

* * *

 _ **Gatō's Base**_

The tycoon business man was up right now in his private quarters receiving some pleasure from some of his servants without a care in the world. His two top bodyguards were standing by jealous for obvious reasons but they wouldn't dare speak out against their meal ticket. Suddenly the door to the room swung open and a tall figure calmly walked into the room ignoring the screams of the woman and the two swords suddenly at this neck.

The man was tall and he seemed to have a black and white striped theme going on with him. However before anyone else could study him further he spoke up. "Hello Gatō. It would appear that you're still being just a pathetic little human as always." The man said. As for Gatō he was shaking like a leave in the wind. "It's you." The businessman said.

"Who the hell are you?" One of his bodyguards rudely asked. "Gatō I suggest you tell this flea to remove is little stinger from my neck before things get ugly." The man said with a savage grin filled with sharp teeth.

"Hey who the hell are you calling-?"

"You fools take your swords away-!"

Before Gatō could finish warning his subordinates, the only answer they got to their demanding questions was to see each other's heads rolling across the ground before everything went black for them. The whole room was now painted in blood because their necks wouldn't stop spewing out gallons of the precious life source. The man was covered head to toe in blood and his savage grin only increased as he licked the blood of his mouth. His eyes were glowing bright red and a malevolent presence settled down around Gatō.

"Now Gatō I believe we have some things to talk about." The man said with a wicked grin as he saw Gatō become as pale as a ghost.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so I hope you greatly enjoyed that. I know I definitely enjoyed writing that chapter. So many things has happened so let's quickly recap.

Naruto is almost completely healed. He is happy that both Hinata and Anko are there with him. All three teams are practicing the True Tree Walking Exercise with Inari secretly watching Naruto. Naruto himself is starting to notice girls, particularly Hinata and her figure. Naruto let Iris and Chaos explore the area and be by themselves. Iris is experiencing some childish jealousy when it comes to the other females in her father's life. Iris and Chaos had a secret talk with Inari and set him straight about the conflict between him and Naruto. Inari himself gained an instant crush on Iris in the form of a love at first sight kind of scenario. Iris herself is just as clueless and dense as her father when it comes to these things (go figure). The state of the country is very bad and it was shown with the state the village and its people are in. Naruto and Hinata held hands. Naruto incapacitated a group of bandits before leaving the group. That night Naruto had a long and lengthy discussion with his daughters and a lot was revealed and said and in the end Naruto agreed to let Iris and Chaos help him in the upcoming fight. Finally a mysterious being has shown up and he apparently has business with Gato himself.

* * *

 _That's the end of chapter 17 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 12/1/15


	19. CH: 18 Trinity Visions

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with the Chapter 18. It's been quite some time and I've already explained the situation to you guys in the previous Author's Note but this is the first chapter I've written in over 2 months and right away as I started typing away on my keyboard I felt so out of place and I was making spelling and grammar error that I never use to make. It was quite the experience getting back into the game, but here I am now and I'm going to slowly funnel myself back into posting chapters.

Thank you all for your incredible patience. It means a lot to me.

* * *

Chapter 18

 _ **Trinity Visions: Back to the Future**_

' _What's going on? Where am I?'_ A confused voice thought to itself as it found itself in a pitch black void. Darkness was the only constant around the voice but soon enough the darkness was parted just enough for us to see who it was. It was Naruto and he was trapped in a void of darkness. The only light source was him. His body was giving off a dull illumination but all of that changed when the void lost its darkness and was replaced by a scene that had Naruto's eyes widening in shock.

* * *

 _ **Dreamscape**_

{"Who are you?" Naruto demanded as he discreetly started to build up his chakra for the coming conflict he knew was on the way. The very presence of this stranger was causing something in Naruto to stir and within seconds he realized it was the latent energy of Iris suddenly reacting to this person's presence. Eva was also feeling a strange reaction the person in their room and it was setting her primal instincts on edge. Building up her own **Yōki** for the coming battle Eva waited with her breath caught in her throat.}

' _This was four years ago. On the night that demon broke into my apartment!'_ Naruto thought to himself in total shock as he found himself inside of the apartment in a ghost like form and his 8-year-old self who had Iris and Chaos tucked away safely in his arms was staring down the demon who was intruding in on their family moment.

Naruto was helpless as he watched his younger self flee the apartment in an attempt to save his daughters lives form the demon. However, Naruto would not let this chance pass him by so he left the apartment and followed the fight and he caught brief looks of the demon when he wasn't being shrouded in whatever illusion he had placed over himself.

The Demon had long wavy red hair and pointed ears. He couldn't see much of the demons face but Naruto thought he saw green lips. Even though he was like a ghost watching the fight from an outside perspective he still was limited by what he saw. The demon wore strange armor in Naruto's opinion as well as clothes. Although Naruto also noted that they did a good job of offering him protection from many angles and it wasn't clunky or noisy in its movements. He had on mostly baggy clothes that are all tied at the joints such as the wrist and ankles for greater mobility and stealth. Naruto also caught a glimpse of the Demons shoulder pauldrons and they looked like they were made out of burgundy red feathers. Naruto wasn't able to see much more than that since the battle had picked up and the demon completely shrouded himself to hide his identity.

Naruto's vision ended when he was knocked unconscious by the ANBU Team in charge of the Hospital Compound.

Naruto was returned to the void of darkness with the only light coming from his body. _'Why was I shown that? It doesn't make any sense? I haven't dreamt about that night in a while so why would it show itself now?'_ Naruto thought to himself in total confusion and bewilderment. _'What's more why did I see it in such a way. It's more like a vision or those dreams I had concerning Sōkyoku and Chaos.'_ Naruto theorized but before he could say more the void disappeared again and now Naruto found himself in a forest with a clearing just a dozen yards away. Deciding to see what was up Naruto started to walk towards the clearing. It was a beautiful patch of land if Naruto was to comment on it. It had all sorts of flowers and wildlife in it and it looked like a paradise. However, before he could step into the clearing he saw three shadows on the ground growing bigger and bigger. Looking up into the sky Naruto's eyes widened yet again in shock as three pitch black feathers with purple veins and tips on it descended from the sky and landed in the clearing.

The feathers disappeared and it its place stood three people. One was clearly a woman while the other two were male. One old man and one young man if Naruto could guess correctly based on what he was seeing. The woman even though he couldn't see her face Naruto would bet was a real beauty. She had pitch black shinny hair that was tied up in a traditional way with hair pins. She was wearing a rich blue kimono that went down to the ground from what Naruto could see. She also had other accessories to finish off her look. The woman looked to be in her early twenties just based off of everything he could tell, but it was still just a guess.

The young man from what Naruto could see had chin length black hair but again he couldn't see his face. His attire is a white and green hooded jacket, which he wears over a black shirt. With this, he wears black track pants with an orange track running down on both sides of the pants. For his footwear, he wears a pair of black shoes. That was basically all he could see about the young man that if he had to guess was in his late teens earlier twenties.

Lastly the old man from what he could tell based off of the wrinkles in his skin was of a shorter stature compared to his companions. His normal attire is a dark red brown haori, which he wears over a yukata of khaki color. The obi that keeps his yukata tied is black in color. Underneath the yukata, he wears a white colored nagajuban. For his footwear, he wears a pair of straw zōri over a pair of black tabi. He was also wearing a fedora even though Naruto didn't know the name of that hat. Along with that to finish off his look he had a red scarf around his neck.

Even though Naruto had excellent vision he could not see their faces and to top it off he couldn't hear them or move from his spot. They conversed for a little while before they started to head off in a random direction away from him. He couldn't tell which direction they were going in since Naruto's never seen this clearing before and there were no noticeable landmarks to dictate the cardinal directions.

With that the void returned and Naruto was left alone yet again.

' _What is going on? Why am I getting these visions? Who were those people?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he was starting to get more and more questions floating around in his mind. _'Wait again?'_ Naruto thought as the void disappeared yet again and now Naruto found himself in a mountain range with a wide open field just below him. However, Naruto immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Rushing passed him since he was nothing more than a ghost like apparition was at least a dozen Shinobi all dressed in brown and burgundy. With Hidden Stone Headbands on their foreheads.

' _Hidden Stone Ninja! Am I in the Land of Earth right now?'_ Naruto questioned himself in the slightest bit of panic and curiosity. Even though he knew he was nothing more than an apparition it still made a shiver go up his spine since the very first person he ever encounters form the Land of Earth and the Hidden Stone Village just so happened to be Balalaika and she definitely left a great impression on Naruto.

Squinting his eyes, he could make out two people in the wide open plain below and the Stone Ninja were rushing to intercept them. What happened next left Naruto speechless. In under a minute and a half the two unknown assailants slaughtered the entire squad of Stone Shinobi using abilities and attacks that were unfamiliar to Naruto and the Stone Shinobi. Many explosions and hastily constructed Earth Defense Jutsu's were going off and boulders were being tossed around and mud pits were being formed. It was a battle that Naruto's never seen before. When it was all over Naruto was finally able to move and so he climbed down the mountain cliff he was on and raced over to the battle field. What he saw would forever be imprinted in his mind.

All twelve shinobi were butchered and slaughtered. I was horrendous in Naruto's opinion and he felt like he could throw up if he could. The shinobi were cut to ribbons. Many had deep claw marks across their bodies and most were missing body parts. But what disturbed Naruto the most was that some were unfortunate to have gaping cavernous holes ripped through their bodies that were still steaming from the intense heat of whatever hit them. The same molten hot holes could be seen coming straight through the Earth Walls that the ninja were using to defend themselves with and scorch marks along with pot marks and holes could be seen all around the battle field with smoke and fire still raging around him. Naruto was speechless and he could see the fear in some of the ninja's eyes as their lifeless bodies still had their eyes open. At this point even though they were Hidden Stone Shinobi and by default the Leaf didn't really get along with them Naruto could honestly say he felt like crying at what he was baring witness to. It was carnage and he could tell that the Shinobi had no idea what they were going up against and that they never stood a chance.

' _Who could have done this to them? Nobody deserves to die like this.'_ Naruto wept in his mind as he couldn't get the image of the dead shinobi who had his eyes still wide open in fear out of his mind even though he turned his head away from him. Looking over to the other side of the clearing Naruto saw the two responsible and a rage entered Naruto that he himself didn't even know where it came from. He was about to charge at the unknown assailants when he saw that from their backs pitch black wings emerged and they took off into the air heading back over the mountain range the Hidden Stone Shinobi were coming from.

' _I will find out who they are. What they did was despicable.'_ Naruto said as he watched with his eyes narrowing into cold pits as the two figures who he was able to glimpse were female due to the shape of their bodies become nothing more than small dots on the horizon.

With that the void returned and Naruto was left alone yet again. _'At this point I'm convinced that these have to be visions. They are far too real and vivid to be anything but.'_ Naruto convinced himself with a frown on his face. As he finished saying that the void turned stark white and he could feel himself going towards the light. _'Am I waking up?'_ Naruto thought to himself.

* * *

 _ **Tazuna's House**_

"Naruto are you ok?" Tsunami's voice rang out. She had a worried look on her face as she had her arms around Naruto's shoulders. "Huh? What happened? What's going on?" Naruto said as he woke up in a cold sweat and his clothes sticking to his body.

Looking over he could see Tsunami with her son Inari by his bedside and they both had scared and worried looks on their face. "Naruto are you ok?" Tsunami repeated her question yet again. "I think so, what's going on?" Naruto questioned in bewilderment and he felt his head in pain. He had a bad headache.

"You were having a terrible nightmare. We couldn't wake you up and you were not responding." Tsunami explained with concern lacing every one of her words. "Nightmare? I didn't have a nightmare." Naruto said in a slight daze. "You were in pain, and you were trying to scratch your back in your sleep." Tsunami responded.

Naruto's eyes widened. "My back?" He exclaimed as he sat up in the bed and took his shirt off. Tsunami's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets as she let out a large gasp of shock. Inari backed away in fear and hid behind his mother's leg for comfort. "Your back, oh my god! What happened to it?" Tsunami exclaimed in shock. Jumping out of his bed Naruto ran over to the mirror that was in the room and looked at his back. Naruto looked on in absolute shock to see that the four claw marks on his back were glowing a sinister red color and the skin around the scars were swollen and red in color. It looked almost like an infection.

There was something sinister about the mark on his back Tsunami thought as the red glow was giving off a feeling that was putting a primal fear in her. "This can't be. What's going on." Naruto whispered to himself in shock. "Where is everybody?" Naruto questioned in a hurry.

"They all left a while ago. They said that the man called Zabuza might return today and they needed to face him. They told me to let you rest since none of them could wake you up." Tsunami explained. "Did they leave anybody here?" Naruto quickly asked. "No everybody went. Including my father." The young mother answered. _'What were they thinking? They should have never taken Tazuna with them… and they should have left some behind.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I need to leave as soon as possible. I have to warn them." Naruto said in a frantic tone. " **Yōjutsu: Liquid Evaporation**." Naruto called out and all of the sweat on his body evaporated in seconds. A gust of wind circled Naruto's body lifting off the slight body odor and dirt that was sticking to him. Raising his hand into the Ram Hand Sign Naruto was covered in a plume of smoke and when it cleared he was in his full combat gear.

"You're leaving so soon. But you just woke up and you're not feeling well. At least have something to eat before you go." Tsunami tried to urge. "I may not have enough time for that Ms. Tsunami, besides I'll finally be able to rest properly once this mission is over and you all are safe. There is too much at stake right now." Naruto said with a strong conviction in his tone. Inari who was silent up until this point widened his eye a little. He was thinking back on what Iris and Chaos told him about Naruto and right now he could see a glimpse of it.

"Well then at the very least wait here. I'll go get you some medicine for your headache. Please allow me to do that much for you." Tsunami pleaded and based on the look the young woman was giving him Naruto knew he would not be able to refuse her. Smiling the tiniest of smiles Naruto conceded to the kind gesture. "Ok I'll stay for the medicine but after that I have to go." Naruto said in finality. Shaking her head Tsunami left the room with Inari lingering just a few paces behind as he gave Naruto a contemplative look before trailing after his mother.

"Eva we have a lot to talk about, I had three visions and one of them was about the night the demon attacked us in our home a few years ago." Naruto said to his other half. "Three visions? Why would you be shown that time for?" Evangeline asked as she floated down to his face. The worry was clear in her eyes but they both knew that now was not the time for sentimentality. Iris and Chaos who Naruto could feel in the back of his mind were also radiating a lot of concern for their father but they too knew that now was not the time to be bombarding him with questions. They would have time for that soon.

 **Crash!**

"What was that?!" Naruto exclaimed as he stretched out his senses and found out that two more people were at the front door. "Eva let's go!" Naruto chanted as he jumped out the window of the room and flipped up onto the roof of the house. Eva was already in his hair and she was starting to channel her Yōki into his system so that they could sync up. Reaching the other side of the roof Naruto looked down and saw Tsunami being forcibly dragged across the boardwalk leading up to the house. Inari was chasing after the two assailants who by the looks of it were Samurai thugs.

"We don't have time for this. Let's end this quickly." Naruto said and he was about to make his move when he saw Inari bravely try to rescue his mother without a hint of fear in his eyes. Even when they knocked him down he stood back up with a defiant gleam in his eyes. A small smile worked its way onto Naruto's face. "That a boy, I knew you had it in you Inari." Seeing Inari charge back in recklessly Naruto knew he had to make his move now since he saw one of the samurai drawing his sword to cut the little boy down.

It all happened in an instant to everyone present.

Inari and Tsunami both were in the arms of a Naruto clone while the real one had the samurai stopped dead in their tracks. Naruto had each samurai pointed their swords at each other's neck and he had their wrist in a chakra enhanced vice grip.

"When?"

"Who?"

The two men could not even fathom what was happening to them at the moment but when Naruto spoke up they knew they were screwed. "Now be glad I'm not going to kill you two fools in front of this family but that's the only mercy you'll be getting from me." Naruto threatened and in that next moment he ripped the swords from their hands and in a flash both men were down on the ground with dozens of small gashes littering their bodies that caused them to cry out in pain. Taking the pummel of the swords Naruto struck both men in their temples knocking them both out instantly.

Turning to face the family with a smile on his face Naruto walked over to them and bent down to Inari's level and rubbed his head. "You were quite brave Inari. I'm proud of you for standing up for your mother." Naruto said and Inari looked up at Naruto in shock. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the things I said to you a few days ago. It was wrong of me and it wasn't my place to act but I just didn't want you making some bad choices that I almost made around your age. I really hope we can start over after all of this is over and done with." Naruto apologized with complete honesty in all of his words. Naruto figure now would be the time to clear the air between him and the younger boy so that they could both move on from the bumpy start they shared.

Inari looked up at Naruto with guilt shining in his eyes and a weight on his heart. He was moved by Naruto's words and for the last few days after speaking with Iris and Chaos he's been secretly watching Naruto to see what the twins see in him and he was seeing little glimpses of it but after what he just witnessed he could honestly say that the sisters were right. Truth be told Naruto's presence and how it's affected Inari has caused the young boy to relive many past memories, memories that were of happier yet now painful times and it was for that reason that Inari rejected Naruto's presence so harshly. But now his barriers were coming down.

"I'm sorry!" Inari cried out as hearing Naruto's heartfelt words was enough to bring the boy to tears. All of his guilt and sadness came out in that exact moment and Naruto embraced the younger boy in a hug. "It's ok Inari. I just hope we can get along after this." Naruto said as he let the boy release his guilt and pent up emotions, they stood like that for a few moments but then Naruto pulled away.

"I have to go now. My teammates are in trouble. But I promise that I'll save your country and make things right." Naruto said with a smile. The fire he saw in Inari's eyes as he charged at the men trying to take his mother away from him made Naruto feel a sense of pride well up deep inside of him. He knew Inari was a good kid and he was happy that he could see that fire for himself.

"But what if more come?" Inari asked in fear in his voice. Tsunami looked like she wanted to ask the same question. "Don't worry they won't be able to get to you even if they wanted too. Go back inside the house and look every door and window that is on the house." Naruto explained as he brought them back inside of the house as quickly as he could.

" **Shadow Clone Jutsu!** " Naruto called out and four clones came into existence and immediately helped the mother and son duo lock down the house. In that spar time Naruto took the bodies of the two samurai and tied them up with Ninja Wire and then tied them to the docks with their bodies in the water. The only part of their bodies that were visible were their heads while the rest of their body was submerged under water with weight seals placed on their ankles. So even if they somehow untied themselves form the dock or even the wire around their bodies they wouldn't be able to do it fast enough and they would sink to the bottom of the lake. It was a torture method often employed by the Mafia and the Torture and Interrogation ANBU Division of the Leaf.

"Ok all done, everything is locked down." Tsunami said as she came back to the front door of the house. Naruto's clones had scattered after helping the family lock up the house and now Naruto was ready to make his move. "Ok good job. Now listen very carefully now. I'm going to lock you guys up inside the house and place a barrier on the house itself. Under no circumstances are you to open any door or window on the house ok." Naruto explained to the mother and son. "A barrier, but how?" Inari questioned. "It's just one of the many skills that I have." Naruto said with a grin. "Naruto here is the medicine; it should help you." Tsunami said with a smile as she handed Naruto a pill that he quickly swallowed. "Thank you." Naruto said in gratitude. He went to close the door but Inari blocked it once more. Naruto could see the hesitation on the boy's face and even Tsunami was confused by the gesture.

"Inari what's wrong?" Naruto questioned.

"You're going to beat Gatō right?" Inari whispered out with uncertainty in his voice. Naruto closed his eyes as he remembered the meeting he had with his boss and how Mr. Dino ordered him to kill Gatō if given the chance. "Yeah I'm going to beat him and save this country Inari." Naruto said as he opened his eyes and gave the boy a thumbs up.

This time Inari really did falter in his confidence and in the smallest voice possible he spoke up. "Well then can you make sure to give him a good punch from me?"

Naruto was shocked for the briefest of moments along with Tsunami as they both stared down at Inari who was holding his head down which was covered up by his bucket hat. Bending down to Inari's height Naruto lifted Inari's head up and gave him the warmest smile he could possibly pull off. "Gatō won't know what hit him." Naruto simply said as he held out his fist for Inari to bump. Hesitating only for a slight moment Inari then bumped fist with Naruto and the first smile he's ever seen on Inari's face became known to the world. "Thanks Naruto."

"You're welcome Inari." Naruto said as he got up and close the door locking the family inside and safe from any possible danger. Reaching into his backpack Naruto pulled out a Sealing Paper with an adhesive backing and placed it on the front door to the house. It had red Kanji on it. Stepping back Naruto went through several hand signs, close to nearly twenty to be exact.

" **Fūinjutsu: Five Seal Barrier Jutsu!"**

" **Fūinjutsu: Mirror Reflection Jutsu!"**

The entire house glowed for a brief moment before returning to normal. "There we go. They will be safe from just about anything Gatō could throw at them." Naruto assured himself as he took one last look at the house before taking off into the woods at high speeds.

At that moment Iris and Chaos summoned themselves besides Naruto and started to keep pace with him. "Daddy it's time isn't it?" Iris asked as she looked to her father with both a serious gaze yet one of understanding and compassion. She knew that the decision of having them fight by his side in the open was something that he feared greatly and it was a decision that he didn't make lightly. "Yeah it is Iris, are you girls ready?" Naruto said as he tried not to let any of his doubts become visible. Since Iris and Chaos are linked to his emotions he is trying his best not to falter now and mess up their confidence.

"I'm ready daddy." Iris said with a confident look on her face.

"It's time for us to teach them all about love dada." Chaos said with a very unpleasant look on her face that was accompanied by her trademark grin and giggle. If he was worried about what Chaos just said, then he was doing a good job at hiding it.

"I can sense many chakra signature's going at it. We're almost there, so let's pick up the pace ok." Naruto said as he could sense many chakra signatures going at it on the bridge and it wasn't looking good from what he could tell. With that said the tree line broke and the Uzumaki family could see the massive bridge off in the distance surrounded by a large blanket of mist.

Stopping in his tracks Naruto starred ahead at the massive bridge looming in the distance. "Daddy?" Iris questioned as she saw the look on Naruto's face. Before she could say anything else Naruto placed his hands on both Iris and Chaos's shoulders and made them face him. "Girls I…" Naruto faltered here. He was trying to form his words. Iris and Chaos wanted to speak up but they knew that this was something he had to get off his chest. "Girls I… I want you to know that I'm both very proud of you two ok." Naruto said with absolute confidence but it was buried by his feelings and anxiety. "No matter what happens next I just want you to promise me one thing ok." Naruto requested as he looked into the sister's eyes and they looked back at him with nothing but devotion and understanding. "Please… just stay safe and watch each other's backs ok." Naruto asked in the most vulnerable voice the Uzumaki family has ever heard him speak in before.

Iris and Chaos looked at each other and an entire private conversation happened between them and it lasted for just a second. Evangeline's heart went out to her other half since she herself was fearful of the twins ever getting hurt or anyone ever targeting them. It was her worst fear and she didn't ever want that to happen to her little sisters. Turing back to look at Naruto both Iris and Chaos gave Naruto the most heartfelt smile possible. It was a once in a million picture perfect smile and it was reserved for Naruto who was blown away by the twin's smile. "We will daddy." Iris and Chaos said at the same time. Their voices actually synced up and blended together and Naruto couldn't tell them apart. Their eyes flashed green and red respectively for the briefest of moments before their beautiful smiles turned into challenging smirks as they pumped themselves up for the battle to come.

"Let's go kick some butt daddy!" Iris said as her grin was not lady like in the slightest and Chaos' smirk was as psychotic as possible. "Let's break some legs."

Slowly a small warm smile worked its way onto Naruto's face as he thought back to the day he found the girls in the clearing years ago. All the struggles that he had to go through with raising them and the journey over time and how he found himself becoming attached to them and learning to love them all flashed before his eyes and with those thoughts in his mind the small smile on his face grew until it stretched across his face. "That's my girls. Let's go get them. Believe it!" Naruto said as his smile turned into his fox like grin with the twins matching the grin on his face.

With that the Uzumaki family took off towards the bridge with the full intention of saving their friends. "Let's go girls!"

' _Just hold on guys. I'm coming.'_ Naruto thought to himself right before he winced in slight pain that was coming from his back.

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 ** _To be continued..._**

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 ** _Jutsu Library_**

1.) **Yōjutsu: Liquid Evaporation -** A technique that allows Naruto to evaporate liquids in a very close proximity to his body. It is very short ranged and doesn't work more than three feet away from him. It was actually the technique he was using while racing Hinata up the trees during their practice with the True Tree Walking Exercise.

2.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

3.) **Fūinjutsu: Five Seal Barrier Jutsu -** This technique creates a barrier around a place by placing four {forbidden} tags in different locations surrounding the place to be protected, a fifth tag on the location to be protected. The tags are placed on flat surfaces, and are connected with the user's chakra. This technique turns the entire range surrounded by the tags into a barrier space, and inside the space, the material's destruction is {forbidden}. Using any kind of physical attack to try and destroy something in the barrier is folly, as it will only lead to injury. To cancel this, it is necessary to search for the four tags and tear them off simultaneously. Meaning there must be at least five people on a team to cancel it.

4.) **Fūinjutsu: Mirror Reflection Jutsu -** A secondary trap is laid under the Five-Seal Barrier. This technique is automatically started when the {forbidden} tags are removed. An exact copy of the person who removed the tag appears with their appearance, weapons, battle skills, and so on. Because the double has a fixed amount of stamina and doesn't feel exhaustion, it has an advantage in a drawn-out battle. In order to cancel this technique and defeat their copy, the one who removed the tag has no choice but to somehow push past the previous limits that they had at the time they removed the tag.

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 ** _Author's Note (A/N):_** Hey guys I'm finally back and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I felt a little weird going into this chapter and the first half of this chapter never happened in the original script that I had but I wanted to come back in fresh with a new path so I wrote this up. It feels a little different than the previous chapters and I would agree to that but I'm hoping to get back into the grove soon. This chapter is important especially the flashbacks so be on the look out for that plot down the road.

The title of this chapter was a pretty fun to come up with. I think it's clever. You shouldn't have to over think what it's trying represent, I think it's self explanatory. But other than that Naruto is finally ready albeit reluctantly to fight with Iris and Chaos by his side so he should be feeling the pressure. More than that he is definitely feeling another kind of pain right now. I wonder what that could mean?

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 _That's the end of Chapter 18 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 2/3/16


	20. CH: 19 The Bridge to Nowhere

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter for you all.

I also have some good news. I was able to find the original chapters I had typed up 2 months ago the other night and so I've fused the old Chapter 18 with this brand new Chapter 19 and I think it came out better than I could have hoped for. The next chapter to come out after this will be the old original Chapter 19 that I had already written and it was already perfect in my opinion and now I wont have to spend days trying to come up with a new way to write what's going to be Chapter 20. I'm so happy. Now I can turn my attention to other things in the mean time while you guys enjoy this chapter and the next to come out.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 19

 _ **The Bridge to Nowhere**_

"He's not waking up." A frantic voice called out.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Another spoke out.

"I don't know, something is wrong." Yet another voice spoke out over the others.

Many voices were conversing in a frenzy early in the morning. "Kakashi we need to do something." A woman spoke up. "I don't know what is going on with him Anko." Kakashi responded to the now named Anko. The problem that was causing this conversation to occur was the fact that early in the morning Kakashi awoke to find Naruto covered in copious amounts of sweat and tossing in his sleep.

"Sensei his back." Hinata spoke up in shock. Her Byakugan active. What she saw disturbed her to no end. Corrosive red Yōki was pouring out of the claw marks on Naruto's back and his chakra network was under a lot of strain. She could also see Iris's energy flowing throughout Naruto's chakra network relieving the stress being put on it. It was pure anarchy inside of Naruto's body and throughout all of this Hinata was remembering the time she visited Naruto in the hospital after he was attacked the previous night by the mysterious demon. She remembered seeing his back and the claw marks that stretched across it. At the time she was still getting used to seeing Yōki and other energy signatures so seeing such vile energy emanating from Naruto's back every time she looked at him with her Byakugan on was always unnerving to her. In fact, it often made her nauseous.

Lifting Naruto up a little Kakashi pulled up the back of his shirt and his lone eye widened in shock at what he saw. His back was swollen and red. The four claw marks on his back were glowing an ominous red color. _'The mark he received is acting up. What does this mean? Could it be?'_ Kakashi questioned to himself.

"What do we do? Why can't we wake him up?" Anko asked in concern. Seeing the state Naruto was in was worrying Anko to no end and she subconsciously placed her hand on a spot behind her neck. "Like I said I don't know. It looks like he is having some type of nightmare or something brought on by the mark on his back. We can't wake him up. He will have to wake up on his own I'm afraid." Kakashi remarked.

After that was said the door opened with Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai walking into the room. The reason Anko and Hinata were already in the room was because Anko wanted to sneak into Naruto's bed to get a reaction out of him like normal and Hinata catching on to this tried to persuade the dango loving woman against such an idea. This lead them to coming into the room only to see Kakashi who looked like he just woke up himself already up and checking on Naruto who was already sweating quite a bit.

After informing the others of what was happening, but making sure to exclude showing them the glowing claw marks Kakashi managed to make the other Genin leave. Now it was just him along with Anko and Kurenai. "We have to inform Lord Hokage about this right away. We don't know what this means or if it is somehow harming Naruto. Worst yet we don't know if Naruto's in danger or if all of us could be in danger either." Kakashi explained. "You're right but I would still like to know more about Naruto's condition. You've kept a lot about him hidden from me." Kurenai requested. She knew a little about the blond haired boy and was acquainted with him from the many times he would stop by and take Hinata with him. He was always polite to her so she could respect that about him but other than that she knew about as much about him as everybody else. However, she knew that Anko who was her best friend was very close with Naruto and Kakashi was also secretly close with Naruto even though he never really talked about it much.

"We will but first we need to get a message out to Lord Hokage about this immediately." Kakashi spoke as he got out a small scroll and a pen and started to write out a message detailing everything that has happened up until this point. "Are you going to send Pakkun out to deliver this?" Anko asked in curiosity. "Yeah, it will take him a little longer to get back homes since we're on an island but he should make it back in a few days at top speed." Kakashi explained as he soon finished the report he was going to send back.

"Don't bother using Pakkun. Keep him here with you. I have a better idea." Anko thought on the fly. While she knew that Pakkun was one of the best Ninja Hound Trackers in the world and also a fast Currier she also knew that they didn't have time to waste and he would be better useful to Kakashi here encase he needed him. "A better idea? Like what? None of your snakes can make it any faster than Pakkun?" Kakashi questioned. Kurenai was also wondering the same thing.

"Just watch." Anko said as she walked over to Naruto and tapped the brown teddy bear besides him. In a puff of smoke Iris was there with Jean Paul in her hands. Kurenai's jaw dropped since she never even sensed the presence of others in the room other than her colleagues and Naruto. "What?" She whispered in bewilderment.

"Aunty?" Iris mumbled out as she opened her eyes to find that she was in the arms of Anko who picked her up off the bed. "Hey their kiddo, where strapped for time so I have to ask a favor of you princess." Anko spoke in a soft voice that the others never really hear her use. More questions were popping into Kurenai's mind with each passing second. "Ok, but Daddy is in pain. I think he might be having nightmares or even visions." Iris commented as she tried to get back to Naruto's side.

"Did she just say daddy." Kurenai asked wide eyed.

Deciding to quickly get her request across before Iris became to frantic Anko jolted Iris to get her attention back on her. "Hey Iris can we use one of your birds to send a message to your grandfather. It's really important ok." Anko asked as kindly as possible. Anko knows that when it comes to Naruto Iris tends to get tunnel vision and one track minded. Right now Iris was trying to concentrate her energy that was circulating inside of Naruto around so that she could relieve the stress it was putting on his chakra network. Being asleep this process would go a lot faster and easier since the rest of her body isn't functioning much but when awake this process requires active concentration.

Understanding how serious the situation was and knowing that the Hokage needed to know this Iris nodded her head. Her eyes glowed green for a fraction of a second and a robin came to the window. Anko opened the window and let the little bird in. Seeing what Anko's plan was Kakashi didn't waste any time in talking and tied the little scroll to the bird. Iris's eyes glowed a second time and this time the emerald color appeared in the bird's eyes. "Go." Iris commanded and the bird shot off out the window going way faster than a normal bird. It disappeared into the forest surrounding the home.

Iris's eyes started to become half lidded as she focused back in on Naruto. She wasn't even consciously aware of the others in the room. "Daddy." Iris whispered as they all saw Naruto toss and turn in the bed obviously filled with pain from his back. Anko didn't notice it before but Iris had a little bit of sweat on her as well and her breathing wasn't a hundred percent normal. "Ok princess thanks for that. Now I need you to help keep Naruto safe ok. I need for you to heal him." Anko said as she placed Iris back in the bed with Naruto and the second she did Iris immediately latched on to Naruto's arm and her eyes closed off in seconds. She suddenly transformed back into a teddy bear with the last bit of consciousness that she had before she completely went to sleep.

"You have some explaining to do." Kurenai said in a serious tone.

* * *

After an hour of talking the three Jonin sensei's left the room with Kurenai overwhelmed with a lot of new information to take in. "Hey you said for us to tell you everything." Anko said with a shrug of her shoulders. Getting down stairs the Jonin did their best to explain to everyone present what was happening to Naruto. They had made the decision that Naruto obviously would not be joining them on the mission. It was a serious blow to their fire power especially since they knew Naruto's power would be highly beneficial in the fight ahead of them. But he was in no condition to go if he couldn't even wake up.

The others had mixed reactions to this. Tazuna and Tsunami had worried looks on their faces. More so Tsunami. The mother in her as well as the growing curiosity that she had for Naruto made it so that she was very concerned. Tazuna was forming a respect for Naruto and his selfless acts, not to mention his power and bravery in standing up to Zabuza. Naruto also quickly picked up a lot on the engineering aspects he and the rest of his colleagues were talking about when they were discussing the bridge.

Hinata was very worried for her best friend and she had a slight idea of what was happening based on the fact she knew about the mark on his back and she could see Yōki with her Byakugan. She wanted to stay behind to look after him but she knew that she would be needed with the others on the bridge.

Sakura wasn't sure what was going on but ever since she saw the mark on Naruto's back she's been itching to ask him about it. However, based on the way he reacted that day she wasn't so sure she would get a response out of him if she had tried to ask. But none the less she was very worried at this point for her teammate, but she didn't know how to help him.

Sasuke wasn't sure what was going on either but he knew that the mark on Naruto's back meant something important when Naruto basically shut Sasuke down after it was shown to them. In the back of Sasuke's mind ever since they've started the mission he's been having some doubts and suspicions about Naruto. Sasuke wondered where Naruto has learned all his skills from and more importantly just how much stronger is Naruto compared to him. The way he carries himself is not like a fresh Genin just out of the Academy like everyone else. It's like he's a Jonin with some experience under his belt.

Shino was as calm as ever but on the inside he's been keeping his eye on his friend. He planted yet another one of his bugs on Naruto but as soon as it made contact with the Yōki emanating from his back his bug died immediately. Shino's bugs have a slight passive immunity to Yōki due to the fact that for years he's tagged Naruto with numerous bugs only for them to slowly freeze to death the longer they stayed in contact with his body. Since Naruto's chakra is constantly laced with Yōki Shino's bugs have built up a tolerance for it. But the second the bug he sent up to Naruto's room came in contact with the foul Yōki on his back the bug died immediately.

Fuki herself was mostly indifferent to what was happening to Naruto on the outside but on the inside was a different story. _'What is happening to him. Is the mark acting up because one of them is close by?'_ She thought to herself. She was off in a corner by herself. Her team mates were close by but neither of them cared all that much about what was happening to Naruto.

Kiba was of a different opinion. "So the loser is just having a bunch of nightmares, big deal. It's nothing to get worked up about." He said as he laid back in one of the couches. Akamaru was in his lap resting. "Kiba you shouldn't say such things. This is serious." Hinata reprimanded Kiba with a frown on her face. Although her voice didn't raise in volume she was still upset that Kiba would say such a thing. "What I'm right. He's just being a drama queen. It's probably nothing. Nightmares don't give you pain in the real world." The Inuzuka clan heir said in a nonchalant tone.

Hinata frowned more at this but before she could say anything else Kurenai spoke up. "Ok Kiba that's enough. Right now we need to get Mr. Tazuna to the bridge so he can begin working on it again." Kurenai said as she diffused the situation. Kiba hissed his teeth but other than that he said no more. Hinata looked on with a sad look towards Kiba since she didn't really want to fight or argue with him, especially since he's her teammate.

After breakfast everyone left for the bridge. Hinata again felt the urge to stay behind to look after Naruto but she knew it wouldn't be fair to leave her teammates behind especially when they need her. She silently wished for Naruto to get better.

* * *

Soon the group reached the bridge and immediately they could tell something was very wrong. A heavy blanket of mist was covering up the bridge and the surrounding area. "I smell blood." Kakashi said as his visible eye narrowed in tension. They could hear a frantic set of footsteps running towards them. Everyone tensed at this. Seconds later a worker came barreling out of the mist with his skin white as chalk. The fear that was present in his eyes couldn't be faked or replicate and he was currently running for his very life. The second his eyes found the group everyone could see a sense or more panic and relief mix into his eyes as he gained an extra burst of speed.

"HELP! You have to help! They killed everybody! Everyone's dead. YOU HAVE TO HEL-!" The man screamed in jumbled up words as he raced to the group of Shinobi only for his life to end right then and there when a kunai impaled him in the base of his skull. The man's forward momentum carried his lifeless body forward and he crashed down dead at the feet of the group with blood spilling onto the concrete.

Most of the Genin looked on in shock or horror while the Jonin narrowed their eyes at the causal dismissal of an innocent life. Tazuna was speechless since this worker was a good friend of his. He couldn't even tear his eyes away from the lifeless corpse at his feet.

"Guys get Tazuna out of here. Clearly it was a mistake to bring him along with us." Kakashi said as he stepped in front of the group. He pulled his headband up revealing the famous Sharingan Eye for all to see. The tome in his eyes were spinning around in a slow hypnotic counter clockwise fashion and his chakra spiked and flared in warning. It also helped that his chakra dispersed the mist around the group so that they could see more than just a few yards away.

"I don't think that would be any fun Kakashi, let the old man stay. That way he can see how futile it was to bring you guys here after I get done killing you all." Zabuza's voice was heard coming from the mist and seconds later the mist parted and it revealed Zabuza all healed up standing about 30 yards away with the same Hidden Mist ANBU agent by his side.

"We won't be dying today Zabuza. Gatō is like a poison and your presence here is nothing more than a nuisance. These people have suffered enough. You're only making it worst." Kakashi spat out as he glared at Zabuza from across the bridge. Zabuza glared back at that remark. "That's quite the little motley crew you brought along to this party. But it doesn't look like those kids really know how to have fun so that's why I invited these guys over here to teach them a thing or two." Zabuza said and like magic the mist which had receded to stand behind his back suddenly vanished and standing behind Zabuza was 20 men. 4 Jonin and 16 Chunin. Each of them were wearing various outfits and uniforms and to top it off they were all sporting headbands form the Hidden Mist and other small villages.

Tazuna looked like he was on the verge of fainting when he saw how many ninjas the enemy had and the Genin all looked shocked to their bones. Even though they knew they were at a disadvantage it didn't help when you could visibly see the prove right in front of you.

"Ami, Kasumi, take Tazuna and run!" Anko commanded as she pulled out some Kunai. "Sakura, go with them. They could use your help." Kakashi added in as he tensed the muscles in his shoulders. "But sensei!" Sakura began to protest but she was cut off by Kakashi. "This isn't the time for that Sakura. Tazuna is out priority. Get him out of here." Kakashi commanded. Wilting Sakura turned to Tazuna who still was having trouble taking his eyes away from the friend he had just lost. As an afterthought since most of the mist was removed from the area they could see the other workers' bodies and they were all killed. None were spared in the obvious massacre. It was taking everything the Genin had not to puke right then and there.

"This is it guys. Stay safe. Fight smart not harder and watch each other's backs." Kakashi said in an encouraging tone. He already had a kunai in his hand and he was as ready as he would ever be. "This isn't like you Zabuza. I thought you worked alone? I didn't know you liked company?" Kakashi conversed as he started up some pre battle banter to psych himself up for the fight to come. He was also using this time to analyze and check out all of the other opponents surrounding them.

"I would prefer to work alone but times change Kakashi, and so do plan's. But I must ask you. Where is your blond haired student? He's the one I really want to fight." Zabuza conversed as he too like any worthy Shinobi took this time to analyze his opponents and size them up.

"He couldn't make it. He had to catch up on some sleep but he sends his regards." Kakashi said as he started to move his muscles and warm up his blood. "I see. That's too bad then. I guess after I kill you I'll go give him a nice wake up call. I'm sure he would appreciate that." Zabuza said as he placed his hand on his giant broadsword. "I'm sure he would but that's only if you can get past me." Kakashi said as he tensed. "With pleasure." Zabuza said menacingly as he blurred out of existence with Kakashi doing the same.

They met each other in the middle of the bridge with a shower of sparks as they traded lightning fast strikes for nearly ten seconds before clashing into a deadlock. "Very good. It would seem like you're not holding back this time. Smart choice." Zabuza stated as he pushed down on Kakashi with his Executioners Blade. "Well what are you guys waiting for? An invitation? Get them." Zabuza bellowed and like the wind the other ninja scatters with the Jōnin making a bee line straight for Anko and Kurenai.

Anko smirked as two Jōnin landed in front of her. "Well hello boys. Here to party?" Anko taunted with her signature grin. Both men looked Anko up and down taking in the shape of her body and they both glanced at each other before smirking at Anko.

Kurenai frowned as the two Jōnin in front of her stood in her way. One was a tall man well over six feet while the other was a short woman barely passed 5 feet tall. Kurenai was never the best at Taijutsu. Her primary abilities lied with Genjutsu which she excelled at. Unknown by many her second affinity was towards Fūinjutsu and she was decent and well versed in it as well. She only fell back on her Taijutsu if she couldn't outright incapacitate her opponent with either her Genjutsu or Fūinjutsu. Her skills in Ninjutsu other than the standard that most shinobi knew was limited and on the lower end of her abilities.

"Well aren't you a pretty thing?" The woman said. Despite being only 5 feet tall the woman had adult like curves and she carried herself far different than a child. "Let's see if she's any good Hun." The man said presumably to his wife or girlfriend.

* * *

Suddenly from out of the mist a large fire ball came barreling down at the group of Genin who were surrounding Tazuna.

Hinata, Fuki, and Sasuke were the first to react but somehow Hinata was faster. While Sasuke was making hand signs and Fuki was getting into a stance Hinata broke ranks and stood before everyone. **"Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Aqua Palm!"** Hinata called out. Because of her affinity for Water Style Naruto helped her develop her Gentle Fist to incorporate Ninjutsu and elemental attacks into her hand to hand techniques.

This technique Hinata created was inspired by Naruto's Hurricane Fist technique that he often uses whenever he fights her or other combatants who focus more on Taijutsu. Both of Hinata's hands were coated in a thick jet stream of water and she forced her palms forward right into the fireball and it exploded violently into a cloud of hot steam. Hinata's Byakugan was active and the veins around her eyes were bulging and her lavender featureless eyes were suddenly now pronounced with an actual pupil in the center.

Sakura, Ami, and Kasumi were shocked to see Hinata react so quickly or to see the look in her eyes at the moment. They were fierce and intense. Plus, they rarely ever see her with her family's Dōjutsu activated so they were not used to it especially this close up.

" **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"** Sasuke called out as he sent a fire ball right back in the direction of the attack. He could barely see it but he could see a faint shadow move out of range of his fire ball. The Chūnin exited the mist and surrounded the group of Genin and cut off their escape and aid from their Jōnin Sensei's. "Let's take our time boys. These little Genin aren't going anywhere." One of the Chūnin spoke up. He was bald and had scars over his bare chest. He was not that appealing and he didn't stand out too much but it was apparent that he was the defacto leader of the group.

Hinata instantly got into her fighting stance. Fuki and Sasuke followed suit with Kiba bringing up the rear. Shino stayed behind his classmates close to Tazuna so that he could guard them. Sakura was shaking like a leaf since she could feel the overwhelmingly intense killing intent of the shinobi surrounding her and the two other girls from Team 6 were not faring any better. An image of Naruto popped into Sakura's mind and she then thought of how inferior she feels to her mysterious teammate and with that some of her nerves calmed down. She pulled out a kunai and joined Shino in guarding Tazuna. She was determined not to fail this mission.

"I guess I'll go first." Another shinobi said as he threw some shuriken at the group while rushing in behind. Sasuke instantly pulled out his own shuriken and threw them strait at the incoming attack. They collided in midair just as the Chūnin reached the group. Hinata was instantly in his way.

While on the outside she had a fierce and determined look on her face on the inside she was very scared but her adrenaline was pumping gallons into her blood stream and Hinata was remembering all the years in which she trained with Naruto and all the time that they spent together and it helped to clear her mind for the fight to come. However, the pit of anxiety, fear, apprehension, and so much more was still present as she stared into the eyes of her enemy.

He went in for a fast jab to probe Hinata's defenses but he was surprised when Hinata responded with a deflective strike followed up by a lightning quick strike strait to his trapezius muscle group in his shoulder. The man's arm instantly went limp and with a forceful palm strike to the sternum Hinata sent the man tumbling back away from the group.

Some of the Chūnin narrowed their eyes at this while some of the others had a shocked look on their faces. Some of Hinata's classmates also had shocked looks as well. _'She's improved.'_ Fuki thought with a side glance to Hinata who was near her. _'Was Hinata always this good? I know she could compete with Fuki and Sasuke but that was just in spars. I didn't know she was this strong.'_ Sakura thought in awe.

Hinata's heart was pounding but she was trying to remain focused.

"Well now this is interesting. It would seem we have a Hyūga as our enemy. I should have known based on her eyes." The bald headed Chūnin said while folding his arms. Tightening up her stance Hinata prepared herself. "Come on boy's these little Genin should be fun to play with." The bald headed Chūnin said with a vicious grin. Shino could be seen in the back of the formation preparing his bugs as they silently crawled out of his sleeves. He was going to play the support role in this. His front line fighting abilities were not up to par. This was something he was determined to change after this.

With that the mob of Chūnin jumped in at the trapped Genin with the bald headed Chūnin making a bee line straight for Hinata.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

"I can sense it. Things are getting worst." Jumping onto the bridge Naruto was met with a thick blanket of mist covering up the bridge and everything going on within its depths. Placing a finger on the ground and closing his eyes Naruto concentrated for a few seconds and then he stiffened. Iris and Chaos had just landed behind their father but before they could say anything they saw him slowly stand up. Opening his eyes Naruto's eyes were no longer a bright sky blue color, they had turned to a dark sapphire color that was cold and frozen over. His twin swords of Ice appeared in his hands and his chakra cloak appeared around him in its dazzling multicolor of various blues, oranges, whites, and purples.

Taking off he displaced the air around him and looking at each other for a split second the girls took off with speed they should not have. The looks on their faces were of complete focus and confidence but in their eyes there was a well of hidden power just waiting to be unleashed.

* * *

 _ **With the Genin**_

Things were not looking good for the Genin on the bridge. They were trapped and heavily outnumbered. 4 of the Chūnin were down and out for the count. They were out cold and heavily bruised and hurt. The other 12 Chūnin were bruised and cut up but they were still standing. Some of them lower on chakra than others but they were fine. 2 out of the 12 however received more damage than others and they were panting heavily. They were in a standoff with Hinata, Fuki, and Kiba. Shino had his bugs scattered over the remaining Chūnin and was slowly draining their chakra. If he tried to suck up too much at one time they would catch on and discover his bugs and kill them. If that happened one of the very few advantages that they had would be gone.

Sasuke was lured away at the prospect of fighting the Masked ANBU Agent who was spectating all of the fights going on closely. At one point in time he saw an opening and was going to grab Tazuna but Sasuke intercepted the masked shinobi and engaged him in a contest of speed and reflexes. It looked like they were evenly matched but the tables were turned on Sasuke but before anyone could see what happened next they were swallowed up in the mist since Zabuza summoned yet another thick layer using his famed Jutsu.

At the moment Hinata was panting from exhaustion. She barely managed to beat the leader of the Chūnin and she nearly died trying. It was not a proper 1 on 1 fight since they were all fighting in one little area of the bridge and the other Chūnin were jumping in landing a few shots and ducking out of the fight like it was a game of chicken. It might as well have been for them since the older shinobi were laughing at how the Genin were struggling to fight them. Hinata put up a great fight and she managed to take down their leader but knowing this the other Chūnin stuck to more mid and long range techniques to pepper her with and keep her off balance. That tactic proved to be the right choice since it was a mass group fight and the opponent in front of you would only be in your face for a few minutes or seconds before either jumping out of the fight or switch to attacking one of your teammates.

It was a mess and it was pure chaos at the moment. "What now? What do we do?" Kiba grunted. He was sweating and panting and his puppy Akamaru was panting in fatigue. Despite how large the group was the Chūnin showed great team work and coordination. It showed that they were not a random group of missing ninja. It proved that they had some prior knowledge and familiarity among them. Perhaps they all knew each other.

"I don't know Kiba, we are in trouble." Hinata panted. She had to take off her large jacket because she was so sweaty that it was sticking to her clothes and slowing down her movements. The only reason why they didn't take out more or injure their enemy further was because when one would take a serious blow from one of the Genin he would just jump out and let someone else take over the fight. The enemy group were preserving their longevity and prolonging this fight. A fight that the Genin were starting to run low on stamina in.

"Hey Hyūga girl, I got a present for you!" One of the two Chūnin standing in front of the Genin said. He was one of the two that were hurt more than the others. He reached into his pouch and pulled out some pellets before charging in at Hinata with his partner. Throwing the pellets with a lighting fast motion Hinata had no time to move before they exploded in front of her in blinding flash of light. With her Byakugan on Hinata was more sensitive to such attacks but she still tried to search for their chakra signatures so that she could see where they were coming from.

However, Hinata gasped in shock when her entire vision was covered in a thick layer of chakra. She couldn't distinguish anything apart from one another. The pellets released a blanket of chakra into the air that could blind and confuse people with sensitivity to chakra. In this case it blinded Hinata from picking apart different signatures since to her at the moment they all looked the same.

"HINATA LOOK OUT!" Kiba screamed as he raced to her side. The Chūnin were mere feet from Hinata and everyone else including Hinata was blinded by the smoke and light the pellets gave off. "It's over for you girl!" The shinobi yelled.

Hinata couldn't see it but she could feel it coming. Her death was near and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She was to slow, disoriented, and tired. _'Naruto… I'm so sorry.'_ Hinata thought.

" **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation!"**

The smoke was violently dispelled and two bodies sailed past Hinata and hit the ground with a thud. Kiba skidded to a stop wide eyed and slack jawed. Fuki's eyes were wide for a moment before they narrowed at Naruto. Everyone else was stunned into silence including the rest of the Chūnin and Genin squads. As always Naruto's shoulders sagged in sadness whenever he did what he had to do but just as quickly as that moment of sadness came it passed and Naruto turned to face Hinata with a small smile on his face.

"Hey Hinata, you ok?" Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head with his cheesy grin. "Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed. "You're ok?" Hinata asked happily. "Yeah no nightmare can keep me down. Here." Naruto said as he showed Hinata his hand and a small clump of gold dust was in his palm. "Rub this on your eyes with some water. Your vision should clear immediately." Naruto said as he poured the dust into Hinata's waiting hand. "But this would help as well." Naruto muttered as he flared his chakra and dispelled the chakra cloud the pellets made earlier.

"Naruto?" Kiba muttered as he looked at his classmate and rival in shock. "Hey dog breath. Looks like you've had a tough time. But I can tell you did a good job." Naruto complimented and insulted the Inuzuka clan member at the same time. While he was not Kiba's friend and he really didn't like him all that much he never started the fights between them. He would be as polite as possible towards the boy for the most part, but he would admit that he does insult him quite a few times. They haven't had an argument yet since his team came and Naruto was grateful for that.

Naruto's eyes panned over to one of the downed Chūnin and his body and clothes were all shredded up and Naruto instantly knew that was the work of Kiba and Akamaru. While he didn't like Kiba much, Naruto had a lot of respect for the boy because in all honesty Kiba was a great fighter and his Taijutsu was so unique and powerful that it easily allowed him to compete and stay at the top of the class with the others. His fighting instincts were something Naruto respected and appreciated a lot.

' _Naruto. This look in his eyes. Is he going to get serious? There's something different about him now.'_ Sakura observed her teammate with awe. She was deliberately keeping her eyes away from the two bodies behind Hinata but she knew that this was inevitable that someone was going to die.

' _So this is what it looks like when Naruto is serious? Interesting.'_ Shino thought as he looked at his friend while fixing his glasses.

"Naruto are you finally ready?" Hinata asked with uncertainty in her voice. She could see the look in his eyes. They were more confident than she could ever remember. She could see a weight lifted off his shoulders and he looked like he was ready to truly reveal himself. She could see it all in his eyes. He was standing tall and there was a fire in his eyes. Naruto was ready.

"Yeah. I'm done hiding… no we're done hiding." Naruto said with a small comforting smile. Confusion bloomed in Hinata's eyes. "We?"

"Stay safe Hinata, guys just sit back and rest. You've done enough." Naruto said and with a smile he started to glow blue. Hinata's eyes widened at this. _'Acceleration.'_

"Who the hell is this guy?" One Chūnin said with the others agreeing. They were getting restless and after seeing two of their own taken down like that they were itching for blood. "Get him!" Another said and all ten Chūnin charged at Naruto. They all noticed that a blue aura started to surround Naruto but it was too late they were already committed to their charge.

"Sorry guys but I'm not your opponent." Naruto said and with that he shot off in a burst of speed.

"We are!" A voice of a young girl shouted from above. Everyone looked up at this and they saw two small figures land on the bridge in front of them. It was too late to stop running forward. All ten Chūnin ran straight into a light blue hexagonal patterned dome and they hit it hard. One man even broke his nose because he smacked into the shield too hard.

A large gust of wind from out of nowhere circulated around the group of Genin and suddenly the group of Chūnin were all picked off their feet and sent flying to the other side of the bridge. The wind also blew away the mist surrounding their section of the bridge allowing everyone to see what happened.

Two little girls.

The first one had short shoulder length rich blond hair that was naturally wavy and curly at the tips. She had long bangs but they were being kept up by a very large pink bow tied in her hair. She had crystal clear baby blue eyes that were oozing with confidence, strength, comfort, amusement, and mischief. Small lips and a button nose complimented her looks. She was wearing a golden yellow dress with pale yellow frills and laces adorning the dress in ways to make it fashionable. The dress had three layers of frills at the bottom which came down to her knees. She had white socks on and comfortable golden shoes that perfectly matched her dress. Slung over her shoulder was a small black strap that had a small teddy bear head attached to it. It was actually a purse. To finish off her look she had a large brown teddy bear with a green collar around its neck in her arms and she had it hugged to her chest.

The second one had long knee length pale blond hair that was naturally straight but stopped at different lengths down at the tips. She had thick long bangs that fell down over her forehead and partially into her eyes. She had large slanted lazy purple eyes that was overflowing with mischief, amusement, playfulness, aloofness, and a hidden well of insanity. Small lips and a button nose complimented her looks. She was wearing a black crop top shirt that exposed her neck which had a black collar around it with a small link of chains attached to it. It also exposed her belly button but not much else. She was also wearing black shorts with silver studs and little chains attached to it with a small skirt over it that had a polka dot theme to it. Oddly enough she wasn't wearing any socks or shoes at all. Instead she was barefooted. But what set her apart was the fact she had an eerie smile on her face that contrasted her sisters whose was confident and gentle.

Two six year olds just sent ten Chūnin flying. No one could seem to recover the ability to think properly. "Girls!" Hinata exclaimed in shock. Never in a million years would she have expected Naruto pull such a stunt. "Hey Hina, you look like you could use a bath." Chaos said with a giggle. Hinata was covered in scrapes and bruises and her clothes were covered in dirt and mud from stray earth style Ninjutsu. "Just sit back and relax all of you. We'll take it from here ok." Iris spoke up and her voice was rich and elegant and every syllable that came out of her mouth flowed like silk. It instantly had everyone around her transfixed and mesmerized.

' _Who are these girls?'_ This was the universal thought running through everyone's minds but they all voiced it differently.

At this point the enemy Chūnin was getting back to their feet. Stepping forward both Iris and Chaos stood before the ten grown men. "Hey, hey! Iris! Iris! Can I get those 5 ugly ones over there!?" Chaos chanted excitingly as she bounced up and down in barely contained excitement. "Yes Chaos and I'll take these 5 gentlemen over here." Iris said as she addressed five of the men. Stepping forward Iris grabbed her dress and pulled one leg behind the other before bowing in the most elegant way possible. The whole motion was fluent and elegant.

"Hello my name is Iris Uzumaki." Iris said shocking all of the Genin including Tazuna into silence except for Hinata but she was still shocked to see the twins here. "Would you young gentlemen here be so kind as to treat a lady like myself to a dance?" Iris said with her eyes starting to turn emerald green. Her gentle smile turned from kind to mocking and arrogant. She was purposefully acting like this to rile up the shinobi further.

"Hey guys my name is Chaos Uzumaki and we're going to have so much fun playing together. I'm going to teach you all about love." Chaos said as her smile turned into something a little six-year-old shouldn't have.

At this point both Iris and Chaos's eyes turned emerald green and ruby red respectively and a barely restrained fountain of power was saturating the air and it was originating from the twins.

"Let's go."

And the battle began.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Aqua Palm -** A technique that Hinata created that his based off the principles behind Naruto's _Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu_. With this technique Hinata can create jets of water on her palms and attack opponents using the Gentle Fist Fighting Style. Because the water has built up a lot of pressure Hinata can also forcefully push opponents back and stop Fire Style Ninjutsu by thrusting her palms forward into the attack. Hinata can also use the technique in a more subtle or domesticated manner instead of an all out attack. She can use it simply to wash off someones face or wound and other simple applications.

2.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

3.) **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation -** Coating himself in his Accel Cloak Naruto who has a sword or bladed weapon in his hands {It can be a real weapon or one created from his Ice Style} disappears in a burst of speed granted to him by his Accel Turn and swiftly decapitates his target in one fluid and quick motion. The victim will have no time to react since this technique is used at point black range and it is used during the element of surprise which will catch the opponent off guard.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Well guys there you go. That's Chapter 19 for you. I hope you all enjoyed it. So now the moment I'm sure everyone's been waiting for. Iris and Chaos are going to finally have their first fight. I've thought for quite some time on their own styles of combat that Naruto has helped them create and while it wont be completely apparent in the next chapter as time goes on I'll expand and explore it in more depth. Also it would seem Naruto is taking off the kiddy gloves and he's now ready to show his true self. A lot is going to be happening in the next few chapters so I hope you guys stick around.

Thanks for the support and a review would be nice. It would really help me connect with you guys better.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 19 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 2/11/16


	21. CH: 20 The Twins Take the Stage

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heavens Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note (A/N):_** Hey guys know this is what you've been waiting for. The twins in action. Now before you head in into this chapter and come out of it thinking that the girls are already to powerful I will go ahead and say that yes they are quite powerful for their age and they are definitely a little out their in terms of power but let me remind you that they are not human in the slightest. Iris is a goddess in human form and Chaos is a powerful Angeloid. You saw what she did to the others in the Manga/Anime. The girls won't be graded in power level based on the Shinobi Grading scale. It wouldn't be fair since they are not human and their abilities are not exactly the same as Ninjutsu.

However I will say that they won't be overpowering everyone in their way and more than that they will have trouble in future chapters. Now that that is all said and done lets enjoy the chapter.

 ** _(Today is my best friends birthday, so I posted this chapter for him. Happy Birthday Bro!)_**

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 20

 _ **The Twins take the Stage**_

"Hinata do you know these girls?" Sakura asked Hinata in shock after hearing what Iris said. Everyone else was in a similar state of shock from what they heard. None of them knew that Naruto had any relatives especially since he never spoke of having any family. It was established many years ago and was a common fact among everyone that Naruto was an orphan with no family. But looking at Iris and Chaos now it caused everyone to take a second look. The two girls can't hide behind the fact that they just took Naruto's last name for the simple fact that they bare to much of a resemblance to Naruto.

Iris's blond hair was almost the same shade as Naruto's and her blue eyes was an exact carbon copy as Naruto's. It was like looking into a mirror. As for Chaos her hair while blond was a lighter shade of it and her eyes were purple but it didn't detract from the fact that she did share some features with Naruto. There were not many excuses they could use when they closely resemble Naruto like that.

"Yes I do. I've known them for almost as long as they have been alive." Hinata answered truthfully. "Are they Naruto's little sisters?" Sakura implored. She was truthfully curious about this new development. She wanted to know more about her teammate who never really talked about personal things. He was more opened and talkative about normal everyday things and he was very friendly but he never really spoke about what he did at home.

Everyone else was listening in and was using this time to rest and recover. They all had scrapes and bruises and were starting to feel tired. Kiba used his nose and he caught a scent of both Iris and Chaos and his eyes widened. "His scent is all over them. It's all I smell." Kiba added in.

"They are not his little sisters. They… they are actually… his… his daughters." Hinata managed to get out. She wasn't sure how everyone would react to that revelation and in all honesty the whole idea of their classmate having two daughters was ridiculous but there was no point in lying to her friends. Especially when the truth was going to come out eventually.

"Daughter?" The disbelief was clear in Sakura's voice and in everyone else's faces as they stared at Hinata in absolute shock. "It's a lot to explain, but we have to patch ourselves up quickly." Hinata stated. She didn't feel like it was her place to reveal such information. This was something that she knew meant a lot to Naruto and he should have the right to explain himself and she felt like she already said too much.

Besides that, they really should take this brief moment to patch themselves up because at any moment they could be attacked. They are on an active battlefield after all and just because no one was attacking them at this exact second didn't mean someone wouldn't try to sneak attack one of them when their guard was down. You have to take every opportunity you are given and fight smart.

Hinata took out a med kit that she always keeps on her and started to patch up Kiba who was next to her. He got roughed up a bit when he took on one of the Chūnin who had strong Earth Style abilities. Kiba managed to smash thought his earth defenses with his Jutsu's. However, he took some bumps doing it.

"Well I never would have thought the brat had brats of his own." Tazuna said in a bewildered tone. If he had a bottle of sake with him now, he would have downed the entire bottle in one go. He definitely did not expect to hear this.

' _So this is what Naruto has been hiding.'_ Shino thought to himself. He was planning on placing a bug on both girls form this point onward. He noticed over the years that the bugs he placed on Naruto would freeze to death. He never mentioned it to him but he had his theories.

* * *

"That little boy left us two little girls to fight in his place after taking out two of our brothers. We will make him pay for that by killing these little brats." One of the Chūnin said as he threw over a dozen shuriken at Iris and Chaos. Some of his companions also threw shuriken at them as well. Soon whole walls of shuriken were heading at Iris and Chaos and since the others were behind them they would be hit too.

Chaos smiled at this while holding her hand out in front of her. **"Aegis."** Chaos said and her shield came up and stonewalled the horde of shuriken heading their way. Before any of them could clatter to the ground a violent wind picked up and with a flick of her wrist Iris sent the entire set of shuriken hurdling back at the Chūnin. They were colliding with some of the shuriken that were still incoming but most of them were on course to hitting the gaping Chūnin who were shocked to see such a strange ability that Chaos wielded and to see Iris command the wind itself without hand signs. The Genin were also shocked as well and questions were flowing though everyone's mind.

" **Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!"** One of the Chūnin called out and a concrete slab from the bridge itself rose up off the floor and covered the enemy form their own attacks. The wind enhanced shuriken implanted themselves deep into the concrete but they did not break though.

They could see another Chūnin making hand signs. **"Earth Style: Earth Boulder Barrage!"** The concrete wall gained cracks in it as several sections started to break apart and shoot off at Iris and Chaos at high speeds. Waving her arms around in an intricate way Iris summoned a gust of wind that knocked a few of the boulders of course but a few kept coming. With a quick shielding from Chaos the rest of the stones smashed apart the second they hit Chaos's defenses. By this point all of the Chūnin were back on their feet and they all looked like they were ready to go.

Smiling Iris looked back at Hinata and the group with a confident and gentle smile. "Hina hold on to John Paul for me please." Iris requested as she tossed her precious teddy bear to Hinata who caught it easily enough. She saw the worried look on Hinata's face and a reassuring smile was directed at her. "Don't worry Hina. I got this." Iris said before turning around to face the Chūnin who were about to make their move. Reaching into the teddy bear shaped purse Iris pulled out two fold up Chinese fans with beautiful intricate designs on them. On one side it had a design of a Phoenix covered in fire and on the other side it had red feathers. These were the fans that Iris got for her birthday. These were her weapons.

Getting into a stance with the fans spread open a serious look crossed Iris's face as her eyes glowed green. "Let's go."

Taking off a tall man appeared in front of Iris with a kunai in hand. Bringing it down on top of her he was in for a surprise when she folded up one of her fans and deflected his attack. Bringing in her other fan Iris nearly took off the man's head with a horizontal swing but he managed to roll to the side just in time to escape. Continuing her momentum Iris spun around showing her back to the oncoming Chūnin and opened up her fan just in time to block a kunai which would have impaled her in her back. Increasing her speed, she continued to build up her momentum as three of the five Chūnin swarmed her and started to attack her at close range. They each had kunai in their hands and they were trying their hardest to hit Iris but she was just far too small and way to agile and fast for them to get a solid hit on.

The clang of metal on metal was heard so many times within the span of a few seconds as the three Chūnin had all of their attacks deflected by Iris who was like a ballerina twirling and spinning around and through them as she weaved her way in and around their defenses. Not a single strike was landed on her but in retrospect because of her small stature she was not able to land a decisive blow on them either but there was a fire in her eyes. It looked like she was experiencing what fun was for the first time or rediscovering it.

Seeing her chance Iris stepped on a short man's foot. He yelped and lost his balance and with speed and agility she should not have Iris leapt up nailing him in between his legs and kicked off of him and slammed her foot into the face of another approaching Chūnin. The blow was so strong that he lost three of his teeth and busted his lip wide open. The Chūnin tumbled to the ground. Landing on her feet Iris deflected several shuriken before they could hit her.

At the same time this was happening things were heating up with Chaos and her adversaries. Charging in one of the Chūnin wanted to get up close and finish the fight quickly so going in for a fast jab the man was shocked to see that chaos was not where his fist landed. His eyes widened when he saw Chaos standing next to him with a confused look in her eyes as she looked at where he was punching. "How?" The man whispered. "Hey mister how come you missed?" Chaos questioned in bewilderment.

Quickly coming in with a brutal elbow the man was shocked again when he knew he was going to hit the girl, but for some inexplicable reason he missed. The other four Chūnin were shocked as well. They all saw that he was on target and his moves were perfect but for some reason the girl just was out of his reach. Gritting his teeth, the man unleashed an impressive display of Taijutsu that was on the upper end of Chūnin level and his fighting style incorporated a lot of elbows and knees into his fighting sequences but somehow Chaos would remain just inches outside of his reach with a confused and bewildered look on her face.

"Hey mister, are you feeling ok? How come you're sweating now?" Chaos asked in concern. She placed her palm on the man's sweaty forehead and in a split second he grabbed Chaos into a bear hug to keep her still but his eyes widened in disbelieve when he didn't feel Chaos in his grasp. He and everyone else gasped in shock when they saw Chaos hanging off his back with her arms around his neck. "You look like you should rest and go to sleep. Doctors' orders." Chaos said cutely and before the man could even react to get Chaos off his back he was then violently blasted off his feet and flew across the bridge were he slammed into a piece of equipment behind his comrades. They all could not believe what they were seeing. His flak jacket had a hole in it and around the hole was a black singe mark. His skin was exposed as well and it was burnt black. The man was completely unconscious.

"You just rest now. When you wake up you should feel better." Chaos said with a happy smile. The other Chūnin and the Genin were completely shocked to see what happened. "I showed him my love, daddy always said to help others. Isn't that great." Chaos said in a chipper tone. Her eyes were filled with glee and happiness. "What are you?" One of the other men said. He couldn't believe what he just saw. Neither could anyone else. "Come on let's all play some more." Chaos said from in between the remaining four ninjas.

All of them spun around in alarm as their senses were going haywire. Three of them tried to land blows on Chaos while the forth one jumped back and started making hand signs. Chaos somehow was outside of all three of the men's range. All of their moves were spot on but none of them were connecting. Chaos would just have this bewildered look on her face. She didn't seem to understand what was going on either. The fourth man finished making hand signs. At that moment one of the Chūnin closes to Chaos through a kunai right at her face.

" **Lightning Style: Lightning Rod Jutsu!"** The Chūnin shouted and a bolt of lightning arched across the bridge and connected with the Kunai that was inches' form Chaos's face. Electric blue sparks exploded around Chaos and the other three Chūnin. The air itself was distorted and became blurry.

"Yay! I did it! I did it! I finally did it!" Chaos's voice cheered out. Everyone was floored when they all looked at Chaos but more importantly what was in her hand. A blue sphere with hexagonal pattern was in her hand and inside of her Aegis shield was the Kunai thrown at her. "Impossible." The man who casted the Jutsu muttered to himself.

"Hey Hina! Look! Look! I finally did it. I can make an Aegis around something now. I didn't even think it would work." Chaos chanted to Hinata who was shocked along with the others. The happiness on Chaos's face was genuine and some part of Hinata was happy to see her so full of life and happy but the rest of her was floored since even she never saw Chaos in an actual fight before. The most was spars but even then Chaos was generally uninterested in the fights unless Naruto found some creative and unorthodox way to make it fun and capture Chaos's very limited attention span. Hinata had no words for Chaos but the little girl didn't mind since her attention span already had her on to something else.

"Let's see if I can make this thing bigger." Chaos mumbled to herself as her face contorted into a look of intense concentration. She was letting out a low hum to accompany this. Everyone was stupefied at Chaos's actions. Finally, one of the men couldn't take it anymore. "Don't mock us!" Lashing out with a powerful snap kick that displaced the air around it the man was sure he had hit Chaos but he was dumbfounded to see that his kick missed the back of Chaos's head by less than an inch. It was so close in fact that Chaos could actually feel the fabric of the man's pants on the back of her head.

"Aww. I can't make it bigger. Oh well I'll try again later." Chaos mumbled to herself with a pout. The Aegis sphere remained the same size which was the size of a large grapefruit. Canceling the Aegis, the kunai fell into Chaos's hand. "Here mister this belongs to you." Chaos said as she tossed the kunai at the man who kicked her but the word toss was a mild word. The kunai actually impaled the man right in his knee cap before he could respond properly and his scream told the whole story of how much pain he was in. He dropped to the ground like a stone as he held his bleeding knee.

The kunai was buried deep into his knee and he was definitely not trying to pull it out. Somehow it managed to pierce his patella and ran right through his ACL. This man was never going to walk on his knee the same way again.

"You little freak! What are you? You're not a little girl!" The man screamed in agony. Tearing or damaging your ACL was one of the most painful experiences you can go through.

For the first time in her life a hurt expression crossed Chaos's face and a true frown formed on her lips. Hinata's eyes widened at hearing this. "Oh no." Hinata whispered. Naruto told her about Chaos's feelings and despite what some of the others think they are actually fragile almost to the point of not existing.

"You guys are big meanies; you're all a bunch of bullies." Chaos said as her bottom lip trembled a little. Something started to happen to her shadow. Spike like protrusions started to form out of her bodies shadow and it was honestly freaking out everyone who saw it. Hinata knew what was happening and she knew that Chaos was about to get serious.

Opening her palm, a bluish black orb of fire erupted in Chaos's hand with little red and yellow lisps of fire at the tips. "You've been a bunch of naughty boys. I'm going to have to teach you all about love now." Chaos said as her eyes turned a robotic red.

Another body fell. Only three left. Iris had a pleasant smile on her face as she knocked one of the Chūnin out. He conveniently landed next to the guy who she knocked the teeth out of. The man who she gave a low blow to was getting back to his feet and he was pissed. "You little brat. You're dead." He growled.

" **Lightning Style: Shock Wave Jutsu!"** The man shouted as he slammed his hand on the ground and a visible current of electricity was spreading out across the metal beams hidden inside of the concrete slabs that made up the surface they were standing on. Pushing off the ground with a gust of wind surrounding her feet Iris twirled in the air and launched a blade of wind at the attacker from her fan. The silver blade of wind nearly cut the man's head off but he managed to move in time. Landing on the ground still with her momentum Iris twirled around and launched several more blades of wind at not only just the first attacker but at the other two Chūnin who were closing in on her.

Dodging and weaving out of the way the Chūnin were closing the gap. "Try this on princess. **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!** " One of them yelled. A large orange fire ball flew out of the man's mouth and sailed straight for Iris who all of a sudden stopped moving.

"Move! Get out of there! Run!" Sakura and Kiba were yelling. They didn't understand why Iris had stopped but Kiba was about to run in to save her but Hinata stopped him. "Hinata what are you doing?!" Kiba yelled. "Just watch." Hinata simply said. Turning just in time Kiba's mouth widened in horror as the fireball swallowed Iris up. "Oh my god!" Sakura wailed with her hands flying to her mouth in mortification. "Hinata how could you…" Kiba started to say but he was cut off when he saw Hinata point to the raging inferno. Everyone else looked over and their eyes widened when they saw two small green lights shining brightly within the fire storm.

The fire started to twist and turn and spin around into the two green lights and soon Iris's form was visible for all to see and no one could keep their mouths from hanging open when they saw that the green lights were actually her eyes which was a powerful emerald green now but what had everyone shocked was the fact that Iris was literally on fire. The fire from the man's attack was bathed all over her yet it did not even burn her clothes or skin. Waving her arms around in a specific manner the flames actually started to follow the movement of her hands.

No one could believe their eyes at this. Iris looked at the shell shocked Chūnin who attacked her with his Jutsu and gave him a smug look. "I believe this is yours." Iris said as she spun around and the fire followed her. Throwing her palm forward, the fire surged and flew across the bridge. "Shit! **Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!** " The last Chūnin shouted out as a concrete slab raised itself out of the ground and protected the three Chūnin form the fire storm that washed over their barrier. The orange flames licked the side of the wall and they could feel the heat of the fire.

Seeing the wall still standing Iris looked a tad bit disappointed. "Your fire can't hurt me, but more than that it was far too weak. Let me show you what real fire looks like." Iris said as she got into a stance with her fist clenched. Throwing her fist out a pure white fire ball launched itself off of her fist and sailed through the air before impacting the concrete wall and melting strait through it. Two of the Chūnin managed to dodge quick enough but the third couldn't and his flak jacket caught on fire instantly. Quickly throwing it off him the man didn't get a chance to rest of even think before Iris drilled his head into the ground with a wind enhanced kick knocking him unconscious.

"And now there are two." Iris said until she heard a scream of agony and she looked over to see one of the Chūnin fighting her twin sister, fall down with a Kunai lodged deep in his knee. Iris frowned a little at this since she didn't like to see people in pain but what the man said next to her sister caused her frown to deepen. Especially when she saw how Chaos reacted to such a response.

Turning to address the last two Chūnin still standing who was distracted by seeing their comrade go down Iris addressed them. "I'm sorry fellas but it would seem are dance is coming to an end." Iris said as she then glared at the two men who glared back. Iris never liked to see Chaos sad or upset and seeing her like she was now was all the motivation Iris needed to end the fight quickly so she could go check on her twin.

Launching herself at the two Chūnin Iris let loose a flurry of kicks and punches and with each strike she would shoot out a pure white fire stream or fire ball that would launch itself from off of her appendages and attempt to burn the men alive. They of course knew this and so they were doing everything they possibly could to not get hit. Iris of course was not a stupid girl and she was not one who liked to stick to repetition or the same thing. She mixed up her assault by launching gust and blades of winds along with her fire balls which was an onslaught the two Chūnin were hard press to break though especially since they were retaliating with their own Jutsu.

Breaking off Iris was huffing in exhaustion but the thrill of the fight never left her blood as she stood back up and got into her stance. "It's over kid. **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!** " One of the Chūnin said as he unleashed a wall of water at Iris who widened her eyes in shock and a tad bit of fear. **"Lightning Style: Emotional Wave!"** The other man yelled as he surged electricity into the towering wall of water.

Narrowing her eyes Iris tightened up her stance and started to spin. Building up enough momentum she let it all go in a large dome of spinning air that held off the wave of water that crashed into it. The lightning element in the water was canceled out by Iris's wall of wind but the water was still present and she couldn't hold up her wind wall for long. With the water on top of her Iris tighten her fist and slammed it into the ground and a brilliant wall of white fire bloomed around her and clashed with the surging water which created a massive steam cloud.

Seconds later two bodies flew out of the cloud with burn marks on them and they slammed into the ground right by the other three bodies. A large gust of wind blew away the steam and cooled down the air and walking up to the Genin Iris could be seen with some sweat on her face but she did a curtsy with a small smile on her face. "All done." Iris said as her eyes returned to their aqua blue color.

* * *

Panic. That was what the three Chūnin were feeling now that Chaos was on the attack. Launching her tainted flames Chaos watched as the men did their best to dodge and not get hit. They hid behind slabs of concrete and other machinery that was scattered around the bridge. They returned fire every time they could with either ninja tools such as kunai and shuriken or with their Jutsu. Closing in so that she would have a hard time aiming the Chūnin pulled out kunai to fight with. Seeing what they were up to Chaos reached behind her back and pulled out two purple halos like rings with three feathers like protrusions that were sharp.

Coming in they all swarmed Chaos but like before they could not hit her. She would worm her way through their attacks and this time it wasn't with an aloofness either. She was concentrated on the fight and she launched her tainted flames any chance she got and followed it up with attacking and deflecting shots with her weapons. Throwing one of her rings Chaos watched as it took out a cable keeping metal pipes suspended in the air. The Chūnin too preoccupied with dodging the falling pipes couldn't dodge Chaos's fire balls and all three of them were slammed into the surrounding area for their troubles.

Holding her hand out Chaos caught her halo which flew back to her like a boomerang. Getting up with singe marks on their bodies the men started to go through hand signs.

"You're going to die here kid."

"Your nothing but a little freak kid, so we'll just put you down."

"You'll pay for what you did to our friend kid."

Chaos frown deepened at this and her lip trembled. The men were saying things that Chaos was not use to hearing and if she was honest with herself she didn't like what they were saying.

" **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"**

" **Earth Style: Sludge Bomb Jutsu!"**

" **Lightning Style: Light Array Jutsu!"**

Everyone gasped at seeing so many Jutsu barreling down at Chaos but they were further shocked when 12 vibrant purple blade like wings appeared behind Chaos's back which matched the shadow on the ground. Chaos's eyes turned robotic red and started to analyze everything around her. " **Artemis**. Fire." All along her blade like wings orbs of tainted flames bloomed into existence and as soon as they did they shot off at the incoming attacks with incredible speed. The fireballs were smaller than the ones she produced on her hands but they were traveling twice as fast. They perfectly intercepted each and every attack that was sent at her and there was a continuous repetitive row of explosions in the middle between Chaos and her attackers.

Smoke and debris filled the area but the Chūnin couldn't dodge when Chaos's halos slammed into their chest with a fire ball for the third Chūnin. They were all thrown out of the smoke cloud and landed on their backs in front of the Genin. Chaos could be seen floating over towards everyone and that truly shocked them since Chaos was flying. Touching down onto the concrete with her bare feet Chaos's wings disappeared and so did the shadow on the ground. "All done." Chaos said while clapping her hands together.

* * *

"Are you ok sis?" Iris asked in concern since she knew how fragile Chaos's feelings could be sometimes. "I'm ok sis. I taught those bullies a lesson they'll never forget." Chaos said with a grin that was an exact replica of the grin Naruto would have on sometimes. It was like having a case of déjà vu Sakura and the others who knew Naruto thought. While he didn't grin all the time he did do it when he was in a good mood. It was like looking at Naruto when Chaos did it. This notion disturbed the Genin somewhat since that did give a little validation to what Hinata told them.

"Girls are you ok?" Hinata asked as she got on her knees and gestured for both Iris and Chaos to come to her. While she did have faith and confidence in both girls and knew just how strong they were it did not mean she could not worry about them. She had a hand in raising them all their lives and she's come to care for them a whole lot. She would spend as much time with them as she possibly could and that time only increased when the twins met Hanabi and the three girls became inseparable.

Running up to Hinata the twins barreled into the girl and dissolved into a giggling mess. Handing Iris back John Paul Hinata watched as the blue eyed girl squealed like the little girl she was. Giggling Chaos poked Iris on the cheek. "Iris you're sweaty." Pouting Iris waved her hand around and the sweat floated off her body with a little circulation of wind. Shaking her hair a little Iris pouted further when she saw that it was ruffled up and not perfect like before the fight. Laughing Chaos was covering her mouth trying to contain her fits of giggles. "Be quiet! It's not funny sis." Iris whined as she tried to straighten her hair. "Oh Iris." Hinata sighed with a bemused smile on her face.

Iris always wanted to make sure her appearance was perfect whenever she was in the presence of others. At home she was more lenient especially in the morning but if anyone other than Naruto was to see her then she would throw a big fit and pester Naruto to fix her up so that she is presentable to others. Naruto and the others have learned over the years that it's best just to go with it. Iris could be a tyrant to mainly Naruto if he doesn't tend to her.

"So you're Naruto's daughter? But how?" Sakura asked as she walked up to Iris and Chaos. They were all relatively safe since there were 10 downed Chūnin and all 10 of them were not going to be getting back up any time soon. Other than that the main battle was taking place further up the bridge just out of their eye sight because of the heavy mist.

Turning to Sakura Iris smiled at her and gave her a curtsy. "Hello Sakura. My name is Iris Uzumaki." Sakura thought the act was very elegant and something only a rich noble would do. Other than that she thought the whole thing was very cute. "But wait how do you know my name?" Sakura asked. She never told Iris her name unless Naruto told her at some point.

"Oh not to worry. I know exactly who all of you are." Iris said politely. "All of us?" Shino questioned in his monotone voice. "Yes, all of you." Iris said a little slower as she panned her eyes across all of the Genin but her eyes lingered on Fuki's for just a second longer. "But how. How old are you?" Kiba questioned. None of this made sense to him. He was bent down at Iris's level and he was looking her up and down.

Smack!

"Ow! Hey what was that for you little brat?!" Kiba whined as he nursed the bump on his head.

"How rude Mr. Inuzuka. You never ask a lady her age, and I'm not a little brat either." Iris admonished as she took her folded up fan and lightly smacked Kiba on the top of his head. The strike was hard enough to sting but nothing more than that. Iris had both of her hands on her little hips and she was giving Kiba an adorable pout and glare combination.

"Boy you're a feisty one aren't ya you little sprout?" Tazuna commented as he looked at Iris. Smiling coyly at the old man Iris gave him a smirk. "You better believe it Mr. Tazuna." Walking over Shino looked at both Iris and Chaos. "So are you going to tell us how our 12-year-old classmate has two 6-year-old twin daughters?" He asked with his monotone voice. However, he really did want answers to this mystery. Looking at each other Iris and Chaos held a silent conversation with their eyes. They then turned to Hinata and Chaos pulled on her pants.

Getting the cue Hinata turned to the others. Hinata didn't stutter much anymore and she could hold entire conversations with others now but she still spoke in a very soft and quiet voice. The only time her stuttering came back was when she was embarrassed. "Naruto found them out in a clearing one day. They were newborns." Hinata answered for the girls. "What?! So somebody abandoned them?" Sakura gasped in shock. The others were also shocked as well. Hinata picked and chose her words carefully since she knew the truth from Naruto. She was one of the very few people he told. Not to mention one of the first.

"Well it's more complicated than that but I think that is something only Naruto has the right to answer." Hinata carefully answered. "And you knew all this time Hinata?" Kiba asked as he looked at his teammate. He felt hurt that she kept this secret form him and Shino. "I've known all this time because I helped Naruto raise them almost all of their life." Hinata said quietly. Shell shocked would be an appropriate word to describe how everyone was feeling hearing what Hinata just spoke.

"Hinata… are you and Naruto…?" Sakura whispered out in bewilderment. Sakura's face was a little red and she was a tad bit squeamish. Hinata's head almost exploded with how red it turned. The fact that she didn't pass out right then and there was a testament to her willpower. "No! No! No! No! Nothing like that is happening… between me and… Naruto." Hinata stuttered out horribly. She couldn't even remember the last time she's stuttered this badly. Hinata felt like she could craw into a tiny hole and never come out.

Kiba let loose a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Sakura looked at Hinata with a twinge of sympathy. She could hear the slightest amounts of disappointment slip through into Hinata's voice at the end when she said Naruto's name. As a girl Sakura could pick up on this better than a boy could. "So Naruto doesn't have a girlfriend and there's nothing going on between you too?" Kiba asked Hinata.

"Daddy does not have a girlfriend. He doesn't need one. He has me and Chaos." Iris said with the cutest pout and glare in the entire world. The look she was giving off was extremely territorial and it was filled with childish jealousy. The girls could instantly recognize the look and attitude Iris was showing and Sakura couldn't help but let out an involuntary girlish Aww.

"Yep." Chaos chirped as she hopped from one foot to the other. "Now I wouldn't say Naruto doesn't have a girlfriend. Anko sensei claimed him a long time ago." Hinata jokingly said in a way to deflect the embarrassment off of her. She didn't even want to think about her and Naruto at the moment. But other than that Hinata really did like Anko. When she wasn't being her normal eccentric crazy self Anko was actually a great down to earth person to hang out with and she was an excellent listener whenever you needed someone to talk to.

"Well that is true. Anko sensei and Naruto are pretty close." Sakura mumbled. "Yeah they have a unique relationship." Hinata chuckled awkwardly. She knew just how unique and weird the relationship between Anko and Naruto was. Anko was the older sister Naruto never had and despite the flirting and back and forth banter the two usually do with the flirting coming from mostly Anko's side the two got a long very well and they connected on a deep level and they understood each other very well.

Looking over at the other side of the bridge Hinata had a concerned look on her face. She was wondering how Naruto and everyone else doing.

* * *

After leaving Hinata Naruto immediately sensed out Anko and decided to intervene in her battle. Anko was enjoying herself but she knew the stakes were high. Her beloved trench coat had cuts and rips all over it and her mesh body suit below also had some damage as well.

The two Jōnin also received some damage as well. They quickly learned that Anko was a fierce fighter who was both sadistic and vindictive and knew how to take a punch.

Anko saw them gearing up for another attack and so she decided to take the initiative. **"Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu!"** Anko called out as she pointed her sleeve at the enemy and out came nearly a dozen poisonous snakes of different colors and species.

" **Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu!"** Naruto's voice called out. Appearing next to Anko in a burst of his Acceleration Naruto placed his hand on Anko's shoulder where her snakes were coming out of and an immediate reaction could be seen. The snakes started to breath out dense cold air that was visible for everyone to see.

" **Collaboration Jutsu: Frost Bite Jutsu!"** Anko and Naruto called out together. The Jōnin managed to dodge out of the way just in time and they landed a few yards away from the duo. "Oh so you came. I was starting to wonder if your beauty sleep was more important than little old me?" Anko grinned as she ruffled Naruto's already messy blond hair. Naruto just gave Anko a smirk back. He could see it in her eyes. She was worried about him. And now she was relieved that he was here and ok.

"Oh and you would be?" One of the Jōnin asked. "The person who will defeat you. I don't have time to play around with you guys." Naruto said as he got into a fighting stance. "Well kid you're out of luck. You see we were just playing with our woman here, so you'll just have to wait your turn." The other Jōnin spoke up. Raising an eye brow at this Naruto replied. "So sorry to disappoint you guys but she's spoken for already." Anko's normal grin was replaced with one that threaten to split her face in half.

"Oh she's spoken for huh? And who would that be little man? Surely not you?" The same Jōnin said. The two looked very similar and based off of the intelligence Aspen was able to gather within the last week or so Naruto knew that their names were Raiga and Izumu Tsubaki. Raiga was the one shooting his mouth off at the moment.

"Yes it would be me, got a problem with that?" Naruto retorted as he circulated his chakra. He was prepared to end this battle quickly. He knew that Sasuke was not with the others so that had to mean he was fighting Haku and his theory was further supported by the fact that he could sense the battle and something else right up ahead. He would need both Anko and Kurenai in good condition if they were to finish this mission.

"Aww I knew you loved me. How about after this we go on a date huh? I'll give you a special treat afterwards." Anko said as she gave Naruto a one armed hug causing his face to be pressed up into her breast. She made sure to toss in a flirtatious wink to seal the deal between them. "The date yes, but I'll pass on the treat Anko. If it's anything like what you did for my last birthday than I think, I'll be better off not letting you do it." Naruto said as he gave Anko a gentle smile. She was right about one thing. He did love her greatly. She is definitely the older sister he never got to have and the years that they've spent together have helped him realize and come to terms with it.

"Well then we'll just have to take your woman from you kid." Raiga said with a smirk. "Anko I sent a clone over to Kurenai sensei. She's leading her opponents over to us by now. Let's finish off these jokers as fast as possible." Naruto suggested. "Tag team style?" Anko grinned. "Tag team style." Naruto affirmed as he grinned back. Anko's grin turned sadistic as she got out a kunai. "Well what are we waiting for let's do this." Anko said as she charged in fast, faster than what she was doing before. Crossing his fingers Naruto created several shadow clones. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

Charging in to give Anko back up Naruto clapped his hands together and a long thin crystal white staff made out of ice formed in between his hands. **"Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu!"** Raiga met Anko's charge with one of his own and they started to trade vicious blows that only Jōnin could dish out. Raiga was definitely good at Taijutsu and obvious Jōnin level material but Anko had the distinct advantage between them because of her unique Taijutsu style called the **Striking Shadow Viper Style**. It was a style that only Anko and one other individual knew and that was the person who taught her.

Anko instructed Naruto on the beginner levels of the style and some of the intermediate levels on the style for the sole purpose that they could tag team together and not interrupt or catch each other off balance since Anko's style is very unique and unpredictable. If she tried to tag team an opponent with a partner unfamiliar with her style, then her partner would only get in her way and disrupt her rhythm and fighting ability. Naruto incorporated the traits of the Viper Style into his own unique style of combat that he never gave a name to yet. His style is a fast hitting style were he lands heavy blows then darts away. He usually immobilizes his opponents with his ice style abilities and hammers away at their defenses. As stated by individuals like Zabuza Naruto is a speed fighter who can dish out some heavy punches but he more relies on his speed than strength.

Izumu joined his brother in trying to outperform Anko but that was where Naruto came in. Anko ducked down almost at a 90-degree angle and Naruto came barreling in over Anko's head with a powerful swing from his staff that knocked Izumu off course. Landing in front of Anko Naruto twirled his staff around at impressive speeds which helped him deflect the spray of shuriken Raiga threw. Jumping in Raiga attempted to overpower Naruto in a contest of Taijutsu but because of the fact that Naruto had a Bo staff and every time they clashed Raiga would feel his body start to get stiff and numb it even the odds for Naruto. Izumu stepped in and Naruto started to fight both brothers simultaneously. Anko slithered her way around Naruto and deflected several of the brother's attacks while lashing out with ones of her own.

They connected and it off balanced the brothers and Naruto capitalized on this by sweeping the legs out from Raiga with his staff. Switching Anko stopped a retaliation attack aimed at the back of Naruto's head by Izumu. Anko slithered around Izumu's follow up attacks and tried to stab him in the chest but she was unsuccessful; not deterred Anko back flipped over Naruto's head while dodging another of Izumu's attacks and she landed a mule kick straight to Raiga's chest who was getting to his feet. At the same time while Anko was in the air kicking Raiga Naruto twirled his staff which he molded a sharp spear head to around in the tight space between him and Anko and impaled Izumu in his stomach when he tried to lunge after Anko with another follow up strike. Anko's larger body covered up Naruto's small frame so Izumu had no way to dodge the attack he could not see coming.

Dropping to the ground while coughing up blood Izumu couldn't say anything as his entire body was frozen solid in a thick block of ice. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu."** Naruto said as an afterthought. Slamming Raiga into the ground with her kick Anko acted quickly. **"Ninja Art: Boa Constriction Bite!"** A large snake suddenly appeared without warning and tied Raiga up in its massive coiled body before it bit into Raiga's neck and injected a fast acting paralysis poison into his blood.

Raiga was out before he could do anything to escape. "That's that." Anko said with a cheerful grin. "It's not over. Here comes Kurenai sensei." Naruto said as his clones that were around sped through several hand signs each.

Kurenai came back flipping in through the thick mist just narrowly missing a claw strike from the short woman who had two large red claws on her wrists that she was using as her weapon. The woman was next to appear out of the mist and she seized her opportunity when she saw Kurenai trip and fall backwards onto her butt. "Your mine sweetie!" The woman yelled as she impaled Kurenai through her stomach and watched as blood came spilling out. However, she was then shocked to feel that she couldn't move. Her eyes widened when the blood turned to water and Kurenai transformed into one of Naruto's shadow clones. She looked down and saw that the water rapidly turned into ice keeping her from freeing her hand and furthermore the clone's stomach had a patch of ice sticking out of it preventing it from dispelling.

The clone had an apologetic smile on its face but it was too late for the woman. A spear of ice flew up and impaled her through her stomach and the spear came from through the clone. Looking over the clones head she could see a small trail of ice spikes sticking out of the ground leading up to Naruto who was crouched on the ground with his palm on the ground. **"Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu."** Naruto said. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu."** He further commanded and like Izumu the woman was encased in a block of ice.

The woman's husband came out of the mist seconds later and he gasped at seeing what happened to his wife. "Honey NO!" He yelled in rage. He charged in but it was already over. His perception was distorted by a quickly timed Genjutsu from Kurenai who had just finished dispelling the one on the Naruto clone she was pretending to be. Several large Boa Constrictors surrounded him and bit into his body. He was encased in a block of ice and looking over you could see that Anko had her hand on Naruto's shoulder while her other one had the snakes coming out of it.

"Now it's over." Naruto said as the four Jōnin were incapacitated and lying on the ground around them. Just for good measure Naruto stomped his foot on the ground and Raiga was encased in a block of ice as well. Walking over to the duo Kurenai nodded to Naruto who returned the gesture of acknowledgement. "Now we have to get Sasuke out of their and help Kakashi." Kurenai stated. She too had many questions for Naruto but she was a Jōnin and she knew there was a time and place for the 20 questions game. He aided her and helped her beat her opponents so she was grateful but she also knew that they were still on an active battle field and if the sound of clashing metal and explosions didn't give that fact away then nothing would.

She knew there would be time to get her answers later after the fight so she would patiently wait until then. Looking over Naruto could see a large dome of ice mirrors and his eyes widened at seeing the imposing structure. "I'll free Sasuke. Anko, Kurenai sensei you should go back up Kakashi sensei and see if he needs help." Naruto said as he continued to stare at the ice dome. "What about the Chūnin attacking our students?" Kurenai questioned. She wanted to make sure her students were ok. They were always first on her mind in times like this. The markings of a great teacher.

Smiling at this Naruto looked back at Kurenai and then nodded his head over in the direction where the Genin were. "Already taken care of." Looking over Kurenai's eye's widened when she saw all 16 Chūnin down and out. She could see at least two of them were dead with their heads missing but everyone else was also severally hurt. She could spot two new additions to the group. Two small blond additions and her eyes widened. A bellowing gust of wind and a surge of chakra from behind her caused her to turn her head back and she was just in time to catch a glimpse of Naruto taking off surrounded by a blue aura before he was already gone.

"What?" Kurenai whispered.

"Come on Kurenai. We got more butt to kick. You'll be filled in later. It's a long story." Anko said as she took off as well. Not wanting to be left behind Kurenai quickly took off to catch up with her energetic best friend. "Anko wait. What's the plan?"

"We don't do plans Kurenai! We just go in there and wreck stuff! Come on you know the drill already!" Anko's voice yelled back with excitement clear in every word.

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 _ **To be continued...**_

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

2.) **Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu -** The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.

3.) **Earth Style: Earth Boulder Barrage -** A Jutsu in which the user sends multiple rocks and boulders at an opponent using pre-existing rocks in the area. It is the barrage version to Ms. Furukawa's _Earth Style: Boulder Cannon Jutsu_.

4.) **Lightning Style: Lightning Rod Jutsu -** A mid level Jutsu in which the user sends a bolt of lightning out of their body and it's target is anything metal that the enemy might have on them. It is a long range Jutsu that is meant to attack metallic objects in an opponents vicinity to amplify the affects of the Jutsu as well as to electrocute the enemy if they are in contact with anything electric or metallic.

5.) **Lightning Style: Shock Wave Jutsu -** A very basic Lightning Style Jutsu that allows the user to send a surge of electricity out of their body into the surrounding area. They can send it into the ground where it can spread via conductive properties underneath the surface or they can send it out as a shockwave in mid air.

6.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

7.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu -** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

8.) **Lightning Style: Emotional Wave -** This is a fusion technique where the user employs Water Release and Lightning Release. After releasing a large water wave from his mouth, he then forms the Lightning Release seals, thereby mixing a lightning strike to the water. If this technique hits an enemy, they instantly receive an electric shock.

9.) **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu -** A Fire style Jutsu that is often employed by the Uchiha clan. It is similar to the Fire ball Jutsu in a lot of ways but instead of one large fire ball it creates several small fire balls with half the power of a regular fire ball Jutsu. This Jutsu is often used to hit multiple opponents at once or to bombard a single opponent.

10.) **Earth Style: Sludge Bomb Jutsu -** This is an altered version of the _Earth Style: Mud Bomb Jutsu_. The user spits out several sludge balls filled with gaseous substances that is packed full of condensed chakra. The gases can disorient any who breath it in and the sludge bombs fly slower than the standard Mud Bomb variant. However the sludge bombs are far larger than the mud bomb versions.

11.) **Lightning Style: Light Array Jutsu -** A lightning style Jutsu that sends multiple rays of light at an opponent that appear as light rays that you would see shining in through a window. The rays are random and can not be precisely aimed however if you were to come into contact with one of the rays you would be severely burned in the same way you skin would be sun burned.

12.) **Artemis -** A new ability shown by Chaos. While her wings are manifested she can conjure her tainted flames and target multiple objects or enemies at the same time using her targeting systems. When they fire they are fast, traveling two to three times faster than the fire balls she shoots from her hands. They are smaller and in the shape of bullets. They have a lot of piercing power but a lower amount of explosive power. They are good at intercepting or bombarding targets.

13.) **Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades. This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Summoning Technique. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body.

14.) **Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu -** A move that is identical to _Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu_. However this Jutsu is not limited to Naruto's feet. Any body part that Naruto uses to strike an opponent with will freeze the person's body instantly. However Naruto can control the temperature of his ice so that he can either rapidly cool down a persons body just by touch or outright freeze the person solid.

15.) **Collaboration Jutsu: Frost Bite Jutsu -** A collaboration Jutsu by Naruto and Anko that they spent a few weeks working on. Anko uses _Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu_ to send out multiple snakes at an opponent and Naruto comes in and infuses his chakra into the technique using _Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu_. The snakes may or may not gain a frosty blue color to their skin but the most noticeable effect is that they start to breath out dense cold air. Anything that the snakes bite into will instantly freeze over in a block of ice.

16.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the users chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

17.) **Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu -** A Jutsu created from the combination of both Naruto and Evangeline's team work. By molding chakra mixed in with Eva's Yōki into his hands Naruto can create any object he wants out of Ice. Depending on how much chakra he puts into the Jutsu will determine how durable the creation is.

18.) **Striking Shadow Viper Style -** A Taijutsu Style unique and known to only to a few. Anko mastered this style and it is her most preferred. It involves a tremendous amount of flexibility and dexterity in all of the limbs in you body and it incorporates a lot of snake like fluid movements that often involves coiling around your opponents. You strike at a persons joints as well as the most muscular areas of the human body to deal the most crippling and paralyzing damage. The style is all about crippling the opponent like a snake would do. All of the attacks are fast strikes instead of stonewall punches or blocks. It is always precise, fast, and sharp. The style does not focus heavily on defense. Instead it focuses on dodging and retaliation that uses snake like movements as its base in these techniques. The heaviest and most long lasting contact that you have with your opponent when using this style is went you are coiling around your opponent to constrict them and paralyze them.

19.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

20.) **Ninja Art: Boa Constriction Bite -** A technique by Anko that allows her to summon a large Boa Constrictor Snake that then wraps itself around an opponent and bites into them releasing a fast acting paralyzing poison into the victims blood stream that not only paralyzes the entire body but also knocks them unconscious.

21.) **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work _(Preferably by the feet)_ the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I really had a blast writing that fight and just generally the entire chapter as a whole. I tried to make the fight match the twins personality as much as possible. Also not to worry the Twins may seem overly powerful but like I mentioned in the (A/N) at the top. They are not human and their power is far more powerful than what the shinobi are capable of even if their powers are very similar to Ninjutsu. With that being said they will not be all powerful and one shot every person they come across. Not only is that bad story telling but I personally don't like that all to much, it doesn't give me much room to add in character development and it makes it a lot harder for me to work with the characters. However unless I already knew I was walking into an OP Character story like (One Punch Man) {Which I love to death}, because then I would just let it slide and not complain about it.

For Iris she is feisty and more of an up close and personal type of fighter. She loves to get her hands dirty in a fight and so she loves hand to hand combat. Although with that being said she excels at all three ranges of combat. Close, Mid, and Long range due to her powers. While it is not completely apparent now Iris's hand to hand abilities are actually **Fire and Air Bending**. Since I grew up watching **Avatar: The Last Airbender** as a kid and I own the complete series as well as the **Legend of Korra** series I had a lot of inspiration to draw from. I love the Avatar series very much and since Iris's abilities revolved around Fire and Wind and I needed to come up with a fighting style for her I immediately thought of the Bending from the series. I was dead set on giving her those abilities and I've waited a very long time to get to write them. Like I said it's not completely apparent in this chapter but as more and more fights occur later on I'll describe it more the best that I can.

Iris is completely invulnerable to fire and it can not harm her, the same with wind related techniques but she does have a weakness to Water related techniques which is why she immediately stopped it when it was cast upon her. I also tried to capture as much of her childish personality on and off of that battlefield during the chapter and I had to throw in the scene between her and Kiba to further emphasize her personality and how feisty she can be as well as her playfulness.

As for Chaos I really enjoyed her as well. Now the most asked question would probably be how come none of the Chunin were able to land a hit on her. Well I'm being evil so I will not be answering that question. It will be revealed in time. I really think I nailed her personality in this fight and just how dangerous Chaos can be. She didn't display her Illusion abilities during this fight but she will in the future. She also used a new ability called Artemis which is from the Heaven's Lost Property Manga.

For the last segment of this chapter we got to see Anko and Naruto tag team and I had a blast writing that whole scene. Just to be clear Naruto did not overpower those two Jonin. He simply took advantage of his powers and the unique Taijutsu style that he and Anko utilized against them. As well as the fact that he attacked at the most opportune of times and caught them off guard.

Next chapter will be interesting I can promise you that. It will be called: ( **Frosty Leaf vs. Misty Mirror** )

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 _That's the end of Chapter 20 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 2/26/16


	22. CH: 21 Frosty Leaf vs Misty Mirror

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heavens Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys its here. It's finally here. The fight between Naruto and Haku is finally here. I'm so excited to be posting this and I truly hope you enjoy. I'll just let you guys get to the chapter. I'll speak more at the bottom.

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Chapter 21

 _ **Frosty Leaf vs. Misty Mirror**_

He could see it clearly now. A truly beautiful construction made out of reflective ice that was like sparkling crystals. 21 Floating **Crystal Ice Mirrors** were situated in front of Naruto in a perfect dome with 5-foot-wide gaps in between each and every mirror. Twelve floated 3 feet off the ground in static unmoving statuesque manner with 8 floating above them angled towards the ground and 1 floating above the rest of them facing straight down to the ground forming a complete dome. Around the edges of the ice mirrors a thick layer of frost and ice built up and dripped down a few centimeters forming mini icicles. The rest of the mirrors themselves were crystal clear, flat, and smooth.

Being in the general area around it Naruto could feel that the air itself was at the very least 20 degrees cooler than any other place on the bridge. The mirrors were producing a lot of cold air and it was affecting the surrounding area. "Naru do you feel that?" Eva asked her lifelong partner. She felt comfortable and content being near so much ice but it was actually for a different reason.

"Yeah I feel it. Yōki… and a lot of it. This ice wasn't created by Ninjutsu. It was created by Yōjutsu. So Haku is actually not human. Looks like Chaos was right." Naruto mumbled back to himself as he looked inside the dome and he could see Sasuke was pretty beaten up and was on his last leg. He had at least over a dozen thin icicle needles sticking out of his body and even more scars, scratches, and tears in his clothes. From what he could see none of the needles were in vital life threatening areas like in certain parts of his neck or on his face for example. They were all in places to hamper movement and slow a person down.

' _Is Haku toying with Sasuke because of a sadistic streak or is Haku holding back and doesn't want to hurt Sasuke?'_ Naruto questioned himself. He wasn't sure why Haku didn't just finish off Sasuke right now or before. Judging by Sasuke's injuries it was easy for Naruto to assume that Sasuke was overwhelmed by Haku's offence and the fake ANBU agent could have taken him out at any time.

"Winter Fairies are not the only Yōkai or Demons who can control ice." Eva chimed in. "Yeah now the only question to ask is what species is Haku? There are not that many books lying around that have information on supernatural beings." Naruto said as he started to circulate his chakra with Eva mixing in her Yōki to amplify the already existing Yōki in Naruto's chakra network that his body naturally produces as a side effect for being bonded to her for nearly a decade.

"We have to get Sasuke out of their somehow and…" Naruto started to say before he looked off to his right and he saw his classmates running up to him and he could see Iris and Chaos perfectly fine leading the way. Tazuna was with them as well and he was also safe as well. "Guys? What's going on?" He questioned. "Daddy are you ok?" Iris asked as she looked Naruto over with a quick glance with Naruto doing the same to both her and Chaos. He also glanced over everyone else and with is sharper eyes he could tell they were all fine.

"Yes sweetie I'm fine… having trouble with your hair?" Naruto observed with a small gentle smile cracking his face open. It was the first of its kind anyone other than Hinata has even seen from him. Blushing bright red in embarrassment Iris huffed indignantly. "Daddy that's not funny. You have to fix it for me." Iris retaliated with her cute pout/glare combo that always beats Naruto no matter how much he tries to defend against it. "I know, but now is not the time. Sasuke is stuck in there facing off against an enemy he can't beat. We have to help him." Naruto said as he took note of the fact that Haku noticed the group of Genin outside the dome.

"Hey Naruto don't think you'll be getting off scot free. You owe all of us an explanation for all of this crazy stuff that's been going on with you. And you definitely owe us two big explanations right here." Kiba voiced his opinion as he pointed to Iris and Chaos who were observing the dome of ice. Iris with a critical eye of observation and Chaos with a gaze of wonderment with a passive glance of analysis and observation.

Naruto looked Kiba straight in the eye and nodded to him with a serious face. He knew he owed Kiba and the others that much and he was ready to tell them. Just not here in the middle of a fight.

"Team Kurenai stay back. You won't be able to fight against this opponent." Naruto spoke up. At this time Sasuke was aware of Naruto's presence since he could see him in between the gaps in the mirrors. Haku was also aware that Naruto was there and he was keeping an eye out for his movements.

"What?! What's that supposed to mean Naruto?" Kiba barked as he glared daggers into Naruto's head. Sighing Naruto glanced at Kiba. Shino and Hinata were also listening in along with everyone else. "Team 8 is a tracking and neutralizing team. You specialize in tracking down an opponent and quickly subduing them but you keep them alive for the most part. Our opponent is an ANBU agent who basically specializes in the same thing you due. But he does it better and he has far more experience." Naruto explained while keeping an eye on Sasuke. Haku slowed down his assault on Sasuke since in reality he was curious to see what Naruto's move would be.

"You've got to be joking…" Kiba started to say but Shino cut him off. "Naruto is right on this. We lack the experience that our opponent has. We are at a disadvantage." The stoic boy said to his teammate. Seeing the look on Kiba's face Naruto spoke up. "Look Kiba Shino would be completely out of his element in this fight. His bugs would just freeze to death in seconds and he doesn't have a good Taijutsu base to fall back on." Naruto began his explanation. He was circulating his chakra for the coming confrontation that was about to happen. "My bugs however have been becoming resistant to such cold temperatures over the years." Shino slid that comment in while giving Naruto a look. Seeing the look Naruto looked away and continued. "Hinata is primarily a close range fighter being a Hyūga and her Ninjutsu won't work here. And as for you Kiba you are also a close range fighter with no long range attacks or elemental attacks to back you up. Not only that but you tend to move in a straight line and your attack patterns are noticeable and flashy. None of this will work on a person like that." Naruto explained.

Kiba's mouth opened and closed after hearing Naruto's explanation. Naruto noticed that Sasuke was still trying to melt the mirrors with his fire Ninjutsu. He was shooting off fireballs the size of desks but he and everyone else knew that Sasuke could make ones much bigger. Either he was conserving his chakra and stamina or he was actually starting to run out.

"Then what makes you think you can do better?" Kiba said after a moment of silence on his end. He was seriously contemplating what Naruto just told him. He could see the seriousness in Naruto's eyes and he knew now was not the time for them to be at each other's throats. Especially with one of their teammates in serious danger.

Naruto smiled a small smile. It was actually the first one he made directed at Kiba. Naruto held out his hand and a beautiful sword made out of ice formed in his hand. The temperature in the air dropped a few degrees just for being in the presence of the freezing ice which was creating little wisps of condensations on fog in the air just like Haku's mirrors.

"Oh." Kiba said lamely as he and everyone else stared at the sword in Naruto's hand. "Dude what can't you do?" Kiba whispered. Smiling Naruto held up his hands and a clone formed next to him after creating his crossed shaped hand sign."So we're supposed to sit back and do nothing?" Kiba said. He didn't like being left out of the action and certainly during something as important as this. Looking at him Naruto could see the determination in Kiba's eyes. "Ok how about this. Hinata can you be my eyes out here. Anything you can give me will be great. Shino attach some of your bugs to me. As soon as I can I'll get them on our opponent's body and you can drain them of their energy. Kiba when we get an opening you can smash into them and finish them off. How does that sound?" Naruto said as a second sword formed in his other hand.

"Sounds like a plan." Kiba approved with a grin. "What about us?" Fuki spoke up. Sakura also leaned in forward and was looking at Naruto intently. "I don't know much about your teammates and I know from personal experience that you are a close range fighter Fuki which puts you in the same boat as Hinata. I need someone to guard Tazuna and that's going to have to be you guys." Naruto explained quickly. Backing down Fuki simply gave Naruto a nod, but she was eyeing him carefully.

"Dada?" Chaos's small voice broke through the tense moment everyone was experiencing. Naruto could see that Chaos's eyes were their red color and her eyes were darting around tracking Haku's movements. "It's ok sweetie, you'll know the time to help me." Naruto said. Iris was quiet at this but she was getting pumped up.

"Let's go." Naruto said.

Taking off Naruto started to run around the outside by the mirrors. His clone went the other direction and Haku seeing this took his attention off of Sasuke who was panting. Slicing into the back of one of the mirrors Naruto's sword bounced off. _'That's some strong Yōki. I'll have to be careful.'_ Naruto noted. "Sasuke we're going to get you out, so sit tight ok!" Naruto called out into the dome. He could see his teammate was on one knee with several needles sticking out of his body immobilizing him.

Seeing Haku's attention focused on Naruto who was on the other side of the dome Iris tried to rush in but Haku saw her out the corner of his eye. In a flash of light Haku was in the mirror next to Iris who was almost over the threshold of the dome. With a powerful shove Haku forced Iris away from the dome. Back flipping Iris skidded to a stop a few yards away with a huff of agitation. _'Now's my chance.'_ Naruto thought. **"Acceleration!"** Taking a step forward Naruto was about to disappear in a burst of speed but the mirrors shined yet again.

" **Yōjutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!"** True to its name a thousand needles made of ice was suddenly on a collision course with Naruto who was still in his forward momentum. Instead his clone stepped in front of him and with his Bo staff deflected all of the needles that were in striking distance. The staff and the clone's hands were a dizzying blur as the sound of ice braking was all that could be heard. Managing to stop himself, Naruto and his clone were still trapped outside and Sasuke was inside.

' _If I can substitute with Naruto's clone then I can get out.'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he zeroed in on Naruto's clone which was holding a staff made out of ice. _'Ice? Since when can Naruto do that?'_ Sasuke questioned to himself. "I can't allow you to be in here Naruto. Unless you would happily surrender yourself." Haku offered. "Haku, I already know that it's you underneath that mask. I have no intention of surrendering. If anything you should be considering this option." Naruto retorted. Haku said his name first so that meant he could reveal the knowledge he had on him in return. It was also buying him time to charge up his Acceleration for a full burst. He planned on zipping in, grab Sasuke, and then zip out in a matter of seconds.

"Now you know that I can't do that either Naruto." Haku replied as he turned his attention to launch another barrage of needles at Naruto. Naruto started to deflect them and it was at that moment that Sasuke tried to substitute with his clone. However, disaster struck when Naruto's clone popped from getting hit by a stray ice needle.

"What?"

* * *

Everything stopped. Naruto was getting over a sense of vertigo and as he looked up he saw all 21 mirrors surrounding him. Looking over he saw a wide eyed Sasuke in the spot he previously thought he was in. "Daddy!" Iris yelled in shock and that brought time back into motion. Everyone was shocked to see what just happened and it took some of them a few seconds to realize the situation they were now in. "How?" Naruto thought in bewilderment until it caught up to him what just happened.

"Sasuke you didn't?" He whispered in shock. "Naruto that wasn't supposed to happen…" Sasuke started to say but he was cut off by Haku. "Well now this is a very interesting turn of events Naruto. You were my original target but since you didn't show up with the others I had to find an alternative. Now that you are trapped in here I'll make sure you won't interfere with the rest of the battle. You're too much of a wild card to be left alone." Haku stated but he carried no malice in his voice as he said this. He was just stating facts.

"We'll see about that Haku." Naruto said as he stood up. "Iris, heal Sasuke for me." Naruto called out. Now that Sasuke was outside of the barrier which was what Naruto originally wanted, he could now get the medical attention that he needed. As he looked into Sasuke's eyes he could see that they were strangely enough red with black tome around them. One in one of his eyes and two in the other. _'Did Sasuke awaken his Sharingan? This must be its beginning stage.'_ Naruto observed.

"But daddy?" Iris asked incredulously. Just by the look on her face you could tell she was not happy. Accident or not her father was now in serious trouble and the person who put him there now needs to be healed by her. She was not a fan of this idea, not in the least.

"Iris now is not the time for that ok. Just heal him for me." Naruto called out but he did give Iris a look and seeing that everyone noticed the girl back down. "Ok." Iris said in a subdued voice. "Thanks." Naruto said with a small smile which managed to get a small one to start to form on Iris's face. Racing over to Sasuke Kiba picked up the bruised Uchiha who had numerous needles sticking out of his body along with cuts and scrapes. Bringing him back to the others Kiba set the boy down in front of Iris who did have a small frown on her face but she pushed that aside to do as she was told.

" **Sacred Fire."** Iris whispered out. Her eyes turned a vibrant emerald green and a bright flame appeared in the palm of her hands. It was getting brighter and brighter before she placed her palm down of Sasuke's chest. Everyone there was holding their breath and Sakura was even going to stop Iris since it looked like Iris was going to burn Sasuke alive but then the strangest thing happened. The fire which was pure white at this point turned to a radiant pure gold that was absolutely stunning and beautiful to look at. The fire which was moving and flickering around wildly slowed down to a crawl like it was in slow motion. The needles sticking out of Sasuke's skin completely melted and disappeared and Sasuke's skin which was paler than normal regained some color in it and the many cuts and scrapes all over his body quickly disappeared without a trace.

"Amazing." Sakura whispered out in complete awe. Everyone else was sharing her thoughts on the matter. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked as he checked himself over. He felt were he knew some scratches were supposed to be but he only felt smooth skin. Iris looked up into the dome and saw her father now defending himself from Haku's assault every time he tried to make a break for one of the gaps in the mirrors.

Seeing this Iris pouted and turned away from Sasuke. She was not happy with the turn of events that just transpired. Naruto himself was in a bit of a spot of bother.

* * *

Haku was dangerously fast. He was not giving Naruto anytime to charge up his Acceleration Technique and that was preventing him from escaping Haku's Ice Mirrors.

" **Wind Style: Gust Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as he had his trusted ice staff in hand and he was controlling the air currents around him and deflecting Haku's ice needles. "Haku, how long do you and Zabuza intend to keep this up? There is no point to continuing this. You don't have to fight us." Naruto tried to reason with Haku.

"Naruto reasoning with me will not work. We have to do this. We don't have a choice." Haku replied back. "I know why Zabuza was forced to leave the Hidden Mist behind." Naruto chimed in as he held his staff in a defensive posture. Haku took a pause at this. Naruto's statement managed to catch Haku off guard. "You know nothing about Zabuza and I." Haku retorted as he sent several ice shards at Naruto who deflected them as they came. "But I do. Kakashi told me everything. How Zabuza used to be a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, how Zabuza was also a powerful Jonin and an ANBU Black ops member. But that all changed when the Fourth Mizukage came into power and he started the Bloodline Purge. It sparked the Civil War that's going on in the Hidden Mist and Zabuza tried to assassinate the Mizukage but failed and he fled the village. Somewhere along the way in this story he obviously finds you." Naruto narrates as he busies himself with defecting any icicle shard Haku sends his way.

He was trying to get a reaction out of Haku. To see how this information would affect him. From what he's seen and able to theorize he came to the conclusion that Haku isn't evil or sadistic. He clearly has the skills and power to kill Sasuke immediately even without resorting to the use of his Ice Mirror's but he didn't and when he did he simply kept hitting Sasuke in non-vital spots to incapacitate him instead of outright killing him.

At this point Haku stopped his onslaught and took a pause. "It would seem you are rather well informed Naruto. But you still don't know anything about Zabuza and I." Haku pointed out. But Naruto noticed that he the young ANBU said this with a small hesitant pause in his voice. Haku also didn't know that Naruto received part of his information form Aspen. The man's extensive knowledge was a god send during the last few days.

"I know that you want to stop being chased. Trust me I know that feeling better than most." Naruto said in a smaller more sympathetic tone. His eyes softened quite noticeably as he looked into the mirror that Haku was currently reflecting off of. "Those Hunter Ninja are nothing more than nuisances, nothing more. Don't pretend to know me Naruto." Haku expressed as he sent a hail of Ice Senbon needles at Naruto who blocked them with little effort. "You're right, I don't know you. But I'd very much like to believe that the person I was talking to in that clearing was the true Haku. The Haku who didn't have to constantly look over his shoulder for assassins after his head. You were carefree that day and my gut is telling me that you're a good person. I'd very much like to trust my gut on this. I know I'm right." Naruto said in a warm tone as he looked at Haku who was only reflecting off of one mirror at the moment.

"Why are you so interested in me. We are enemies, why are you trying to persuade me for. You should have nothing more to gain other than getting me to let my guard down." Haku asked with a bewildered shake of his head. He was very confused by Naruto's actions but he would be lying if he said he was not thinking the blonde's words over. Naruto thought this over as well and a melancholy like smile formed on Naruto's face.

"To tell you the truth I'm not sure why I'm trying to talk to you either. I guess I got real tired of having to simply fight my enemies and either kill them or watch as they get away. Taking a life is never easy and it's weighed down on me for many years. I silently think to myself all the time that maybe if I could just talk to them things could go differently. Of course this won't work for everybody but I would like to give it a try. You're not evil Haku and we don't have to be enemies." Naruto explained as his shoulders sagged in visible relief. It was a metaphorical weight that was on his shoulders for quite some time.

"Your words are very touching Naruto but as long as Zabuza wishes to have the bridge builders head then I'm afraid that I'll have to stop all of you. I'm his tool to be used. Shinobi are nothing more than tools Naruto and the sooner you realize this the better off you'll be." Haku said as he held up his hand and several ice Senbon formed in them. Naruto frowned as he got into a defensive position.

" **Yōjutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!"** Haku exclaimed as all of the mirrors glowed bright as his reflection took up all 21 mirrors and they sent down hundreds of needles. "I don't think Shinobi are nothing more than tools. I don't believe that for a second. I'll prove it to you." Naruto said as he stared down the incoming attack. _'I haven't used this technique in quite some time but it would seem that Haku wants to pick up the pace in the battle and if that's the case so will I.'_ Naruto reassured himself in a resolute and determined tone.

" **Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as all over his body dozens of icicle needles started to grow out of his body at an alarming rate. _'Now for the second step.'_ Clapping his hands together Naruto built up his chakra. **"Ice Style: Spike Cannon Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted as he released the numerous icicle spears all over his body and they all shot of at impressive speeds and they intercepted many of the ice needles Haku was sending his way.

"Now! **Acceleration!** " Taking off in a mad dash Naruto was trying to make his way out of the dome but Haku was having none of it. Appearing in the mirror directly in front of him Haku had other ideas. **"Yōjutsu: Ice Burn!"** Haku leapt from the mirror he was in and tagged Naruto on his thigh before shooting off into another mirror in the dome. He did it so fast that even with Naruto's reaction time he could do nothing but watch in slow motion as Haku darted passed him. He however threw his hands out in a defensive posture as Haku sailed passed him.

Naruto tumbled to the ground in a heap as he slid to a stop near one of the mirrors. "AHHH!" Naruto cried out in pain. "Daddy!" Iris cried out worriedly as she saw what had happened. She tried to run towards the mirrors but a hail of ice needles deterred her form entering the dome. "I've had enough of this ice!" Iris growled out as she launched a fire ball directly at the mirror next to her and much to Haku's shock her fire started to melt the ice mirror. "Impossible!" Haku exclaimed as he had never encountered anything that could melt his ice. _'What is this burning sensation that I'm feeling. It's coming from this little girl. Is this Holy Magic? Is this what it feels like?'_ Haku thought to himself in a small bit of fear.

' _What is this? This ice is cold even for me. What is going on?'_ Naruto groveled to himself as he managed to sit up on the ground. He was holding his thigh that was so cold right now that it actually felt like it was burning instead of going numb like he expected it to. Noticing him in pain Iris grew concerned. "Hold on I'm coming!" She called out as she attempted once more to cross into the dome. "Stay back!" Haku warned as his Yōki surged. He for the first time in his life he has encountered something that can melt his ice and the burning sensation he felt the second Iris spiked her energy was something he will never forget. At the moment his instincts took over and so did Iris's.

" **Yōjutsu: Shattering Ice Spears!"** Haku yelled as a massive ice spear formed from an ice mirror near Iris and tried to impale her. Iris's eyes widened along with everyone else's as the spear got within inches of her. "Iris!" Naruto began to yell as he willed his body to move. But as this was happening he felt a massive surge in his body and he grew shocked at what happened next. Iris's eyes glowed a mighty emerald green.

A Magic circle appeared in front of Iris and it was the riches shade of white and gold imaginable. It had 12 concentric rings and on each ring was ancient runes in gold. On every ring you would find many spheres and inside of those spheres you would see the symbols for many different kinds of elements. Many of which were unknown to all that looked at them. For every three rings however it would have small little spheres on them and inside those spheres you could see the symbols of Fire and Wind on them. On the center circle was a symbol of a mighty Phoenix.

" **Phoenix Fire!"** Out of the magic circle which was in front of Iris's mouth a torrent of pure white flames erupted and completely engulfed the large ice spear that was about to impale her. The spear of ice was completely melted in literal seconds and the flame thrower went on to melt an entire ice mirror on the opposite side of the dome with ease. The flame thrower kept going and melted a hole in the concrete of the bridge before dying off. Everyone felt the power in that attack. But more over none felt the effects of that attack more than Naruto and Haku. _'My god that hurts. Iris's power is burning my insides.'_ Naruto growled out in silent pain. His chakra coils were burning him at the moment but he did dulling note that whatever Haku had done to his thigh was cured now. More than that Naruto could feel the Yōki inside of his body as well as that of Eva's take a massive hit and its presence in their bodies greatly diminished.

' _My body feels like it's on fire. What is this feeling? What on earth is that little girl?'_ Haku though as he held his chest in pain. It felt like he was in a sauna and he stayed in for hours. He was finding it quite hard to breath let alone stand. Looking around he was shocked to see that even though the flame thrower only hit one of his mirrors all the rest of them was showing signs of melting with the closest ones to the origin showing the most decay. Sweaty droplets of water were leaking off of all of the mirrors and a dense fog was settling in around the dome of ice because of the drastic and quite rapid change in temperature.

Iris's eyes started to roll into the back of her head and her body started to crumble. "Iris!" Naruto called out in fright. Jumping in Hinata grabbed Iris before she could hit the ground. "I got you sweetie." Hinata whispered to Iris as she caught the small girl. "Kiba!" Hinata called out. "Right! Let's go Akamaru! **Fang Over Fang!** " The Inuzuka Heir called out as he and his puppy started to spin at an incredible speed. Soon Kiba and Akamaru looked like grey drills and they both flew through the air towards the ice dome.

Haku could see what was happening and he was starting to become a little desperate. His entire body was burning him for just being in the presence of Iris after she released her power and right now he knew Kiba was going to force his way in with little resistance unless he did something.

" **Yōjutsu: Shattering Ice Spears!"** Haku shouted as dozens of thick large ice spears formed all around the inside and outside of the dome which Kiba saw and he was able to steer clear of impaling himself onto one but he did manage to shatter a few before he was forcibly bounced off.

" **Yōjutsu: Rotating Demonic Mirrors!"** Haku called out and his Ice Mirrors actually rotated so that the actual reflective mirror like surface was facing the outside of the dome where everyone was. **"Yōjutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!"** Haku called out as he sent dozens of needles at the group of Genin.

Thinking quickly Hinata set Iris down gently on the ground behind her and quickly got in front of the group. **"** **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"** Hinata calls out and just like with what she did months back against Evangeline when she was on her rampage Hinata perfectly blocked the dozens of needles sent at her by shattering them with perfectly timed chakra burst from her fingers. However, Hinata couldn't get all of them and her jacket and body was hit with at least two dozen needles. Some landed in her legs which brought her to her knees. However, Hinata wasn't worried since she had just protected Iris's defenseless body from harm.

"Iris! Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed in worry as he saw Hinata take those shots for Iris. Now he was completely trapped inside the dome. The giant ice shards sticking out of the ground was surrounding the Ice Mirrors and there were only little gaps in between them. Far too small for Naruto or even a kunai to fit through. Luckily the burning sensation in his Chakra Network was calming down a bit. Iris's energy that was burning him was starting to heal him now.

"Do you hate me now? Is this enough to convince you that we Shinobi are nothing more than tools?" Haku asked as he too was starting to regain his bearings. Although he was not in the same shape as Naruto. His body wasn't healing him like Naruto's was. He still felt that tingling burning sensation all over his body. Haku then used quite a few techniques after that and surged his Yōki to fix the mirrors that were all melting due to Iris's power. Even his Ice shards that he just summoned to stop Kiba were showing some signs of melting.

At that moment Naruto really wanted to say yes. He could see Hinata and Iris through a small hole in the ice and a frown overcame his face especially as he looked at Iris but something was holding him back.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

Haku smiled gently at Naruto. "Then you will become strong. I believe that when a person has something that they want to protect then they will unlock and achieve their true strength. A strength that will allow them to defeat anyone who would stand in their way of protecting the things they cared about." Haku stated with a lot of passion laced in with her words.

"Those are some very wise words Haku. I can easily see the truth in them. It's a really nice saying." Naruto complimented with a smile.

"Thank you. They are words I live by." Haku said with a small smile.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

"No, that won't be enough Haku." Naruto said as he looked up at Haku with defiance in his eyes. He could almost feel Haku frowning behind his mask at that. "If I could describe myself as one thing then that would be stubborn." Naruto said with a smirk. He opened his hands and his swords made of ice formed in seconds. "Now this does not mean I'm just going to let you get away with hurting my family."

"Then I'm afraid you're just going to have to stop me Naruto." Haku said with his own defiance. "When this is all over you'll see that I'm right Haku." Naruto said as he took off in a quick **Body Flicker**. It was move he rarely used since he preferred his Acceleration since it felt natural to him but it got the job done. Naruto was now in front of the mirror Haku was in and he swung his swords around. **"Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu!"** Slamming his swords into the mirror a large flower shaped shard exploded from the mirror rendering it unusable.

It was almost unnoticeable but Naruto saw Haku dart to another mirror. _'Is he starting to slow down? Before I wasn't even able to tell when he moved.'_ Naruto thought as he turned to see that all of the mirrors were lighting up again. _'Here he comes.'_ Hundreds of needles came out of the mirrors at Naruto how activated his cloak.

" **Acceleration!"** Taking off Naruto dodged as many attacks as he could while deflecting the rest. Naruto could feel the strain on his muscles from having to deflect so many ice needles especially from so many angles. _'There are too many. He's really pushing me to my limit. I can't dodge them all.'_

"Naruto I won't let you escape. For as long as we have to we will continue to hunt Mr. Tazuna. He is our mission. Shinobi are tools. I am a tool. Zabuza has ambitions and as his tool I am determined to make sure they come true. Unfortunately, Mr. Tazuna stands in our way of are goal and for that he must die." Haku explained to Naruto with a clear amount of irritation in his voice. He wouldn't admit it but Naruto's clear dismissal of his claims were annoying him. He was convinced in his mind that Shinobi are tools but Naruto had a different opinion on the matter.

He wanted Naruto to hate him so that it would make his job of stopping him less painful. Haku didn't want anyone to know but he rather enjoyed his talk with Naruto in the clearing and he actual could say that he liked Naruto. That was the first time he had to engage a potential enemy is such a manner like espionage and part way through their conversation he honestly forgot that he was supposed to be spying on Naruto.

They had hit it off really well and Haku now felt some sadness at having to fight someone who he found was very nice and kind. Not to mention smart and funny. If things were different than he would be glad to have Naruto as a friend.

"Let's go Eva!" Naruto called out. "Right!" Eva was stockpiling as much Yōki as she possibly could. She could tell that this next round was going to be Jutsu heavy. **"Ice Style: Ice Mirror Jutsu!"** Naruto chanted as thin circular mirrors of ice formed all around him and blocked the needles Haku was sending his way. However, they were traveling so fast that they started to shatter his ice mirrors. **"Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"**

" **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva chanted as a large geyser of water surrounded Naruto blocking more needles as Naruto sent hundreds of ice shards back at Haku who returned with another barrage. **"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** 14 clones of Naruto appeared around them with swords in their hands. "GO!" Naruto yelled as they took off.

" **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"**

" **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!"**

" **Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu!"**

All of the clones took off in random directions and started to smash into the closest Ice Mirror at random. Most cracked harshly but a few of them actually shattered. Haku was feeling himself become overwhelmed and so he destroyed the clones of Naruto in a massive surge of speed.

" **Yōjutsu: Ice Burn!"** Coming in from his blind side Haku tagged Naruto's leg which brought Naruto down to his knees. ' _I'm running out of chakra. This is really taxing my reserves. I have to finish this.'_ Naruto thought as he grabbed his legs and froze it with his own ice which managed to solve the problem.

' _I'm running out of Yōki I have to end this fast so that I can help Zabuza.'_ Haku thought to himself as he was huffing. There were only 7 Demonic mirrors left in Haku's dome. His large Ice shards were keeping the others out and Naruto in but it was obvious that it was starting to fail.

"Haku we can't keep this up. Just stop this. We can come to an agreement if money is the issue. You and Zabuza need funding in order to get back to the Hidden Mist. Let me help you." Naruto offered as he got up panting. He could feel the large drain on his chakra reserves and it was affecting him.

"There is nothing you can do that would help us Naruto and you should have no reason to aid us either." Haku surged his Yōki in defiance. "I will not let you stop us!" Haku yelled in defiance. **"Yōjutsu: Hail Storm of Death!"** Taking off at blistering speeds he started to rain down thousands of needles at Naruto who eyes started to glow an ethereal white.

"We'll see about that Haku. **Acceleration!** " Exploding into action Naruto started to weave in and out of the hail storm surrounding him. Shooting out of one of his mirrors Haku made a B-line straight for Naruto. **"Yōjutsu: Ice Burn!"** Coming in with ice surrounding his hands Haku tried to tag Naruto again but this time he was ready. **"Wind Style: Hurricane Fist!"**

Haku and Naruto met in the middle with a bang as their two techniques collided. They traded viscous high speed blows for a few seconds but Naruto took that moment to separate them. **"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"** Blowing Haku away with a massive gust of wind Naruto felt Eva take over.

" **Yōjutsu: Icicle Shard Blast!"** Sending dozens of ice shards at Haku who bounced of a jagged piece of ice the boy managed to dodge Eva's attack at the last second. "I'm not done! **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Sending a powerful surge of water at Haku Eva and Naruto watched as he created an Ice Mirror in midair and let it take the attack head on. Haku jumped off of the mirror and flew into one of the few remaining mirrors he had left.

Shooting out of the mirror he came barreling in at Naruto with his speed not diminishing in the slightest. Haku was pushing his body way past its limits. Haku created thick claws of ice on his hands. **"Yōjutsu: Ice Burn!"** Trying to put Naruto down Haku was putting everything into these last few attacks.

" **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"** Naruto countered Haku's attack with one of his own. They traded vicious blows at such speeds that the ice around them started to vibrate and crack. Some time ago a section in the ice gave way and the others from the outside could witness the climactic battle taking place. However, the opening was not large enough for the other Genin to take advantage of the situation and further more Haku and Naruto were going so fast that if the other tried to intervene it would only end in a disaster.

' _My god. Is this Naruto? Such power. I have never seen him like this before.'_ Sakura though to herself in absolute awe. She could not even follow have the moves they were making and the amount of techniques being thrown around was insane to her. Sakura has never witnessed a battle like this before and she was totally blown away.

' _Where has Naruto gotten all this power from. Just how strong is he?'_ Sasuke seethed in morbid shock, awe, and a raw taint of jealousy. He was shocked and appalled that he got his teammate trapped inside the enemies Jutsu but that soon turned to shock and much more when he saw Naruto doing far better than he did.

' _So this is Naruto's true power. Fascinating. My bugs have almost done their job.'_ Shino thought to himself as he was silently very much impressed by what his friend was capable of.

' _Was the loser always capable of this. No way.'_ Kiba mulled to himself as his jaw was hanging open. He never knew his rival could do such amazing things. It was leaving a deep impression on him.

' _He's grown so strong. Even I wouldn't be able to beat him at this point in time."_ Fuki thought to herself as she looked at the one person in their class she was secretly watching.

' _Naruto, you look so free. Like a weight as been lifted from your shoulders. Despite what's going on you look so happy.'_ Hinata thought to herself as she could see it. A weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He had an intense look of concentration and determination on his face but there was no mistaking it. Naruto had no intention of hiding anything or being secretive. He was laying everything out on the table at the moment and he was giving it his all in this fight.

Hinata took this time to remove the needles Haku impaled her with. She was tending to Iris with Chaos help but the little girl's eyes were glued to the fight happening inside the dome and her eyes were red with strange symbols and concentric circles and moving lines. It would seem that Chaos had no problems keeping track of the fighting going on inside of the dome and the eerie smile on her face was growing bigger by the second.

' _He's so close, Dada is going to do it.'_ Chaos thought to herself with absolute glee on her face. _'It's time.'_

"You won't get in our way!" Haku rebuffed as he traded more blows with Naruto. "Haku by the time this all ends I'll show you that Shinobi are more than tools. You refuse my help but you don't even know what I was going to offer you. Once I've beaten you I'll force both you and Zabuza to listen to what I have to say."

"Then it would seem like you'll just have to kill me then!" Haku challenged! "I won't be killing anyone else today! We're all walking away from this." Naruto pushed back as he and Haku were cutting into each other with their attacks.

' _He's getting faster. I will end this with everything I've got. I can feel it… my Yōki is draining. I need to finish this.'_ Haku strained as he surged the last of his Yōki and took off in at the fastest speed he could attain.

' _I need more speed! I need to go faster! Faster! Faster!'_ Naruto forced his mind. He surged every bit of chakra into his Acceleration Cloak and he took off at blinding speeds from one corner of the dome with Haku doing the same.

They met in the middle and they were inches apart. _'This ends now!'_ Haku thought as he brought his hands forward with it covered in a thick claw of ice.

' _Oh no I'm not fast enough.'_ Naruto panicked as his arm was moving an inch slower than Haku's. _'Girls.'_ Naruto closed his eyes at the very last second. Iris and Chaos flashed into his mind and suddenly Naruto felt a surge of energy from them that outclassed anything they had ever given him before.

Chaos's smile split her face and Iris stirred in Hinata's lap. _'Daddy.'_

" **DOUBLE ACCELERATION!"** Naruto shouted and he disappeared in a violent chakra burst that literally caused a massive explosion of chakra. A searing shockwave exploded from Naruto's spot as it sent Haku flying and the entire ice dome along with every inch of ice in the area shattered from the shockwave.

"It's over! **Acceleration Punch!** " Throwing his fist forward Naruto slammed his fist into Haku's mask and sent him right through the last Ice mirror that was directly behind his back.

 **BOOM!  
**

* * *

 _ **To be Continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Yōjutsu:** **Crystal Ice Mirrors -** An abominable and tremendous ability, it was passed down only within the Yuki clan. It is a technique wrapped up in many mysteries. It was said that no method in existence can defeat this technique. In an instant, multiple mirrors of ice are created around the enemy, reflecting nothing but Haku. The opponent is trapped in a dome of twenty-one floating mirrors made out of ice. Twelve remain at ground level, eight float above the first twelve and angled towards the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Once Haku has entered the mirrors, it's possible for him to move between the mirrors at exceedingly high speed levels. It's near impossible to follow attacks sent out from this incredible movement. As every mirror shows his reflection, one could say it's impossible to see all of Haku's attacks. Even if the opponent tries to attack the real body, Haku will have already moved to another mirror. Without eyes like the Sharingan, it will be impossible to keep track of him.

If the mirror Haku is in is broken, he can leap out of one of the fragments and continue his attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of energy to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer he maintains the mirrors.

Haku can also form individual mirrors, not restricted to the twenty-one-mirror formation. He can create them high in the sky allowing him to take out airborne targets. The cold which emanates from the mirrors is also enough to cause snow to fall. Though they are made from ice, the mirrors are resistant to Fire Release techniques.

2.) **Acceleration -** A secret technique created by Naruto that allows him to move at hyper speeds. However, this is not a technique that can be copied or duplicated by any other person because of the unique way in which it works. By drawing on Iris's and Chaos's energy that is constantly circulating in his chakra network and then mixing it in with his and Eva's energy Naruto can create a cloak of various shades of blue with slivers of other colors such as orange and purple. While in this cloak Naruto can move at rapid speeds. The technique in its earlier stages tore up the ground underneath Naruto's feet both due to the fact that Naruto had little control over the move and because in order to move around he would have to discharge large amounts of chakra through his feet in order to reach his desired speed. Naruto thinks he can improve upon this technique more by increasing his speed. As of now he can only jump in a linear pattern and only one step at a time. He thinks that by adding an extra step he can increase not only his speed by the intervals in which he can use the technique. However, at this time he does not have the chakra capacity to improve this technique. As of now he only has one technique derived from Acceleration. On a side note the cloak does not provide Naruto with enhanced durability or any special factors other than hyper speed.

3.) **Yōjutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death -** Using this technique, Haku gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. He then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before impact so he doesn't get caught in the crossfire. While the needles do surround a target from all sides, they don't appear above the target, creating an escape route.

4.) **Sacred Fire -** A move that is unique and a special ability of the _Phoenix Goddess Sōkyoku_. This unknown ability allows the _Supreme Goddess of Life_ to create golden colored flames that is more unique and potent than her normal red hot fires. With these flames Sōkyoku is able to heal any injury no matter the severity and she is more that capable of bringing people who have died back to life with these flames. These flames have strong and potent side effects though. Anything that the flames engulf will not only be healed back to perfect health but they will also regress atomically back to a point in time when they were in their prime or at their very absolute peak. This aspect suggest that Time/Space abilities and aspects are involved in her flames as well. These affects are not limited to living organisms either. Anything that the flames touch including but not limited to by any stretch of the imagination are inanimate objects and nonliving things.

5.) **Wind Style: Gust Jutsu -** A low C - Rank Jutsu that creates a gust of wind that blows an opponent off their feet. The unique functionality of this technique however allows for the gust of wind to come from a multitude of places. Ex: Hands (Palms or Fist), Feet, Mouth, or through a weapon (Fan or other weapon that can generated air based on movement).

6.) **Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses that allows him to generate spears and icicles of ice out of his body directly from his Chakra Points. He can use it to impale anything that is constricting him or tying him down. It cannot shoot out of his body however. It is limited to just jutting out of his body.

7.) **Ice Style: Spike Cannon Jutsu -** A move that is the follow up successor to _Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu_. Naruto can shoot out the icicles spears that he generates around his body either in an aimed targeted fashion or as a random 360 barrage.

8.) **Yōjutsu: Ice Burn -** A unique move that Haku employs that allows him to tag a person and cause an ice patch to form on their bodies. The ice is so cold that it renders the person immobile. However instead of turning the afflicted part of the body numb the ice instead sends searing hot jolts of pain throughout the victims body.

9.) **Yōjutsu: Shattering Ice Spears -** The user unleashes giant spikes made of ice, capable of piercing through wood and even metal.

10.) **Phoenix Fire** \- The signature move of Sōkyoku the Phoenix Goddess. This technique is her go to move to usually start off and finish a fight. She builds up for her a small amount of Holy Magic and spits it out of her mouth in the form of a massive flamethrower. To others the build up of energy she releases is immense. The attack on her scale is small and the flamethrower itself is relatively small by her standards but the damage it causes is anything but. It can annihilate entire forested areas in an instant and carve gorges into the ground. The amount of Holy Magic in the attack is so much that it can instantly purify any tainted or evil presences within a certain radius of the attack. You wouldn't even have to be hit with the attack to be incinerated if you were a low level evil entity. She can also shoot this attack out of Magic Circles to focus the attack better or remotely shoot it from multiple angles or distances instead of shooting it out of her mouth.

11.) **Fang Over Fang -** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. When this attack is done alone, it is called Passing Fang.

12.) **Yōjutsu: Rotating Demonic Mirrors -** A move that allows Haku to rotate and move his otherwise static Ice Mirror. The technique allows Haku to change the attribute of the mirror from static to non-static.

13.) **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms -** A maneuver of the Gentle Fist fighting style. It is essentially a halved version of the _Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms_ , but seems to be no less effective. This technique is used to close off the flow of chakra through thirty-two chakra points of an opponent's chakra pathway system. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.

14.) **Body Flicker -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

15.) **Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto developed that allows him to slam into an area and create a massive construct of ice that breaks apart and cuts deeply into anything in the surrounding area with millions of little icicle shards. It is an area effect Jutsu that covers large distances.

16.) **Ice Style: Ice Mirror Jutsu -** A move that Naruto can use that allows him to create thin sheets of ice that are smooth and reflective. The technique is relatively weak and is used mostly for light defensive purposes only. He can create them easiest in the water but he has no problem creating them in midair or on dry land.

17.) **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.

18.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and more heavier that normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

19.) **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The **Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu** is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.

20.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance -** Naruto's own version of Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

21.) **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor -** A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.

22.) **Yōjutsu: Hail Storm of Death -** This is the upgraded version of Haku's signature move. With this Haku can launch 1000 needles from each of his mirrors unlike his normal technique that creates a total of 1000. With this enhanced version Haku can create up to 21,000 needles that he can launch at an opponent.

23.) **Wind Style: Hurricane Fist -** A low level Wind Style Jutsu that causes swirling winds to form around the user's fist. Although it is a Ninjutsu it is mostly used in Taijutsu combat to augment the users punching strength. The winds generated by the Jutsu are strong enough to launch opponents away and send them flying. The winds can also be concentrated in the user's hands to palm thrust opponents or to grip, catch, or push things away from the user.

24.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu -** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

25.) **Yōjutsu: Icicle Shard Blast -** A C - Rank Ninjutsu that allows the user to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them. However this is the Demonic version of the technique.

26.) **Double Acceleration -** The next level to Naruto's signature _Acceleration_ Technique. This move is so strong that when it is used it unleashes a shockwave of pure chakra that can shatter and blow things in the immediate vicinity away. The move also blows away the opponent in which Naruto decides to use this move on. The level of speed Naruto attains with this is more than what a high level Jonin can produce using a _Body Flicker_. The explosive speed is immense and destructive.

27.) **Acceleration Punch -** The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ I don't know about you guys but I think that was awesome. I really think I outdone myself in this fight. When writing this chapter I wanted their confrontation to be that of a clash. Hitting each other over and over again with attack after attack. Since they both have Ice powers I wanted it to come down to such a battle were it's Ice vs. Ice. I think I achieved that. For every attack that was thrown out their would be a counter attack not far behind. I felt like I captured that in this chapter. Let me know guys if you see it the same way.

I wanted Naruto to have even more of a reason to fight Haku but not only that I wanted Naruto to have a reason to not try to kill him but to just beat him. I wanted a certain level of personal attachment to be inserted into this fight and so that is what I tried to achieve.

Also Iris got in on the action a little bit much to the pain of both fighters. Her powers will be developed and explored as the story goes on. But it is quite obvious what happened to Naruto and Haku when she released her powers.

Finally Naruto has achieved the next level in his Acceleration Technique. It's explosive power helped in the final moments of the fight but what will happen next.

Next chapter: **(The Deal for the Future)**

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 21 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 4/3/16


	23. CH: 22 The Deal for the Future

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back yet again with a new chapter. Now just a heads up the Land of Wave's Arc is coming to an end in the next 3 to 4 chapters. I know it dragged on for quite some time and that wasn't even my intention but a lot had to be explored in this Arc and I'm satisfied with it. I can't wait for the Chunin Exams Arc and I definitely can't wait to introduce Jiraiya into the story.

* * *

Chapter 22

 _ **The Deal for the Future**_

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The sound of metal on metal was the only thing heard in the thick cloud of mist at the end of the bridge. Every once in a while you would see a brief spark of metal grinding against metal but the entirety of this fight was shrouded in the all-encompassing mist.

"Are you slowing down Zabuza? Is the weight of that sword finally getting to you?" Kakashi taunted as he dodged an overhead horizontal swing from Zabuza's mighty Executioners Blade. He and Zabuza were locked in a vicious fight with Kakashi wielding a kunai in each hand and Zabuza with his 7-foot-long butcher sword propped up on his shoulder. "Resorting to taunting now are you Kakashi, you must be getting desperate." Zabuza replied back as he came in with a rising vertical slash meant to take Kakashi's head off but the silver haired Jōnin was smarter than that and wisely backed away just in time.

Not missing a beat Kakashi threw one of his kunai at Zabuza's exposed midsection but in seconds Zabuza took one of his hands off of his sword and caught the incoming knife. Building up momentum Zabuza spun around and tried to split Kakashi in half with a vertical downwards slash with one hand but Kakashi used his remaining kunai to knock the massive blade off course and send it into the ground next to him.

Kakashi then without warning caught his very own kunai that Zabuza threw back at him. He caught it right before it could impale him in his exposed Sharingan Eye. "No desperation here. Just trying something new that's all." Kakashi replied back cheekily. He suddenly had to jump into the air to avoid a horizontal slash from Zabuza who ripped his sword out of the concrete and tried to bisect his opponent. Not deterred in the slightest Zabuza jumped into the air after Kakashi.

" **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"** Kakashi called out as he went through hands signs at blistering speeds. A medium sized fire ball left his mouth and was heading straight for Zabuza who was only a few yards away from him. Seeing the oncoming attack Zabuza sliced through the fireball with ease leaving behind a cloud of steam. _'He streamed Water Nature Chakra through his blade.'_ Kakashi theorized. Zabuza came barreling in through the cloud of steam ready to take Kakashi head off.

' _Now.'_ Seeing Zabuza's attack incoming Kakashi actually managed to kick Zabuza's sword up into the air. The weight and momentum of his movements combined with Kakashi's intervention caused Zabuza to flip in midair. Before anything else could happen Kakashi grabbed Zabuza by the ankles and wrapped his arms around them. He took his legs and rapped them around Zabuza's midsections locking his arms to his side and causing the man to drop his massive sword. Kakashi then took his feet and locked them around Zabuza's neck and head.

" **Falcon Drop!"**

Both men dropped out of the air like a sack of rocks. Kakashi drove Zabuza head first into the concrete pavement below them. Zabuza's whole body spasmed and convulsed and a strangled dead look appeared in Zabuza's eyes before they rolled into the back of his head. His lower torso went completely limp and Kakashi jumped off of the body and watch as his legs sagged and fell limp sticking in the air. Looking down Kakashi could see that Zabuza's head was buried into the concrete with spider web cracks forming around the small head shaped hole he was in.

Kakashi suddenly tensed as Zabuza's body turned into a mass of water. That water surged up and lunged at Kakashi who was suddenly enveloped into a sphere of water. **"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"** Zabuza called out as he appeared next to Kakashi's prison with his hand maintaining the integrity of the Jutsu. "You never learn do you Kakashi. Falling for the same trick again." Zabuza taunted but then grunted in immense pain when the Kakashi inside of his sphere turned into electricity shocking him with immeasurable amounts of electricity. **"Lightning Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Zabuza fell to the ground and growled in pain as he could feel the electricity running rampant in his body. He suddenly tensed but it was too late. **"Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu!"** Zabuza suddenly found himself pulled under the pavement of the bridge to the point only his head was showing. Kakashi emerged out of the ground like he was getting out of a swimming pool.

"Got you." He said with his patented eye smile. "Oh really?" Zabuza growled. The Zabuza in the ground turned into a puddle of water and Kakashi's danger senses were going off inside of his mind. **"Kenjutsu: Explosive Decapitation!"** Kakashi suddenly found himself in the same predicament that nearly killed Naruto two weeks prior. Kakashi was violently slammed into the ground neck first by Zabuza's Executioners Blade. Zabuza grunted in satisfaction which soon turned to annoyance when the Kakashi in the small crater in the pavement turned into a puddle of water. Looking up Zabuza saw Kakashi standing ten yards away.

"Well that was a good warm up Zabuza but are you ready to get serious now?" Kakashi asked as he looked to his opponent. Zabuza grunted as he hefted his massive sword onto his shoulder. "That was pretty fun Kakashi but you're right let's go. The sooner I kill you and the bridge builder the sooner I can go give your student that wake-up call he so richly deserves." Zabuza growled out in his deep voice. Both men narrowed their eyes at each other before blurring out of existence.

They met in the center between them with a bang. The sound of metal on metal returned as they blurred away and reappeared a few feet away. They did this seven more times and each time they would reappear they would clash against each other sending out showers of sparks. "Why are you so interested in my student?" Kakashi asked as he pushed Zabuza's sword off course and came in with a stab to the man's neck. Zabuza of course blocked it and pushed Kakashi away from him.

"He interest me. Not only does he owe me a rematch but he's very different compared to your other students. He's like us. A true shinobi who has seen combat, he has the blood of many on his hands and he's walked away from death just like us. I want to know his story before I watch the light fade from his eyes. Like you I find him to be a shinobi worth my time to fight." Zabuza explained as he traded tight efficient blows with Kakashi who was managing Zabuza's massive blade. "Is that so? Good to know you hold me in such regard Zabuza." Kakashi taunted as he kicked Zabuza away from him.

Skidding to a halt Zabuza placed his sword on his shoulder. "You know he offered me a deal to surrender and join him." Zabuza revealed. "He what?" Kakashi asked in surprise. "Yeah not too long ago. Maybe a week or so ago. He snuck into my hideout and went undetected until he approached me. That takes some serious stealth skills. Like I said he interest me. He is very much like us Kakashi." Zabuza explained with a chuckle. _'Why would Naruto do that without telling me. When was this… wait it was the day I was showing them the Tree Walking Exercise. When he pulled me to the side and asked me about Zabuza he had this peculiar look in his eyes. So that was his plan. He went on a mercy mission to ask for Zabuza's surrender. But why not tell me unless…'_ Kakashi tried to piece together in his mind.

Zabuza seeing the gears turning in Kakashi's mind took a brief moment to think back to that day.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

It was early in the afternoon when a blur could be seen darting through the trees. "We are almost there Eva. Are you ready?" Naruto asked as he jumped from tree to tree through the thick dew filled forest of the Land of Waves. "Yeah, this is fun. We haven't been on our own like this in a while." Eva commented as she enjoyed the wind passing by her face. She had an excited tone in her voice. "Yeah. It hasn't been the two of us doing a mission together in quite some time. It feels just like old times right Eva." Naruto agreed as he patted Eva on her head with his finger.

"So based off of the information we received from Aspen and the others the enemies hide out should be over the ridge in that small valley. It's suspended up into the canopy of the dense forest by a bunch of steel cables. This is Gatō's main base and also were Zabuza is recovering." Naruto said as he reached a ravine. He was staring out at a small valley that was at least 500 feet wide and 70 to 90 feet deep with the deepest part which was sea level being at least 100 feet deep. Many rivers were running through the valley and the trees here were very dense and thick and it would be an excellent place to hide a base. The trees here are three times the size of the surround trees in the rest of the region. It was a perfect place especially with all of the rivers providing many avenues of escape.

"This is the place Naru." Eva stated as she peaked her head out of Naruto's hair and took in the view. "Wow this place is beautiful." Eva praised as she looked around. "Yeah it is. However, it will look even prettier once Gatō and his men are gone for good." Naruto added in. "Yeah it will be… hey why don't we have a little vacation home out here, it's so peaceful, it can just be the two of us." Eva suggested as she flew down to Naruto's face. She had a beautiful smile on but it was also a shy one and there was a small blush on her face. Seeing this a small warm smile spread to Naruto's face as well and he couldn't help but give some thought to it and a small blush came to his face as well. "Eva." Naruto said softly as he placed his other half against his face and rubbed their cheeks together.

"I'd love that. It would be nice just to have a place like that." Naruto agreed. "Oh course the twins can come too and all but they will need their own room when we want to be alone." Eva said as an afterthought but both she and Naruto blushed when they final registered the last part of Eva's statement. "Alone time." Naruto mumbled out as his mind went back to two months ago when Evangeline went on her rampage and she somehow turned into a normal sized girl. She was stark naked since her clothes ripped when she got bigger. Naruto had seen her naked many times since they always take bathes together and even till this very day they still bathe together but it was something about seeing her at full size that was different than every other time combined. Naruto had been distracted by his panic and urgency to help her that he didn't even pay her nakedness much mind but since then he's secretly been thinking of it and every time he would he would immediately blush and dispel those thoughts.

Both Naruto and Eva's eyes met and they started to get lost in each other's eyes for a moment until Naruto looked away and caused both of them to blush furiously. _'What was that just now?'_ Naruto thought as he got his heart beat under control. _'Naru…'_ Eva thought to herself as she peaked back at Naruto.

"Ok so we should get going, we got way off topic." Naruto said as he coughed into his hand to dispel the awkward air around them. "Right. Let's go Naru." Eva agreed as she flew back into Naruto's hair and covered up her face in embarrassment. Making the ram hand sign Naruto's clothes were replaced by his pure black jumpsuit and equipment pouches. Jumping off the cliff Naruto landed in a nearby large tree and started tree hopping in the direction of Gatō's base.

' _That was really awkward. What happened just now?'_ Naruto questioned to himself as he got lost in his thoughts. Eva was also deep in thought. _'Why did I just do that. Just great I had to open my big fat mouth and make things weird between us again.'_ Eva antagonized to herself.

"We're here." Naruto called out as up above them they could see the large base suspended in the canopy of the forest and the structure was being supported by thick steel cables anchored into the massive trunk of the trees. "The others couldn't get any Intel on what's inside of the base. Luckily they were able to give us the information on the guard placements and rotations. So sneaking in should be a lot easier than usual." Naruto stated as he looked for the most viable entrance. _'There.'_ He noted as he saw his way in.

"We'll have a look around and catalog everything for the others. Maybe we can set some traps just in case. After that we can find Zabuza maybe." Eva suggested as she looked around as well. "That's the plan." Naruto noted as he disappeared in a burst of speed and reappeared on a tree that was housing one of the many thick steel cables. _'The mist is rolling in fast again like usual. It will cover our tracks and make us pretty much invisible on approach.'_ Naruto noted as the natural mist rolled in through the valley and had the side effect of shrouding the entire base and surrounding area which by extension included Naruto in a thick impenetrable soup.

"Ready Eva?" Naruto asked as he slipped his mask on. "Ready Naru." Eva replied. Shaking his head Naruto took off across the steal cable and traversed the entire length in a matter or moments. Landing on one of the many balconies Naruto slid up against the wall. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu."** Creating several shadow clones Naruto then handed each of them a small stack of paper seals. Naruto then made another hand sign. **"Transformation Jutsu."** Naruto had his clones turn into small little creatures such as insects and birds.

"Go." He whispered and just like that all of the clones scattered in multiple directions. Going his own path Naruto traversed the large complex that had many rooms. Every few minutes he would get the memories back from a clone that dispelled itself. _'All of the seals are set, that's good. Now to find Zabuza.'_ Naruto thought as he closed his eyes and concentrated really hard. _'I sense a few strong chakra signatures around. About 5 are around Chunin level and at least one of them is Jonin level. There is another… there. It's Zabuza.'_ Naruto scanned as he searched the compound for Zabuza. _'Aspen said there were 20 shinobi here. But I count 6. The others must be out doing assignments for Gatō. I must hurry then. If I don't leave soon then the others will come back and I know for a fact I won't be able to sneak past that many shinobi without being caught.'_ Naruto rationalized as he started heading in the direction of Zabuza.

"Where is he?" Eva whispered. "Top floor. Fourth window on the left by that steel cable anchor." Naruto answered as he slowly made his way to that very place. The pain in his shoulder was minimum at the moment since he hasn't been exerting himself to much but it was there. The fact that his arm is in a sling also has degraded his mobility to some extent and has left a large blind spot in his defense.

' _In this room.'_ Naruto thought as he peaked inside and saw Zabuza laying down in his bed wrapped up tight in bandages with a simple blanket over him. "I'll go take a look, stay here." Evangeline said as she flew in through the window and landed on a dresser underneath the window. Walking across the surface Eva peaked around the potted plant that was sitting on top of the dresser. She could see Zabuza just a few yards away from her. The room was quite spacious in fact and a lot of it wasn't used much. Only a bed with two dressers next to it on each side. A third dresser which she is standing on. A rug around the bed and not much else in the room to make it feel comfortable. A chair was situated next to the bed for a person to sit down in but other than that not much else.

Getting to the edge Eva jumped down and stopped an inch off of the floor. Flying across the room while staying close to the wall Eva flew behind the dresser next to Zabuza's bed. Coming up from behind it Eva crawled on to the piece of furniture and saw that on its surface it was littered with medical supplies including bandages, needles, alcohol, cotton swabs, and other mundane items. _'Someone has been tending to him. It must be that fake ANBU we suspected.'_ Eva thought. She quietly walked across the surface of the dresser and saw that Zabuza's chest was slowly rising and falling indicating that not only was he alive but also that he was asleep. Eva accidentally bumped into a bottle on the dresser and caused it to shift just an inch but apparently that was all that was needed.

Zabuza's eyes shot open and Eva squeaked in fear. Taking off Eva was going to fly back to the window but a shadow overhead caused her to look up and her eyes widened with fear. Zabuza's sword was about to crash down on top of her but in that moment Naruto caught Zabuza's sword with his hand coated in a thin layer of Wind Nature Chakra. Additionally, he had his hand itself coated in a thin layer of Ice as well. Naruto only had the use of one arm though and so he couldn't hold back the massive sword for long.

"Well, well, well. Got a little assassin in here trying to assassinate me eh. Pretty bold of you. But I assure you despite my appearance I'm still quite capable of defending myself." Zabuza said as he took his good arm and laid down pressure onto his sword which in turn made it all the harder for Naruto to push it back.

"It wasn't my intention to assassinate you. I came here to talk." Naruto replied as Eva flew back into his hair. "To talk. Really now. I find that hardly believable little boy." The Jonin said as he looked Naruto up and down. He took in Naruto's all back jumpsuit with his accessories and he chuckled. "Someone came very prepared." Zabuza then looked at Naruto's eyes and his own eyes widened in recognition. "You're the boy I just had the pleasure of fighting a few days ago aren't you." Zabuza questioned.

"Yes, but like I said I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to talk. I'm here to make a deal with you." Naruto said as he managed to push Zabuza's sword slightly off course but couldn't manage much else. It was a standoff right now and if he made any sudden movements or loud noises than the other shinobi in the compound would sense something amiss. "And I'm to assume you've done this without the consent of Kakashi. He hardly strikes me as the type of man to send a kid in to do his dirty work." Zabuza probed.

"You're right. He would never approve of such a stunt. But I have a different goal in mind by coming here, and like I said it's not to kill you." Naruto calmly said. "To make a deal, what deal could you possibly offer me that would change my mind from killing you right here. And for the record don't talk as if you could kill me right now boy. You're still far too young to challenge me." Zabuza said with a glare. "While I know my own limitations better than anyone don't get to arrogant Zabuza. It's like you said, I'm a kid and we have pretty overly active imaginations. I'm sure I could come up with some way to take you down." Naruto countered with his own cold glare right back at Zabuza.

Zabuza took a look at the cold look in Naruto's glare and he chuckled a deep throaty chuckle. He nodded his head at Naruto. "Speak then before I change my mind and kill you." Zabuza conceded. "I know why you fled your home village." Naruto began. Suddenly the pressure on his hand increased as Zabuza barreled down on him with his massive sword. "Is that so. I suggest you pick your words carefully little man." The older man warned. "The Fourth Mizukage started the Bloodline Purge which in turn sparked the Bloodline Civil War that's spilt the Hidden Mist Village apart over the last few years." Naruto continued.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes at this. "But here is where things get interesting. You didn't side with the Mizukage. You were against everything he was trying to do. So you tried to assassinate him but failed. He found you out and you were forced to leave your village behind. I assume you brought along those ninjas with you when you fled." Naruto continued while gauging Zabuza's reaction.

Based on what he was seeing in the older man's eyes he could tell he hit the nail directly on the head. "It would seem that you are rather well informed of things you shouldn't know about little man. How did you come across all this information? Kakashi couldn't have known all of those details." Zabuza demanded as he didn't let up on the pressure. Despite the fact he was lying down in bed with bandages across most of his body he still had the physical strength necessary to pick up and swing around his massive sword, not to mention actually still manage to somehow add some leverage to his swing to pin Naruto to the spot. Now mind you Naruto could move if he wanted to but any aggressive moves could alert the others in the compound and it was best to have the sword in his grasp so that he could freeze it if necessary.

"You're right. Kakashi didn't give me all of the information that I have." Naruto revealed. "So you have some other source of information then. Interesting. This just further proves that you are nothing like the others." Zabuza complimented. "I also know that the Mizukage has the whole island closed off preventing anyone from entering or leaving. It's kept the resistance from leaving and regrouping." Naruto stated. "Yes, the resistance movement is stuck in the Land of Water with no way out and I have no way in. I would need a lot of money and resources to break back into the country." Zabuza explained. "I understand that. I also know that the resistance is being led by this young Kunoichi named Mei Terumī. From what I heard of her she is very powerful. Almost Kage level if what I heard is correct." Naruto added on.

Aspen told Naruto a lot of information about the situation in the Land of Water. While it was extremely difficult for people to come and go form the country, information is the one thing that the country can't keep contained. As a master spy and knowledgeable on the criminal underworld Aspen has access to such information and much more. "Now that is information you shouldn't have." Zabuza said as he pressed down on Naruto's arm. Naruto winced in pain since the weight behind the sword was no joke. Naruto suspected that Zabuza was enhancing his muscles with chakra which would explain why he can still lift his sword in his current condition.

"Yeah, but I have it. My contact is very resourceful." Naruto countered as he then channeled Yōki to his muscles and for a brief moment overpowered Zabuza's sword. Naruto pushed the sword back and over to the side relieving the pain on his shoulder. "Here is the deal Zabuza. In exchange for you terminating your contract with Gatō and leaving Mr. Tazuna alone for good, I will pay for you and your men to get back to your country." Naruto stated his offer in as firm a tone that he could make. He didn't stutter or waiver once. He was trying to stonewall Zabuza and show him he meant business.

"You've got balls kid, making a demand such as that. But how do you intend to pay for such a thing. What resources do you have that would allow you to pull of such a stunt?" Zabuza questioned the validity of Naruto's demand. He was highly skeptical of Naruto's claim as evident by the wariness, and mistrust in his eyes. Naruto nodded to this since he would be skeptical if someone said the same to him. "Then let me show you proof." Naruto asked. "Proof. What kind of proof?" Zabuza asked. "It's on my shoulder, but I would need my arm to do that." Naruto requested.

A staring contest ensued between the two for what felt like hours but in reality was only a few seconds. The tension was palpable in the room and Evangeline was wisely staying out of the way. She was scared that this plan would backfire. She was stockpiling a lot of Yōki in the event that they would need to escape the base which she hoped didn't end up happening.

Zabuza lifted his sword off of Naruto's hand but before anything could be said he placed the cut out circle at the top of the sword around Naruto's neck just like during their battle at the lake. "If you try anything your head will come clean off before you can blink kid." Zabuza threatened. Naruto could feel the phantom pain from what happened to him but because Zabuza placed his sword back on his neck it caused the pain in his shoulders to flare up. "I understand." Naruto said calmly to avoid agitating the older man. A small bead of sweat rolled down Naruto's face but he paid it little mind. Reaching with his good arm over to his injured shoulder Naruto opened a flap in the suit to expose is skin. When he exposed his upper arm to Zabuza the man's eyes widened beyond believe.

"The Jasmine Dragon Mafia. You're a part of it kid?" Zabuza asked in disbelieve. Each of the Five Great Nations had an all-powerful mafia family running their personal operations out of the country they were based in. They are very well known in the criminal underworld and in the Shinobi world as a whole. Most civilians don't know too much about them unless they've personally come across them and most if not all of the Genin and Chūnin don't really get any interactions with them as well. Jōnin and above however get more interactions with them but mostly on missions. The mafia families are notorious for recruiting powerful ex-shinobi, missing ninja, and retired shinobi into their ranks.

On Naruto's arm was an intricate detailed tattoo of a dragon curling around a leaf. The Tattoo was professionally made and it was like a piece of art. It was small however. It covered half of Naruto's shoulder. "Yes I am. I've been a member for half my life actually. Six and a half years." Naruto confirmed with a calm tone as he stared into Zabuza's eyes. Zabuza actually let out a chuckle. "No wonder you're so different kid, I knew there was something special about you. To be a part of the Mafia at your age is impressive." Zabuza praised. "Since I'm friends with the King Pin and one of the Mafia's highest ranking members I can get you the money but not only that I can get you immunity as well." Naruto pressed on. He made sure to add a layer of thin durable ice around his neck area that was infused heavily with Yōki. He had no intention of having his neck chopped off.

"I'm very incline to believe you kid but anyone can create that tattoo on your arm. Show me the real proof and I might believe you." Zabuza egged on. His skepticism is a trait in all great shinobi. Nodding Naruto held up the ram hand sign and suddenly the tattoo became animated. The tattoo started to move. The dragon reached down and took a bite into the leaf. After that the drawing reset itself and became still again. "To be a part of a mafia and receive its symbol you have to the tattoo drawn on your body with a very rare and special ink that when chakra is applied makes it come to life. The ink is very rare in its use and it comes from a liquid found in trees that grow in certain parts of the world. It's also very expensive and cannot be counterfeited. I believe you." Zabuza said as he conceded with a nod. Naruto nodded back as well.

"To have those types of connections at your age will only serve you well in the future. You're dangerous now but you will be a force to be reckoned with in the future kid. I can respect that." Zabuza said as he shook his head in acknowledgement and respect. "Thank you. So do we have a deal?" Naruto asked. "Maybe but what's in it for you? Why help me? You must have your own reasons kid to go so far out of your way and risk your life coming here knowing you could get killed with one wrong move." Zabuza asked as he eyed Naruto for a response.

Naruto tried to hide it. He really did but a brief flash of pain and trauma flashed in his eyes that could not be fakes and Zabuza caught it. "The Civil War that is destroying your country has many far reaching affects and consequences. Consequences that affected me when I was 4 years old. It not only took someone from me but it also took pretty much all of my innocence from me. I just want all of this to end. The people of this country are suffering just like the people in the Land of Water. After everything that you've been through it sickens me that you would allow Gatō to get away with this. But looking at it now you probably didn't have much of a choice. Once this is all over you and your men can go back to your country and free it." Naruto said but his voice was cracking and it was leaking emotions.

Zabuza's grip on his sword loosened a bit as he looked into Naruto's eyes. "Your wrong kid. Those aren't my men. They are criminals and scum from the Hidden Mist. They didn't particularly benefit from the civil war and they were doing everything they could to escape persecution from our laws so when they saw me fleeing the country the hitched a ride on my back. I would have killed them for hindering me but instead I used them as meat shields to get the ANBU off my back. That group of 20 used to be a lot bigger." Zabuza revealed.

"Well in that case it makes it much easier for me to pay for just you and your partner then." Naruto recounted. "Partner?" Zabuza probed. "Yeah. That fake ANBU agent. I figured it out that he must have helped you escape. No ANBU agent would take off with the body of their target. It was a great trick to fool a bunch of Genin and an exhausted Jonin. But a fresh mind is a lot better than a tired one." Naruto explained with a smirk on his face. The look on Zabuza's face was satisfying to Naruto.

"You're something else kid. Here's the deal, if you can beat me and or my partner as you say then I'll join you and terminate my contract with Gatō, but if I get to him first before you can stop us or if at any time he gets caught by one of the other shinobi then our little agreement instantly becomes null and void. No hard feelings kid, its only business." Zabuza stated.

Naruto thought it over in his mind and he couldn't find any other alternatives. "Deal." Naruto said with a nod. Zabuza lifted his sword off of Naruto's neck and placed it down on his bed. He held out his hand for Naruto to shake. Doing so Naruto extended his hand and shook Zabuza's hand. While their hands were gripped together they added chakra to them and squeezed hard. Zabuza almost broke a few bones in Naruto's hands if it wasn't for the fact that he added Yōki to the mix. "Deal." Zabuza chanted with a nod.

Breaking contact with each other Naruto turned around and started to walk to the window. Once there he climbed onto the window seal and looked out at the forest around him. "You've got a lot of guts to turn your back to your enemy kid." Zabuza chided as he picked up his sword again. "I can do this because I trust you not to go back on your word. You're not that kind of man." Naruto said with confidence in his voice. Zabuza wavered for a brief moment. "Are you so sure about that kid." He countered. "I'm positive." Naruto assured.

Getting ready to jump Naruto had one last thing to say. "Zabuza, for what it's worth I want to save your people too and prevent anyone else from suffering. I don't want to see anymore broken and traumatized orphans or homeless refugees. I was asked one day by the Third Hokage why I want to become the Hokage and I gave him the wrong answer, but after all this time I think I have it now. So that's why when I become Hokage one day I'll do everything in my power to help your country." Naruto said before disappearing from the window.

Zabuza was left speechless and alone in his room. He laid there for about half an hour before Haku walked into the room. "Zabuza, I'm back with more herbs. I'll still need some more though." Haku explained. "That's fine. Haku I have an assignment for you. I want you to spy on this kid for me tomorrow. He's one of the Genin from earlier. The one that fought me with Kakashi." Zabuza instructed. "Of course Master Zabuza." Haku agreed.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

"He did all that?" Kakashi questioned in disbelieve. "Yes he did. He's quite the remarkable young man. I do hope he gets here in time. I'm going to enjoy killing him." Zabuza said. "But you need the money he can provide you." Kakashi questioned. "Yes I do. He offered me something that I would be a fool not to take but if he is going to put such an offer on the table then he needs to be able to back it up on the battlefield. I won't be making any deals with someone weaker than me. Gatō had the cash, resources, connections, and the manpower to back up his words even if he is a fat slimy old man. Your kid also has these things but the only question left to answer is if he is strong enough to back up those words of his." Zabuza relented.

"He's stronger than you think." Kakashi defended as he was about to charge back in but then both he and Zabuza felt a large chakra signature appear on the bridge. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Zabuza said with a crazed chuckle as his chakra spiked. He charged in at Kakashi who did the same. The two men engaged in a vicious duel of blades that Zabuza was well equipped for. Five minutes later they broke apart to get some space in between them.

"You're just as good as the reputation you've built said you would be Kakashi." Zabuza praised as he came out of that engagement with numerous scratches and bruises. "I could say the same for you." Kakashi said while huffing. He had numerous scratches and tears all over his flak jacket and other parts of his body.

"Let's kick it up a notch Kakashi!" Zabuza yelled as he came charging in with another attack. Just then he had to go from offense to defense as he blocked several shuriken and kunai thrown his way from out of the mist. **"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"** Anko's voice was heard as a ball of fire came barreling out of the mist right at Zabuza. The man took his sword and cut the fireball in half while dispelling it with Water Nature Chakra streamed through his blade.

"Sorry were late Kakashi. Just dealing with some cannon fodder that's all." Anko said with a predatory smirk on her face. Kurenai walked up after her with a shake of her head. "Kakashi are you alright?" She asked in general concern. "Yeah I'm fine. He's good, very good that's all." Kakashi replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, well, well. Three opponents for me. Kakashi of the Sharingan. Anko the Rattle Snake of the Leaf, and the rookie who's making a name for herself Kurenai Yūhi the Genjutsu Mistress of the Leaf. Aren't I popular today." Zabuza cheered with a chuckle. He hefted his massive sword on his shoulder in his most used stance. "So I'm to assume that your blond little Genin is over there handling the other shinobi?" Zabuza questioned to Anko and Kurenai.

"Oh you would be surprised at who took care of your little gang Zabuza." Anko taunted. "It wasn't you was it?" He asked. "Oh no I unfortunately didn't have the honor of taking those goons out. But you shouldn't worry about that. You're going to die here anyway so it's no problem of yours." Anko stated. "Oh we'll see about that." Zabuza said menacingly.

Taking off Zabuza charge the three Jonin with murderous intent. Kakashi took the lead and intercepted Zabuza's attack. Anko jumped over head and landed behind Zabuza before coming in with a reverse roundhouse kick. Zabuza took one of his hands off the handle of his sword and caught Anko's kick which would have broken his ribs if it connected. He felt the chakra in her kick, she meant business. Lashing out with a rising back kick Zabuza managed to block Anko's other leg which was coming in with another roundhouse kick. Throwing her away Zabuza clashed with Kakashi for a brief moment before jumping away just in time to dodge Kurenai's barrage of kunai.

" **Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snake's Jutsu!"** Out of her sleeve came nearly a dozen snakes that came close to biting into Zabuza's body. Swinging his massive sword around the man blocked most of the snakes and cut the rest apart.

" **Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death."** Zabuza found that he suddenly couldn't move. He looked around and saw that he was tied up by the roots of a large tree that he was strapped to. Looking above his head he saw Kurenai emerging from the tree itself with a kunai in hand. "It's over!" She claimed as she slashed down at Zabuza's skull with her kunai. She was going for a kill shot. "I don't think so!" Zabuza said as he flared his chakra as high as it could go. He broke Kurenai's Genjutsu at the last second and barely manage to dodge the actual attack. Zabuza received a long cut down the side of his face instead of having a kunai lodged in his skull.

Taking his sword, he was going to split Kurenai in half but Kakashi intercepted the blow and engaged Zabuza once more in a close quarters battle. Zabuza could feel it. He was getting real tired. Fighting Kakashi was a blast since he is well known and feared throughout the world as an Elite Jonin with a pedigree that would one day land him in the S – Class profile of dangerous shinobi. So getting the chance to fight someone of his skill and power is nothing but an honor to someone like Zabuza but the fight has dragged on and Kakashi was proving his skills and power in this fight. Now while Zabuza would be more than happy to continue his fight with Kakashi, the introduction of Anko a well-known Kunoichi who is a resourceful and dangerous woman as well as Kurenai who is an up and comer with prestigious abilities in the Genjutsu field which is not the go to skill for the average shinobi means that Zabuza is at a server disadvantage.

Individually they would not be a problem to take on except for Kakashi but together they are more of a threat than he can safely handle. Pushing Kakashi back Zabuza dodged a horde of poisonous snakes' form Anko who was closing in fast. **"Genjutsu: Specter Walking."** Kurenai whispered as she disappeared form everyone's view. Zabuza noticed this at the last moment but he couldn't do anything about it since Anko was pressing her attack. Blocking a strike from Anko Zabuza was knocked off his feet by a powerful kick to the back of his head by Kurenai who was invisible to his eyes. Trying to get to his feet he was deterred by Kakashi who had more to add to the fight.

" **Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu!"** Appearing under Zabuza the silver haired Jonin pulled the man underground until only his head was shown. **"Ninja Art: Boa Constriction Bite!"** Anko came in and wrapped a large snake around Zabuza's head and it bit down into his neck injecting a fast acting paralysis poison into his blood stream. Yet again the Zabuza in the ground turned to water letting the others know it was a water clone. Appearing out of a puddle of water behind Kakashi Zabuza was looking to take out the biggest threat out of the three. At that very moment Zabuza felt a kick land on his chest and he seized the moment to grab onto Kurenai who suddenly materialize in front of Zabuza with her leg outstretched.

"You tricked me out of hiding!" Kurenai exclaimed since she knew she had just been baited. "Hehehehe! You fell for it too. **Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"** Zabuza called out and Kurenai was immediately trapped in the puddle of water beneath their feet. "Kurenai!" Anko yelled in alarm. "Too many people have escaped this Jutsu. I won't be making the same mistake again. **Water Style: Tearing Torrent Jutsu!"** Zabuza yelled and the hand that was keeping the Water Prison active started to build up a swirling whirlpool of water in its palm. The water in the sphere started to churn and it ripped the air right out of Kurenai's lungs. She had managed to take a gulp of air before being trapped in the water prison but it would seem that he was trying to crush her under the pressure the little whirlpool in his hands was creating. She just lost her breath and couldn't breathe now.

' _No I have to stop him._ _ **Genjutsu: False Burn!**_ _'_ Kurenai thought as she weaved another Genjutsu onto Zabuza. Zabuza turned and found that the water had turned to fire and it was burning him. "AAHHH!" He yelled as he yanked his hand out of the water and also breaking the Genjutsu since he had stopped the chakra flow to the water prison. Kakashi was right there and he grabbed Kurenai and jumped back just in time for Anko's attack. "Hey big guy, try this on! **Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"** Anko yelled as she weaved through a multitude of hand signs before breathing out a massive fireball shaped like a dragon's head. It was rushing straight for Zabuza who jumped as far back as he possibly could.

Going through dozens of hand signs Zabuza called on a large portion of his chakra. **"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"** A massive dragon made out of water rose out of the water underneath the bridge and flew over Zabuza's head and intercepted Anko's huge fireball. The two attacks collided in the middle of the bridge and a massive steam cloud formed in the area dropping visibility to zero. "Kakashi get ready!" Anko called out. He had just placed Kurenai down and got her breathing again. She was going to be just fine. "Right!"

Coming out of the cloud of steam was Zabuza and he was as silent as ever he was trying to cut Anko's head off but Kakashi intercepted the attack at the last second. Anko jumped back a few yards while biting her thumb. "Kakashi give me a second!" Anko yelled as she went through a few hand signs. "Right!" Kakashi agreed as he forced Zabuza back buying Anko the precious few seconds she need.

" **Summoning Jutsu!"** Anko called out and out came a large 20-foot yellow snake. Going through hand signs Anko geared up for her next attack. **"Ninja Art: Snake Acid Spray Jutsu!"** As commanded her large snake shot out a spray of greenish yellow acid that had Zabuza widening his eyes in panic. Doing a series of back flips Zabuza managed to dodge most of the acid but Kakashi wasn't going to let him get off scot free. **"Earth Style: Earth Mud Wave Jutsu!"** Kakashi called out as he slammed his hand into the ground and the concrete underneath Zabuza's feet shifted and churned like a real tidal wave. It severally off balanced Zabuza and because of that some of the acid managed to get onto his sword which he had to use as a shield or else he would have died. Zabuza slammed into a piece of scaffolding back first and it caused him to grunt in pain. He could feel it. He was running out of chakra fast and his stamina was going straight down the drain. In the back of Zabuza's mind he knew he couldn't keep things up for much longer.

Before he could move Zabuza found himself restrained by several shuriken tied to ninja wires. They wrapped around him and tied him to the metal post behind him. They all led back to Anko who was going through several hand signs with fire starting to bloom all around her. **"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"** Anko yelled as she poured a considerable amount of chakra into her technique. A fire storm erupted around her and it traveled up the length of the fire resistant ninja wire and it threatened to burn Zabuza alive. In fact, he could feel the heat of the flames despite the fact he was almost 20 yards away.

' _If I don't do something right now I'm going to die! I refuse to die here like this!'_ Zabuza thought in a mild haze of both panic and stubbornness. _'I barely have any chakra left but I have to use it.'_ Zabuza relented. **"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"** Zabuza shouted out as he used most of his remaining chakra left. A massive vortex of spinning water sprang forth from the ocean beneath them and flooded the entire area of the bridge they were on. It blasted away Anko's large fire Jutsu and dispelled her snake. Anko was washed away and if it were not for Kakashi grabbing her at the last minute she would have been swept of the bridge into the ocean below.

' _This is getting out of hand. To think that Zabuza is such a strong opponent. It's crazy.'_ Kakashi thought to himself in amazement. Zabuza's reputation as a powerful shinobi well on his way to one day becoming an S-Class ninja were not exaggerated. _'I have to finish this. Naruto's chakra levels are fluctuating so rapidly. The fight he is in right now must be intense. That fake ANBU agent must be extremely skilled.'_ Kakashi mused as he brought Anko to her feet. He erected a concrete wall around him and Kurenai that saved them form almost sharing Anko's supposed fate.

"Thanks Kakashi." Anko said in an out of breath tone. She was breathing really hard at the moment and coughing up some water from her lungs. "No problem." Kakashi said as he patted her on the back to help get the water out of her lungs. Their moment of reprieve wouldn't last however since at that moment they all sensed Zabuza coming. **"Genjutsu: Optic Delusory."** Kurenai whispered out as she placed a Genjutsu over the entire area they were in. At the very second Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and Anko and tried to bisect them in half but when they dissolved right before his very eyes he immediately knew he was in a Genjutsu. Thinking fast Zabuza quickly threw a kunai at Kurenai that pierced her shoulder blade and broke her concentration.

The Genjutsu was broken and Zabuza immediately jumped back into the large cloud of steam and mist to hide his presence. "Oh no you don't, this ends now! **Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"** Kakashi called out as he took out a scroll and smeared blood on it. He slammed the scroll on the ground and around Kakashi a giant sealing array appeared with the center of the seal coming from the scroll. A severe rumbling sound was heard as 8 fissures shot out of the sealing array and bolted into the dense fog ahead of them. Without warning Zabuza's pained scream could be heard in the mist along with several muffled growls.

 **Boom!**

Before anything else could be done a massive spike in chakra was felt and a shockwave threatened to rip everyone off their feet. The steam cloud and surrounding mist was blown away and the entire section of the bridge could now be seen. Looking over Kakashi's eyes widened beyond believe to see both Naruto and the ANBU agent whose mask was just shattered falling out of the air. The massive dome of ice was obliterated and both fighter's clothes were torn and ripped in multiple places. Zabuza who was looking over as well saw the same thing but he was a little preoccupied at the moment since he had a total of 8 dogs ranging from all different sizes biting deeply into his skin preventing him from moving an inch. Blood was leaking from all over his body as the dogs didn't let up even a little bit.

"It seems like this is the end Zabuza. Your partner is beaten and you are too." Kakashi said as he pointed his hand to the ground with his palm facing the concrete. He took his other hand and grabbed on to the wrist of the hand that was pointing to the ground. _'The brat actually managed to beat Haku. Incredible. He won the deal between us.'_ Zabuza thought to himself in morbid amazement. He couldn't believe that Naruto actually managed to win the deal between them.

"It's over Zabuza." Kakashi said as lighting itself formed in his hand a formed a ring of super charged particles around him on the ground. It was so intense that the chakra coming from the Jutsu itself could be seen. The amount of chakra in the move itself was staggering to say the least.

" **Lightning Blade!"** Kakashi roared.

* * *

 _ **To be Continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gate way Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

2.) **Falcon Drop -** The user grabs a falling opponent by their ankles, wraps his legs around their waist, and drives them head first into the ground, similar to the Front Lotus.

3.) **Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu -** This technique is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. This technique requires a sufficient amount of water, which can be provided by expelling it from one's mouth. Once trapped the target is unable to move or breathe while within it due to the heaviness of the water. Because of the density of the water it can be used, to a limited extent, for defensive purposes if performed on oneself. It can also be stored in scrolls as traps. Water clones can be used in preparation for the technique, which block an opponent's attack and trap the attacker in the prison using the clone's own water.

4.) **Lightning Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to make a shadow clone infused with lightning. Because it is a shadow clone, it is able to perform techniques and interact with the environment due to it having physical substance; and also evenly distributes the user's chakra to each clone. If the clone is injured, it will revert to its natural lightning-state, at the same time electrocuting whatever it is touching.

5.) **Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu -** This technique allows its user the ability to stealthily move under a light surface of the ground without being detected by the enemy. Once under the enemy the user is able to drag the opponent down under the ground to their head. The opponent will be immobilized momentarily until they are able to break free from the technique, this also allows for easy targeting to the head of an opponent for the duration of their capture. Skilled Shinobi can use the substitution technique to evade this fate however.

6.) **Kenjutsu: Explosive Decapitation -** A sword technique that Zabuza Momochi uses in which he places the circle cut out at the top of his sword around a person's neck and then he spins around and slams his sword into the ground or any surface like a hammer decapitating the person trapped in his sword. A massive shockwave is released from the amount of chakra Zabuza uses to enhance his strength and speed.

7.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

8.) **Transformation Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. The user coats themselves in a thin layer of chakra that projects the image of someone or something else onto the user. While simple the technique can be used in multiple ways and advanced users of this technique can mask themselves in the guise of other objects that don't typically match their body size, shape, weight, or height. Also advanced users can also change of their voice and mannerisms to match that of the thing they have transformed into.

9.) **Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snake's Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades. This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Summoning Technique. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body.

10.) **Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death -** This is a Genjutsu passed down since ancient times in the Hidden Leaf. The user first disappears from plain sight in a mist-like fashion in order to approach the target without being detected. Once close enough, the target will then be completely robbed of their mobility as they see the mirage of a fast-growing tree coiling itself around them. Given that the subject remains conscious, this technique proves extremely efficient for information-gathering. Once the target is immobile, the user can then attack the enemy, usually after emerging from the trunk of the tree.

11.) **Genjutsu: Specter Walking -** This Genjutsu cast an illusion over the caster and whomever is caught in the casters influence. While under the illusion the caster is invisible to everyone around them and they are freely permitted to walk around without being noticed. The Genjutsu is a double layer illusion in the fact that on the off chance you bump into someone or something then a second Genjutsu automatically activates and puts the person under the false perception of them not feeling the bump or tap. However, this Jutsu has its weaknesses in the fact that if used against a high level shinobi they will immediately notice the Genjutsu when you bump into them.

12.) **Ninja Art: Boa Constriction Bite -** A technique by Anko that allows her to summon a large Boa Constrictor Snake that then wraps itself around an opponent and bites into them releasing a fast acting paralyzing poison into the victims blood stream that not only paralyzes the entire body but also knocks them unconscious.

13.) **Water Style: Tearing Torrent Jutsu -** This technique creates water that spirals in the user's hand and fires at a high speed at the enemy. The overall amount of water formed is large enough to help extinguish even large-scale fire style techniques. The technique however will do no damage to an enemy if connected.

14.) **Genjutsu: False Burn -** A Genjutsu that gives off the false perception of being burned. It is a fast acting Jutsu and can easily be used in the heat of battle.

15.) **Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu -** The user compresses a large amount of chakra built up inside their body and changes it into a dragon head-shaped fireball. The user then skillfully manipulates that great fire, and attacks their opponent. Even outside of the attack range, its power and reliability are stressed. The flames have a high temperature, which can create an upward movement of air currents which in turn can give rise to thunder clouds. A master of this technique can fire off several flames in succession and anyone caught in the technique could potentially be reduced to ashes.

16.) **Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu -** The Jutsu shapes a large amount of water into a giant, powerful dragon, which hits the opponent with formidable might, dealing physical damage. The ideal place to use it is near a body of water, but if the user's skill allows it, it is possible to use it even in a place where there is none. The amount of water used will be in proportion with the user's skill.

17.) **Summoning Jutsu -** The Summoning Technique is a space–time Ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mold their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

18.) **Ninja Art: Snake Acid Spray Jutsu -** A technique that Anko uses that after she summons a acidic snake species she can have that snake spit highly acidic saliva from its mouth. Anko herself can spit acidic saliva from her mouth as well but not to the same volume as one of her snake summons.

19.) **Earth Style: Earth Mud Wave Jutsu -** The user slams their palm onto the surface below their feet, making it move, akin to waves. This technique is said to require a considerable amount of chakra.

20.) **Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu -** The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object, which rushes forward in straight line catching the enemy on fire. A line of enemies can be used as the conductor as well. The flames are meant to target, and assault the enemy's upper body just like a projectile weapon.

21.) **Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu -** This technique extends water over a large scale, surges and rises up to several dozens of meters high. Then it streams down to the ground in one big cascade, much like a gigantic waterfall. In doing so, it resembles a huge wave, with tremendous power that can hollow out the ground. What remains after that technique's utilization is reminiscent of no less than the aftermath of a natural disaster. This is a considerably advanced Ninjutsu, and activating this technique requires a fair amount of chakra. The water can also be produced from the mouth.

22.) **Genjutsu: Optic Delusory -** A Genjutsu that allows one to trick others into mistaking the place they're in for another. This technique's main feature is that it can be cast over an extensive surface, therefore any and all who step into the illusion's area of effect will fall under the spell. That said, it might not work so well on people who are well-versed or otherwise skilled in Genjutsu.

23.) **Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu -** A high-grade tracking-offensive Ninjutsu where one calls upon ninken with a summoning, so they can tail the target from underground and assault it simultaneously with their fangs. After the user marks an opponent with his or her blood, they roll out a scroll and smear their blood across it. Afterwards they place it between their hands and make the seals before slamming the scroll into the ground. The ninken are summoned there and travel through the ground following the scent of the blood. When the target is found, they erupt from the ground and hold down the opponent with their mouths.

24.) **Lightning Blade -** A technique that was created by Kakashi Hatake. It is a S-Rank Jutsu that is made for one hit kills and assassinations. It is so powerful that it was said Kakashi split a real lightning bolt in half with it. It is a more concentrated and enhanced form of the Lightning Style: Chidori Jutsu the parent Jutsu to the Lightning Blade and also a Jutsu that Kakashi created. It is also the very first and his only original technique that he has credit for using. All derived Jutsu from the Lightning Blade was also created by Kakashi unlike the hundreds of Jutsu that he knows that he did not create.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys that's the end of Chapter 22. I hope you enjoyed it. So for a while now I've felt like I've been missing some scenes that felt like the first story. Particularly scenes with a character sneaking around or a personal scene with only a few characters, that way I can focus way more on smaller detail and other things like that. I've felt like those have been missing and it's for that very reason why I added the scene between Naruto and Zabuza in the flashback. I wanted it to be personal and full of tension. Something I felt like I caught really well in certain scenes. It was a gutsy move on Naruto's part but will it pay off? We'll have to see in the next chapter.

As I stated above the Land of Wave's Arc is coming to an end very soon and I can't wait to introduce Jiraiya and go through the Chunin Exams which to me is still one of the best arcs in the entire series. Also another type of scene I felt was missing was personal intimate scenes between Naruto and Evangeline. Because of all that has been happening to them, I've never had a chance to slow things down and let them have a bonding moment together. Scenes like these were very abundant in the first story but I've lost my touch with this one so I plan on bringing that element back into the story where it belongs.

Finally I hope you guys enjoyed the fight between the Jonin. It was intense and just the way I wanted it. I hope it was action packed for you all. I hope to put more scenes like the in the future. Anyways guys I'll see you all in the next chapter.

Next Chapter: _**(The End of Gat**_ _ **ō**_ _ **)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 22 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 5/28/16


	24. CH: 23 The End of Gatō

**_Disclaimer:_ ** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so the End of Gatō is here and we know what that mean. The tyrannical business man is going down. But not exactly in the way you may think. This has been a long arc but as of Chapter 26 the Land of Waves Arc will be complete and we will be moving on to bigger and better things as they always say. I absolutely can't wait for the Chunin Exams Arc to roll around. We all know the sheer amount of nostalgia in that Arc. It pretty much kick started the whole main plot of the Naruto story. Many of the most crucial things to the future plot all started off in here. Not to mention the amount of good characters that got introduced.

But with that being said Naruto has one final obstacle for his tired and exhausted self to overcome for the plot of my story to drive forward. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 23

 _ **The End of Gatō**_

' _I'm almost there.'_ A gruff voice thought to itself as it was walking through the mist in the early afternoon. The person in question was very tall standing at around 6'4 and he was dark skinned. Not much else could be seen of the man but he was walking in the forest paralleling the shoreline with the afternoon mist shrouding his form. Further up the shoreline was a long and massive bridge that was under construction. The bridge was so long and massive that it actually disappears into the dense fog far off into the body of water its situated on. The man was only half a mile away and at his current pace he would reach in about 15 minutes.

"I haven't stocked any prey in quite some time. He better be worth the hype Kyōra and Ryūra was giving him." The man mumbled to himself as a razor sharp grin spread across his face.

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Pain.

Pain and more pain. That was what Naruto and Haku were feeling right now. Naruto had a pain in his ankles that was killing him at the moment. He could feel chakra exhaustion starting to set in. His chakra reserves were at an all-time low at the moment. If Naruto really thought about it his reserves were at the level of a high Genin or Chūnin at the moment. For someone who has had monstrous chakra reserves their entire life going this low was a foreign feeling to Naruto. His shadow clones required Jonin level reserves just to pull off and that's not even taking into account the hundreds that he can create.

Haku was not feeling ok in any sense of the word. The ANBU mask that has kept his identity hidden was shattered and his skull was rattled at the moment. A skull splitting headache was making it almost impossible to even think or move. The force in which Naruto hit him was tremendous. Haku was on the cold concrete spread eagle and he could barely move his body at the moment. The amount of power that Naruto released in the last few seconds of their fight was simply something that he never would have expected.

"Are you done now Haku?" Naruto asked with an out of breath tone. He was sucking in large pockets of air and the pain in his ankles and feet were debilitating. _'Too much chakra went through my feet with that last move of mine. I think my ankles are broken. I can't move.'_ Naruto thought as he crawled over to Haku who was a few feet away from him. "Naruto!" Hinata cried out in worry as she ran over to Naruto who couldn't get up at the moment. Chaos was running with her and Iris was being carried by Kiba.

Getting to his side Hinata tried to move Naruto but the pained look that crossed his face was enough to let her know that he was hurt. Activating her Byakugan Hinata scanned Naruto's body and she gasped when she looked at his legs and feet. "Naruto your chakra network is damaged in your legs and feet." Hinata said as she zoomed in on the chakra points in his feet and they were badly damaged. _'Was this caused by his Accel Turn?'_ Hinata thought to herself in worry as her eyes darted back and forth scanning his legs. Looking at the rest of his body she could see that he was relatively fine. But she noticed that his chakra levels were very low. Around her level of chakra in fact if she had all of it at the moment.

"Why are you trying to stop me? We're enemies." Haku choked out as he moved his head and looked at Naruto. "We don't have to be. There are far more important things that needs to be done here other than us fighting. This country needs this bridge if it's to survive. I can't let you or anyone else take that away from them. They've suffered enough as it is and I don't want to see it happen any longer. I can tell that you don't like hurting people. You had dozens of chances to kill us but you never took them when you clearly could. You're not evil Haku so stop acting like it." Naruto said as he managed to prop himself up on his knees with a gasp of air. Hinata was holding onto him to offer him support and Chaos was looking at Naruto with a gaze only he could understand. She was looking back and forth between Naruto and Haku as if she was trying to figure something out.

"I am Zabuza's tool. I am here for the sole purpose of helping him achieve all of his goals. If I can't do that then I'm nothing more than a broken tool, and broken tools should be scrapped." Haku said as he managed to look Naruto in the eye. "Is that how you really feel about yourself. That you're a tool and nothing else?" Hinata couldn't help but ask. She has never heard of anyone thinking of themselves as such a degrading object before. It was a completely foreign concept to her.

"I live to serve Zabuza. But now I can't even protect him. I'm useless now, especially since I've lost to you Naruto." Haku said as he tried to move but was finding it quite difficult. "That's where you're wrong Haku. Just because you lost to me does not make you defective. You still need to help Zabuza complete his real mission." Naruto said as he felt a trickle of Iris's potent energy flow through his body. Because she was unconscious at the moment the amount she was giving him was a little bit on the passive side and it was further being dampened by the large amount of Yōki running rampant inside of his body at the moment. "Real mission?" Haku asked. The same question was being asked inside the minds of the others present as well.

"Zabuza wants to return to the Land of Water and restore peace there. You need to be by his side when that happens. So you can't scrap yourself just yet." Naruto said with a tired smile working its way to his face. He couldn't explain it even if his life was on the line but he just had a feeling in the deepest part of his gut that Zabuza and especially Haku were not evil. They were simply doing what they needed to do in order to survive. It left a bad taste in his mouth if he were to try and kill them. To simply put it they were just misguided people who were working with the hand dealt to them by life and that was something he could understand all too well.

Just then the sound of a 1000 chirping birds was heard from a couple dozen yards away and the mist cleared to see Kakashi holding a ball of pure electricity in his hand that was pulsating with raw power. Zabuza was pinned down by a pack of ninja hound dogs all with leaf headbands on. Anko and Kurenai were near Kakashi as well and they all had cuts, scrape, and bruises all across their bodies. None of them walked away from the fight without some scars to prove it.

' _Kakashi is going to kill Zabuza. I have to stop him!'_ Naruto thought in panic. He didn't want Zabuza to have to die from this battle. The real enemy was Gatō and his army of thugs. The other shinobi are already taken care of so Naruto didn't want to see him get killed.

"Zabuza!" Haku cried as a mirror of ice appeared beneath Haku and he slipped into it. "Damn it No!" Naruto shouted as he surged his exhausted Chakra reserves. **"Body Flicker Jutsu!"** Taking off Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves after Haku but it was too late.

Charging in Kakashi was going to end Zabuza's live but a mirror of ice formed right in front of Zabuza and Kakashi was already going too fast to stop. Haku who appeared through the ice got stabbed right through the chest and Kakashi's hand went straight through and shattered Haku's ice mirror leaving a stunned Zabuza on the other side. _'Haku!'_ Zabuza thought as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kakashi's eyes were wide open in shock as he stared into the eyes of Haku who was inches away from his face. Haku's eyes were starting to grow dull. "Zabuza, was I useful to you?" Haku choked out with blood coming from his mouth. "Haku what have you done?" Zabuza asked in disbelieve. He always treated Haku like a tool and told him he was one for as long as he's known him but he never expected to sacrifice himself like this.

At that moment Naruto appeared by Kakashi's side with a horrified expression on his face. Kakashi pulled his hand out of Haku's chest and Haku started to fall forward. Both Kakashi and Naruto caught Haku before he could hit the ground. "Naruto I…" Kakashi began to say but Naruto cut him off. "We can still save him." Naruto said as his eyes never left the wound on Haku's chest. _'If only I had told Kakashi about what I did, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'm such an idiot!'_ Naruto berated himself in his mind. He was having serious doubts about his decision making skills at the moment. "Eva!" Naruto called out and Eva flew out of Naruto's hair. "On it." Eva said. Evangeline's presence shocked Zabuza and the others present but before questions could start flying Naruto and Evangeline already started working.

" **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Hydrokinetic Magic!"** A large sphere of water appeared above Evangeline's head. **"Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu."** Naruto chanted as he created a small platform underneath Haku in the form of a makeshift bed. Placing the sphere of water down on Haku's gaping chest Evangeline's wings started to leak copious amounts of gold dust. So much in fact that it was forming a large dust cloud. **"** **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Gold Dust Spirit Water Healing!"** The large dust cloud infused itself into the sphere of water on Haku's chest and the water started to sparkle and glow gold. "That's the same thing you did to Tsunami." Tazuna mumbled out in disbelieve as he looked at what was happening in front of him yet again. **"Yōjutsu: Liquid Evaporation."** Naruto called out as he felt his reserves dip again. All of the blood around Haku's chest started to lift up off of Haku's skin and the excess water from Evangeline's sphere that did not contain any gold dust was being lifted up as well. The blood and water mixed together into a small sphere of water.

Activating her Byakugan again Hinata watched on in awe as Haku's wound started to heal itself at a fast pace. "Naruto, Haku is still in danger. His reserves are almost at zero." Hinata called out in worry. Hinata could tell that something was going on and Naruto did not want either Haku or Zabuza to die. She didn't know why but after spending years with her best friend she could tell when he had an alternative agenda. Nodding in acknowledgement Naruto stuck his hand into Haku's chest and he took the sphere of water with him. He placed his hand on Haku's heart and placed the blood back inside of it. Surging his chakra into Haku's heart and by extension the rest of Haku's body Naruto managed to jump start Haku's exhausted reserves.

"Hina let me borrow some of your ointment." Eva called out in a hurry. Nodding Hinata reached into her pouch and pulled out some of her healing ointment. "Here, I'll help." Hinata said as she rolled up her sleeve and took some of the ointment into her hand. Reaching down Hinata stuck her hand into the sphere of glowing water and started to apply the medicine directly to Haku's skin. The ointment which was a pale cream color started to turn gold under the effects of Evangeline's power. Before everyone's eyes Haku's injuries started to rapidly close even faster than before.

Zabuza stood by awkwardly as the very enemy he was just fighting are standing there trying to save his partners life. He didn't know what to do but he could feel the fight leave him with each passing second as he watched Naruto and the others stabilize Haku's condition. He was speechless and had nothing to say. Everyone else had their own thoughts on what they were seeing and with each of those thoughts that came even more questions started to pile up with them. "He's stable now. Naru do it." Evangeline said as her sphere started to grow smaller and smaller. Haku's chest which had a gaping whole all the way out to his back was completely sealed shut but the skin was fresh and very raw at the moment. Placing his hand on Haku's chest Naruto put a light layer of frost over the exposed sensitive skin which he infused with his Yōki.

"He's safe now. I would imagine that his body would naturally absorb all of this ice around him to help his body recover." Naruto mumbled to himself as he decided to leave the ice around Haku alone. Everyone else was stunned speechless. They all watched the operation with baited breath and they never saw anything like that before. Arteries and veins were stitched back together, muscle fibers were reconnected and strengthened. Even bones were reformed in a matter of minutes. It was something none present would ever forget.

"Why? Why did you do this?" Zabuza asked in bewilderment as he finally got his voice back. He directed this question at Naruto. "Because he did not deserve to die Zabuza. You treated him like a tool but in reality he was much more than that. He was innocent and a pure hearted person. He had more chances to kill us than I could count but he never took a single one. Haku is a kind hearted Shinobi who knows how to show restraint and compassion. We don't have that many people like that in this world and it's ironic seeing as what he is." Naruto said as he gave Zabuza a look.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound of clapping was heard and everyone directed their attention to the entrance of the bridge and everyone widens their eyes when they saw a small short man with a whole army of thugs standing behind him. The man was short with bushy light brown hair and a pair of dark sunglasses on. He had on a black business suit and a purple tie.

"The Demon of the Hidden Mist is defeated by a group of kids and some no named adults? How the mighty have fallen." Gatō spoke up with his cane tapping on the ground. He had a rough voice that was overflowing with arrogance and narcissism. "Gatō what are you doing here?" Zabuza asked with a growl. He didn't take to kindly to the insult Gatō through his way. "I'm here to clean up a mess that obviously you can't. I paid top dollar for your services and you give me mediocre results. That's not good business Zabuza. I'm also here to sadly inform you that your contract is terminated along with your life. My boys here can do this job for a much easier price." Gatō said with some of the thugs laughing and chuckling as they took in the appearance of Zabuza and the people he was fighting.

"I mean come on, you and your apprentice loose to these chumps and you even let them heal him out of pity. I don't know about you but that's embarrassing and I'm not a fan of charity." Gatō gloated with a giant belly laugh. The no faced thugs laughed along with their boss letting everyone know that they were a bunch of yes men. Mindless sheep who followed an arrogant Shepard.

Naruto as well as many of the others narrowed their eyes at this. Gatō pretty much breathed arrogance with each word he spoke. His very presence was revolting to the others. Zabuza had a pissed off look on his face as he looked like he wanted Gatō's head on a platter. The famed Demon of the Hidden Mist didn't take to kindly to such insults against him and after everything he's been through in his life he would have some greedy business man insult him in such a way.

Feeling something wet on his feet Naruto looked down and saw that Evangeline was healing his feet with her powers. As it stood Naruto could barely stand on his own two feet. The pain form using Double Acceleration was just too much for him. His feet felt like they were on fire but in reality it was his chakra points in his legs and feet that were sore and over used that was causing the pain he was feeling. Right now however he could feel the pain subsiding. At the moment nobody had the chance to question Evangeline's existence but Naruto was very sure those questions would be coming very soon.

"Once I have all of you killed here. This country will be mine. So just do me a favor and not struggle to much." Gatō said with a smug sneer. "I see you're not one to get your hands dirty Gatō." Kakashi said with a disgusted tone of voice. "On occasions I do some dirty work if it pleases me but you're right I don't like getting my hands dirty. That's why I hire guys like these who live for this kind of stuff." Gatō rebuked with another belly laugh. His yes men were behind him giving him their own laughs as well.

"Now boys I need for you to kill all of these guys here for me… and oh try to spare the women if you can. We need some good old fashion entertainment after all." Gatō said in a flamboyant tone that somehow came off as bone chilling. Gatō's thugs started to cheer and rile themselves up and the looks on their faces were something that made the Kunoichi in the group shiver in disgust and repulsion. The leers and catcalls the men were spewing out were physically offensive to them. They all knew exactly what Gatō was implying with his words and the looks his men were sending out was the proof.

"Hey boss what about those two little girls?" One thug asked and just looking at him he simply looked like he belonged locked up in prison just on appearances alone. "Bring them to me. I have a great idea on how they can be useful to me." Gatō said in a bone chilling tone.

The temperature around the bridge dropped at least 30 degrees or more. Frost started to build up on the railings and even the concrete itself. Everyone immediately turned to Naruto and most of them had a shocked look on their face. Naruto's face was blank. There was no emotion at all on his face. Not even in his eyes. They were just dark blue ice chips instead of the bright and sunny aqua blue that he normally has. What no one but Hinata and Kakashi saw was that Evangeline's wings were starting to turn black and black snow was starting to pour off of it instead of the white snow that flakes off every time her wings move.

After hearing what Gatō had to say Hinata reflexively grabbed Chaos who was standing in front of her and pulled her to her chest. Hinata was trying her very best to hide it but her body was trembling and a pit formed in her stomach after hearing Gatō's comment. Everyone else from some degree to another had the same reaction. Kiba who was holding Iris subconsciously squeezed her a little tighter. He also felt a pit form in his stomach. Despite being on 12 the Genin were not stupid, they knew exactly what Gatō had in mind and in all honesty it made them want to throw up.

Naruto started to walk forward very slowly. His hands were by his side and his face was as blank as ever. "Zabuza." Naruto called out and when he did most of the Genin couldn't help but flinch. Naruto was just lacking all emotions at the moment. _'Evangeline's wings have turned black again. Just like last time.'_ Both Kakashi and Hinata thought along the same lines. They were to only to notice this change in Evangeline who flew back into Naruto's hair. "Is our deal still valid?" Naruto asked. "Yeah kid, it's good." Zabuza said as he grabbed his giant Executioners Blade. He had numerous cuts and bruises all over his body and the dog bite marks were a recent addition but he still had the strength needed to grab his sword.

Just then a green flare shot up into the air a few miles away. It was coming from the direction Gatō's base was in. It flew high into the air for all to see. Several green flare also shot up on the other side of the bridge and even closer. They were coming from the main city in the Land of Waves. "What?! What's going on? What are those things?" Gatō exclaimed. He knew they were coming from the city and his base and that was what worried him. _'The Mafia teams finished their end of the mission.'_ Kakashi concluded.

Naruto stalked forward and twin swords made of ice appeared in his hands. Right away there was a major difference. Naruto's ice is crystal clear and almost see through but this ice was a vibrant shade of amethyst and it had a hazy dark hue to it. Naruto did not stop moving. In fact, his pace was ever so slowly increasing. **"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu."** Zabuza muttered as his trademark thick mist rolled in over the bridge in the form of a cloud and it smothered Gatō's group in its solid haze.

' _Naruto.'_ Hinata thought in worry. She was terrified that Eva was actually going to lose control again but as she looked at it now it looked like Naruto was about to lose control. When she thought about it, it started to make sense to her. A long time ago Naruto and Evangeline explained to Hinata that Yōki was influenced and enhanced by emotions. Your emotions can increase the power of your Yōki. Right now the large amount of Yōki that is present inside of both of their bodies are feeding off of their anger.

"Hey kid what are you doing. You got a death wish or something?" Gatō asked as Naruto kept on walking towards him. Turning on her Byakugan again Hinata saw that most of Naruto's chakra was depleted and his body wasn't making much more of it at the moment. Instead the remainder of his chakra was converted over to Yōki and a large quantity of it was running rampant inside of his body. Zabuza himself started walking besides Naruto while dragging his executioners blade behind him. His blade was half melted because of Anko's earlier assault with her acid and Zabuza was dragging along almost half a blade.

Gatō was starting to get nervous since Naruto hasn't said a single word and to top it all off he was starting to lose visibility because of the mist that was rolling in. "Well boys what are you waiting for! Get them!" Gatō shouted as he started to fall back inside of the large crowd. Gatō's thugs started to roar as they charged at Naruto and Zabuza with murderous intent. "Get out of there Naruto what are you doing?!" Sakura yelled as she saw the men approach. "Yeah get out the way!" Kiba echoed as he was scared for what might happen. While he wasn't Naruto's friend he was still his classmate and he didn't want to see him die like this. Hinata covered up Chaos's eyes which were wide with glee and were dancing around in their red color. A giant grin was on her face and the little blond terror was trembling with excitement. In retrospect Iris stirred in Kiba's arms and her face took on a pained expression. "Daddy don't do it." Iris mumbled out pitifully with a single tear falling from her closed eyes.

Screams. Wails of agony. That was the only thing that could be heard coming out of the shroud of mist. Naruto was making a beeline straight for Gatō. The mission was at the back of his mind and at the front was cold blooded fury. The very second Gatō opened his mouth and said such a despicable thing Naruto's mind felt like it had shut down. His heart had sunken into his stomach and that was the last feeling he felt before everything went numb. For a split second he tried to imagine Iris and Chaos being dragged away from him kicking and screaming by Gatō's very hands but the very millisecond that thought entered his mind it caused his brain to crash. He just couldn't imagine it. He was unable to do so. A searing hot stream of terror induced him along with those thoughts and in an instant they were replaced by this bitter, all-encompassing bone chilling cold fury. An anger that he never felt before rose to the surface inside him. Not even the time Shoko nearly died invoked such an emotion in his heart.

Naruto could also feel Evangeline's rage and vice versa. The little fairy wanted nothing more than to murder Gatō were he stood. If she could get her hands on him the she swore in that very instant she would make Gatō suffer. Evangeline's instincts were taking over and she was willingly letting them. She was offering no resistance to her natural instincts and the only thing on her mind was getting to Gatō.

The first thug to try and attack Naruto found himself missing his lower torso and the one behind him found ice shards in his abdomen. Someone near Naruto got his head cut clean off when Zabuza decided to make his presence known. Naruto bypassed many of the thugs while taking down the ones that were too much in his way. **"Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"** Naruto shouted as he cut down nearly 20 men in his way. They all fell to the ground dead with ice patches sticking out of their bodies. With the path cleared in front of him Naruto saw Gatō running for his life with a panicked look on his face.

"Help someone! Safe me! Kill him!" Gatō screamed as he pushed thugs out of his way and in return pushed them forward towards Naruto to put as many meat shields in between him and Naruto. "You made a very idiotic mistake Gatō." Naruto spoke up and his voice carried over towards the business man. "How dare you even insinuate that you would hurt my daughters." Naruto growled out as emotions started to flood his face. His face was twisted into an angry sneer and as more and more thugs got in his way the more they were cut down. Not even their blood could spatter on him since even the blood itself would instantly become frozen.

"Daughters. Kid you have brats of your own?" Gatō stuttered out in disbelieve. However, his disbelieve didn't stop him from pushing people into Naruto's way. "Yes and you just threatened them in the worsts way possible and furthermore you did it in front of me!" Naruto shouted as a tall muscular man with a giant club tried to smash Naruto into the ground but the man instantly got cut in half the second he got close to Naruto. **"Kenjutsu: Decapitating Shockwave!"** Zabuza roared as he sent dozens of men flying without their heads attached to their bodies. A shockwave knocked over dozens more as Zabuza tore through the mercenary ranks without a care in the world.

Seeing yet another man get taken down by the blond haired kid Gatō started to push passed people faster. "Those two little girls are yours huh? I didn't know alright. How about we forget everything I said about them eh." Gatō pleaded as he pushed more people in Naruto's way. Naruto growled at this and the sneer on his face only continued to grow.

[Kill him! Kill him now! Stop him from getting away! Stop him before he hurts your daughters.]

A mantra very much like the one poisoning Evangeline's mind when she went on a rampage was repeating itself inside of Naruto and Evangeline's mind right now and at the very edge of Naruto's vision he could see a blurry haze creeping up and blotting out his vision. It was turning his vision red in the corner of his eyes.

"It's far too late for that you bastard!" Naruto yelled with his voice and face full of anger. Naruto was not the type to curse or use profanity especially since he wanted to set a good example for the girls but at the moment he was literally seeing red and he didn't care. With each step he took the ground would freeze around him and anyone who got caught in that ice would find not just their feet frozen but their entire bodies as well. With each swing of his sword black snow would fly everywhere and start to burn into the skins of the men around them.

" **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!"** Naruto roared and with that everyone standing in between him and Gatō were blown away and Gatō was left standing 20 feet away from Gatō. "Not only have you terrorized this country and hurt its people but you would have the nerve to say something like that in front of me!" Naruto yelled. Gatō was trembling at this point and but it didn't stop him from pointing his cane at Naruto. "Stay back kid. We can work this out. Is it money? Fame? Women? Land? Name it and I'll get it for you ok? I'll have it so fast you wouldn't even be able to blink." Gatō pleaded with a skittish laugh that held a lot of panic inside of it.

Naruto purposely blinked in front of Gatō and Gatō started to shiver. "I'm still waiting." Naruto growled and with that Gatō screamed. "Get away from me you freak!" The bottom of the cane opened up and Gatō pressed a trigger at the top of the cane and chakra beads very much like the ones the girls from section 2 use as their ammo came flying out at Naruto. If Naruto was stunned, he didn't show it as he deflected each shot with his swords. The beads were traveling very fast but the fact that Gatō was very slow at pulling the trigger and he telegraphed where he was pointing it made it very easy for Naruto to defend himself.

After deflecting 12 shots Gatō's cane stopped shooting and in that entire time Naruto did not slow down in the slightest. Getting within range of Gatō Naruto's ice cold glare was starting to freeze Gatō over literally. Light frost was building up all around them and Gatō was getting colder and colder. Seeing the look in the young boy's eyes across from him caused Gatō to urinate all over himself. A dark wet spot could be seen in forming in Gatō's expensive pants. "Please spare me ok. I'll give you anything ok. Just don't kill me kid. Please. I'm begging you don't do this." Gatō said as he got down on his knees and whimpered pathetically at Naruto's feet. "Please show some mercy kid. I'm begging you." Gatō groveled as he prostrated himself at Naruto's feet.

In that moment Naruto remembered his orders from Dino himself that if he gets the chance after all of Gatō's wealth and contracts were seize then he is to kill him immediately. Naruto hesitated. He could feel a presence in the back of is haze filled mind. It was Iris's and her presence was sending a soothing calmness throughout his body and the edges of his vision started to return to normal. _'He could still be useful. He needs to be kept alive.'_ A rational part of Naruto's mid spoke up which was aligned with Iris said.

[He needs to die. Kill him. He will try and hurt them. Make him suffer.] These thoughts plagued Naruto's mind and caused his blade to inch forward. "Are you going to spare me?" Gatō asked in an unsure tone. He didn't know if Naruto was going to kill him or not. What the business man didn't know was that Naruto was fighting with himself. A back and forth struggle was happening inside of Naruto's mind with neither side gaining a clear lead until Gatō took matters into his own hand.

Seeing Naruto hesitating Gatō pulled out a small pocket knife and he tried to stab Naruto in the stomach with it. On reflex alone Naruto stabbed Gatō all the way through with his sword. It impaled him through his back and out through his stomach. Gatō coughed and soon enough a glob of blood came spilling out of his mouth. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu."** Naruto said and like that Gatō's entire body was frozen over in a block of ice. Summoning a containment scroll Naruto placed it in front of Gatō. **"Fūinjutsu: Seal."** Sealing up Gatō's frozen body inside of the containment seal Naruto felt the rush or rage and fury leave his body. An immediate pull and calling to go to Iris and Chaos overwritten all of Naruto's other impulses at that moment. He could feel the strain on his body. Naruto didn't know what had happened to him but he was conscious for the entire time and he was actually scared of himself.

He felt the same feeling as a few months ago when Evangeline lost control and he even heard the same little whispers in the back of his mind telling him what to do. It scared him but he couldn't snap out of the rage he was in. With a clear mind once again Naruto thought about what Gatō had said and because of that creeping up at the edge of Naruto's mind was that mind numbing fury and wrath that just took him over. Quickly taking his mind off of that subject Naruto walked back out of the mist with Zabuza not to far behind. The older man had additional scratches and scuff marks but other than that he didn't look to much worse than before. However, a thing that Naruto and everyone else quickly took note of was that fact that his sword which was melted off in half by Anko's earlier attack was now repaired to its full length and it looked just a sharp as the day they all met the famous assassin.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called out unsure. "Kakashi sensei. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Naruto apologized as he walked up to his teacher. "It's ok Naruto. I know you only did what you thought was right. The burdens of being a leader are ones that not everyone can carry." Kakashi said comfortingly as he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "I should have trusted you from the beginning with the plan. Instead I went behind your back and caused things that didn't need to happen. I'm sorry Dog." Naruto said sincerely and in that moment Kakashi's eyes widened in shock which soon turned to happiness and contentment. "Took you long enough to figure out Naruto and here I thought you were really smart." Kakashi said with his patent eye smile.

"Hey kid." Pakkun said with his deep masculine voice. He was Kakashi's personal familiar and old friend. "Hey Pakkun. It's nice to see you again buddy." Naruto said in genuine happiness. The memory was faint but he remembers Pakkun would play with him when he was still a toddler. As he grew a little older he could remember the little pup vividly for his deep voice and his obsession with letting people touch his paws. However, he didn't see much of Pakkun or Dog A.K.A Kakashi after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

"Here's Gatō's body. He isn't dead." Naruto said as he handed Kakashi the scroll with Gatō's body inside. "We have a lot to talk about Naruto." Kakashi said in a serious tone. "I know." Naruto simply replied. "Naruto." Hinata called out and looking up Naruto could see why. It was that look in her eyes. Chaos's eyes were filled to the brim with so much happiness right now that he was afraid she might burst and since this is Chaos we are talking about that was a worst case scenario. Dropping everything Naruto walked over to Hinata and took Chaos into his arms. The little terror was shaking uncontrollably in excitement and pure glee and Naruto due to their close contact and the strong bond they share could sense that Chaos was rapidly losing control of her instincts. She was exposed to far too much negative energy while here especially in the last few minutes since the negative energy that comes directly from Naruto is like ecstasy for Chaos.

"Shhh, shuu, it's ok sweetie I got you. It's ok." Naruto said softly as he held Chaos tight. She was trembling so much that Naruto was having a tough time holding onto her. "Do it again dada that was so much fun. Do it again. Do it again." Chaos said in a near psychotic tone of voice. Her normal squeaky voice was trembling and pitching up and down in tone as she said this. "I know sweetie. It's ok. Maybe later ok. Just calm down for me ok." Naruto said as patiently as he possibly could. Chaos's strength was quite deceptive and because she was shaking so much it was giving Naruto some trouble when it comes to holding her. "What is happening to her kid?" Zabuza asked as he warily looked at Chaos. The look in her eyes was something he wasn't expecting a child to have.

"This happens every time she is exposed to any sort of negative energy." Naruto explained as he picked Chaos up into his arms and rocked her form side to side. Chaos was very light in terms of weight. Almost like a feather but at other times she could actually weigh a ton. It all depends on if she is in control of her instincts and right now she was very heavy for Naruto to hold. "Negative energy?" Sasuke questioned as he looked at the tiny terror known as Chaos. So many questions were going through his mind right now that he didn't even know where to begin. Iris who was still in Kiba's arms was starting to stir and moan in her unconsciousness.

"Chaos has the unique ability to not only sense all kinds of negative energies but see them too with her naked eyes. She sees things differently than all of us." Naruto said as he was still trying to calm Chaos down. "See negative energies? How is that even possible?" Sakura mumbled to herself.

"Something is coming dada! Something is coming! It's big!" Chaos rambled on with a wild grin on her face. "Something is coming?" Naruto repeated with an unsure tone. At that moment the air inside of his lungs were ripped out. Gasping for breath Naruto fell to the ground wheezing. "My back! It's burning!" Naruto wheezed out. Hinata's Byakugan immediately came to live in that moment and her eyes widened in disbelieve. "Naruto your back!" Hinata cried out in in shock.

"DADDY!" Iris yelled as she was suddenly awoken from her unconsciousness. Her eyes were wide and frantic but instead of looking towards Naruto her eyes were looking at a particular spot in the mist. Her sudden jolt scarred most of the Genin present but they had no time to ponder this.

"And here I thought I got here in time." A new voice emerged from the thick mist. Everyone's attention immediately went towards the new voice and out of the mist came a very tall man. Standing at around 6'4 the man had black and white striped hair. Brown skin and razor sharp teeth. A white diamond shaped mark is in the center of his forehead. Along with that he has very pointy ears. He has very narrow slit-like golden eyes and dark stripe-like marks on both sides of his face right above his ears. On his arms, chest, and back he wears black armor with a gold trim, his boots have a similar design. He wears a tiger-print pelt around his waist and what appears to be a giant set of tiger paws and his shoulders. He wears a grey hakama and sash.

"Who are you?" Zabuza questioned as his senses were telling him that this man was very dangerous. The look in the man's eyes is that of a killer. "You're all out of energy, too tired to give me a good fight." The man continued while ignoring Zabuza completely. His eyes were focused solely on Naruto. Seeing this Kakashi stepped protectively in front of Naruto. "Who are you? What do you want?" Kakashi asked this time. His Sharingan eye was boring into the man's eye with deadly intent.

Continuing his stride without missing a beat the man had his eyes track across everyone present. "Gatō was a fool to underestimate you foolish humans. He was starting to bore me so I guess I should say thanks for getting rid of him." The man said as he approached the group of shinobi. Anko also got in front with Kakashi in guarding Naruto. "I know the mark hurts kid but power through it and give me a good fight. I hope you're not a disappointment like that woman was a few years ago." The man said and that seemed to snap Naruto out of his pained filled state.

"What did you just say?" Naruto asked with disbelieve in his voice.

* * *

 ** _To be continued..._**

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

2.) **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Hydrokinetic Magic -** One of Evangeline's signature techniques and one of the abilities that comes instinctively to her. It is a move all Winter Fairies are capable of using after some time of practice. The fairy gathers of their Yōki and uses it to pull the water molecules out of the air and using their Yōki as a medium they can increase that amount by synthetically and artificially converting their own Yōki into extra water. Once formed the Fairy has 100% control over the water and its composition. The fairy can willingly change the composition of the water at will and control its movements down to individual molecules. This technique also works on pre existing water in the area.

3.) **Ice Style: Ice Make Jutsu -** A Jutsu created from the combination of both Naruto and Evangeline's team work. By molding chakra mixed in with Eva's Yōki into his hands Naruto can create any object he wants out of Ice. Depending on how much chakra he puts into the Jutsu will determine how durable the creation is.

4.) **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Gold Dust Spirit Water Healing -** One of Evangeline's signature techniques and one of the abilities that comes instinctively to her. She releases a golden powder from her wings that when it comes in contact with water will cause anything inside of that water to heal almost instantly. The more severe injuries take longer to heal but eventually they will heal as well. The drawback of the technique is the fact that Evangeline can only heal you while that specific body part is in contact with water. Her Gold Dust works by having a chemical reaction with water so it's impossible for the gold dust to heal anything on its own without first being in contact with water.

5.) **Yōjutsu: Liquid Evaporation -** A technique that allows Naruto to evaporate liquids in a very close proximity to his body. It is very short ranged and doesn't work more than three feet away from him. It was actually the technique he was using while racing Hinata up the trees during their practice with the True Tree Walking Exercise.

6.) **Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu -** This a specialty of the ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelling it from their mouth, they can then go in and out of sight at will from within the cloud of mist. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.

7.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance -** Naruto's own version of Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

8.) **Kenjutsu: Decapitating Shockwave -** A sword technique that Zabuza Momochi uses in which he spins around rapidly while swinging his massive Executioner's Blade and he cleanly and with deadly accuracy decapitates any and all foes that are surrounding him. The rate at which he spins and the speed and suddenness of it is what gives off the shockwave that knocks everyone back.

9.) **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor -** A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.

10.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

11.) **Fūinjutsu: Seal -** This basic technique allows you to activate a seal or deactivate one. When you first create a seal you can activate it using this simple technique. You inject your chakra into the seal and the seal will activate or deactivate.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Naruto saves Haku's life not only revealing Eva in the process but bringing up many more questions for everyone to ask. Gato himself shows up saying things he should not be saying only to be put on ice.

With that being said Naruto looses control after Gato made the unfortunate choice to threaten Iris and Chaos's life in the worst way possible especially in front of their overprotective father. Naruto in the end spares Gato's life but what does this mean for Naruto's ability to control himself and the fact that he almost didn't stop should be cause for alarm. Naruto has also finally discovered who Kakashi really is to him, being none of than our favorite ANBU agent Dog from Naruto's childhood.

Finally a new person has appeared and it would seem like he is connected to Naruto's and Shoko's past. Who could he be? All of that and more will be answered in the next chapter. So stay tuned and find out.

Next Chapter: **(Final Confrontation: Demon (Part:1)**

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 _That's the end of Chapter 23 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 6/23/16


	25. CH: 24 Final Confrontation: Demon Pt 1

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey everybody. Today is special. It's my birthday and we got a two in one special served up today since I'm in a great mood.

Hey everyone it's that time. The Demons have made a reappearance in the story. An idea struck me a long while back about an interesting plot that I could use to make a story arc surrounding the demons and I just had to roll with it. It will take some time to set up in the future but the bread crumbs are there. Me and my best friend/ bro have brainstormed many knew ideas to add to the story and after some of the stuff he suggested and some of the things that you the fans suggested I can honestly say that I am pumped to get their.

So get ready to see some Demon on Shinobi action... (Wait that didn't exactly come out right.)

Anyways sit back, relax and enjoy.

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Chapter 24

 _ **Final Confrontation: Demon (Part:1)**_

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. _'Is this the Demon that nearly killed Shoko?'_ Naruto thought to himself in disbelieve. Slowly getting to his feet Naruto looked the demon straight in the eye. Naruto's eyes had doubt, confusion, disbelieve, and many more emotions that was quickly starting to turn into emotions of animosity, anger, and hatred. Everyone else saw this look in Naruto's eyes and the pain that was behind them. "What did you just say?" Naruto whispered out.

' _This Yōki, it's just like the mark on my back. I feel a sliver of this demons Yōki on my back as well as three others. I felt the same whenever I looked at Shoko's mark as well.'_ Naruto thought to himself. "Are you saying you're the one who attacked Shoko 4 years ago?" Naruto seethed as he grits his teeth in anger. Kakashi, Anko, Kurenai, and Hinata's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. _'This is the demon?'_ Kakashi thought to himself as his Sharingan zoomed in on the man's form. _'This is the bastard that put Shoko in the hospital?'_ Anko questioned with anger building up inside of her.

"Naruto do you know this man?" Sakura squeaked in fear. Between the look in Naruto's eyes and the predator like gleam in the unknown man's eyes it was installing a bone chilling fear into Sakura's body. On top of that an ominous presence was filling the air and weighing down on her shoulders. What Sakura didn't know was that it was the man's large and potent Yōki she was sensing.

"I've come all this way to see if you were worth my time kid and I'm not leaving without a good fight." The man said as he took a step forward and simply disappeared from everyone's view. No one had any time to react before the man was standing only a foot away from Naruto. Naruto didn't even have enough time to breath before the man grabbed him by his collar and threw him across the bridge towards the construction equipment. Chaos was still in Naruto's arms and so without thinking Naruto tucked her into his embrace and upon impact with the metal equipment released a burst of chakra which exploded into a shower of ice. Falling to the ground with a pained grunt Naruto looked up to see the man eyeing him with that same predator like gleam. Looking down Naruto saw Chaos's eyes were scanning the man in front of them with her eyes glowing red and moving around in different patterns. Her shaking has calmed down at this point but the look in her eyes and the grin on her face was unnerving Naruto greatly.

Spinning around on a dime Kakashi with Kunai in hand stabbed the demon in the neck but Kakashi's kunai broke upon contact with the Demon's skin. Grinning the tall man took a swipe at Kakashi with his razor sharp claws but thanks to the Copy Ninja's famous Sharingan he was able to predict and dodge out of the way in time. Coming in from behind Anko attempted a leg drop but the demon caught her leg in a vice grip. Scowling Anko contorted her body in ways that should not be natural and struck the demon in the stomach with a chakra enhanced punch. The blow caused the demon to take one step back and Anko kicked off the chest plate and did a backflip to gain space between them. **"Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu!"** Anko called out as she sent 5 large snakes at the man who grinned and sliced through all of them with ease.

Disappearing in a burst of speed the hulking man appeared in front of Anko and delivered a powerful blow to her stomach that caused spit to fly out of her mouth. Anko was launched off her feet and flew into a stack of crates off to the side on the bridge. "Anko!" Kurenai yelled as she saw her friend zoom past her into the crates. Turning back Kurenai eyes widened in shock since the man was now in front of her and was about to deliver a claw strike to her face. The demons claw never met Kurenai's face however since Zabuza of all people blocked the strike with his sword.

"What?" Kurenai asked in bewilderment. "I've got a contract going with that blond brat over there. I don't break my contracts, so it would seem we are on the same side here. Besides he looks like a powerful opponent to face." Zabuza explained as he pushed the man back with a grunt of effort. "Oh, all of these interesting little bugs around for me to squash." The man stated. Zabuza charged in and attacked the demon with his as usual impressive display of Kenjutsu despite the fact that Zabuza's sword is as big as he is. The demon retaliated with his claws and deflected each of Zabuza's attacks with ease. Zabuza was already extremely exhausted form his long winded battle with Kakashi and the others so he was panting with obvious pain and his breathing were coming in labored breaths.

Getting to his feet Naruto who was also exhausted saw what was happening and couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger. Seeing movement Naruto looked over and saw Chaos floating up into the air with her shadow starting to change form. Her purple blade like wings manifested behind her back and the look in her eyes was sadistic and cruel. "You've been a naughty boy. You need to be punished." Chaos said as a ball of tainted flames appeared in her hands.

Taking note of the spike in Angelic Aura behind him the man turned around and his eyes widened a little in recognition. "So you're an Angeloid." The demon noted as he looked at Chaos's robotic red eyes. "Never thought I'd see one in this dimension." He commented. _'This is the little girl Minos wants. How interesting.'_ The demon thought to itself privately. _'He knows what Chaos is? Only me and Eva know that.'_ Naruto thought in shock. _'Angeloid?'_ Sakura thought in confusion. She was the only one not distracted enough to hear what the man said.

"Disappear." Chaos said as she launched her tainted flames at the Demon who smirked and dodged out of the way at the last second. Kakashi was right on the man's tail and he engaged the demon in a contest of Taijutsu which the demon started to win. He was using a fighting style that no one's ever seen before and he was overpowering Kakashi despite the fact he has his Sharingan.

Throwing Kakashi away from him into a stack of lumber the man turned and gave Naruto a predator like grin. Walking in Naruto's direction the man was stopped by another voice. "Hey did you forget about us?!" Kiba yelled with Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Stay out of this Kiba! He's after me!" Naruto yelled as he tried to take a step forward but his exhaustion and pain in his back was making it difficult to do anything. He could feel the mark on his back and it was burning him ever since the demon showed up. "No way man. He's smacking our sensei's around like their nothing. We can't sit back and do nothing." Kiba argued as he got on all fours. "Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he took off at the demon who smirked. **"Fang Over Fang!"** Kiba roared as he and Akamaru who transformed into a clone of Kiba started to spin at insane speeds to the point that a spinning grey and black tornado formed around them. They resembled drills flying through the air.

Coming in from both sides Kiba intended to use a pincer formation. Shaking his head, the demon stayed still and let Kiba and Akamaru get close. "Kiba don't!" Naruto yelled as he attempted to move but one look from the demon and the pain in Naruto's back intensified stopping him in his tracks. Once they were close enough the tall man took his claws and slashed at both Kiba and Akamaru dispersing their technique and leaving both master and puppy with long gash marks across their bodies. Kiba fell to the ground leaking blood from his chest, Akamaru wasn't much better either with a claw mark on his belly.

"Kiba!" Both Kurenai and Hinata screamed at the same time. "Iris! Get to Kiba!" Naruto shouted as copious amounts of chakra poured out of his body. He was panting hard at this point but he didn't care. He violently pushed the sensation of the mark on his back to the back of his mind. Forming his swords in his hand Naruto took off in a burst of Acceleration. **"Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation!"** Naruto roared as he nearly took off the demon's head with his attack. The tall man leaned back and let Naruto's attack fly right above his head. Landing on the ground Naruto winced in pain since his legs still haven't recovered from using his new Double Acceleration. The healing that Evangeline gave him was not enough to help.

Iris landed right behind Naruto and grabbed Kiba and Akamaru in a ball of air. **"Hidden Jutsu: Beetle Sphere."** Shino called out as a massive cloud of bugs erupted from ever pour in his body. The loud noise of bugs could be heard as they entrapped the demon in a sphere before latching onto his body. "Bugs eh? Well now this is interesting but ineffective." The man said and with that a pulse of Yōki erupted from his body vaporizing Shino's colony of bugs and freeing the man from their grasp. **"Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu!"** Naruto said as he sent small sharp icicle shards at the demon at high speeds. Most bounced off his armor but the ones that hit his skin actually left tiny scars. Raising an eyebrow to this the man swiped his hand in front of him and a pulse of Yōki blew Naruto's attack away. "Who are you?" Naruto demanded as he got into a defensive stance.

"My name is Jūra little human and you are my prey and I'm your predator." The now named Jūra said as he came in fast and hard. Smashing into Naruto's defense he sent claw strike after claw strike at Naruto who was extremely hard pressed to defend against. Swiping his hand at Naruto Jūra shattered one of Naruto's swords and then kneed Naruto in the stomach. Reforming his sword in an instant Naruto smashed it into Jūra's thick armor. **"Ice Style: Icicle Impact!"** Sending Jūra back with a large piece of glacier sticking off his body Naruto jumped into the air after the tall demon. Flexing his muscles Jūra broke out of the thick sheet of ice trapping his body. Jumping into the air Jūra met Naruto's assault and they duked it out in midair before Jūra smacked Naruto in the face with a backhand and sent the young Genin to the ground hard. Bouncing off the ground Naruto rolled to a stop by the others. Landing on the ground Jūra was then peppered by Chaos who sent dozens of fireballs at him from her position in the sky.

"Naruto are you ok?" Hinata asked as she came up to his side. "Yeah I'm ok. But I can't keep this up. I feel like I could pass out at any second." Naruto said as his labored breaths got shorter and shorter. _'I'm not used to having so little chakra. My chakra isn't replenishing that much right now and my Yōki is running low. I can't use too many more Jutsu or else I'm going to pass out from Chakra exhaustion.'_ Naruto noted to himself. The burning sensation of the mark on his back was starting to come back again and it was making it hard for him to even concentrate. "Naruto what is going on? Who is this guy?" Sakura asked in a scared tone. She was shaking from the feeling of the man's Yōki. Everyone could feel that oppressive sickening feeling of a weight pressing down on their shoulders.

"I'm not exactly sure Sakura. He is a very dangerous man and someone who needs to go down for what he's done." Naruto said with a glare in Jūra's direction. "Team Anko, get the bridge builder and the wounded out of here. Sakura I want you to go with them and tend to Kiba. Iris just healed him but he's not safe here. He's after me and I don't want to see anyone get hurt because of that." Naruto said kindly as he looked at his teammate. It was the first time he's ever showed that side of himself to her and if Sakura was honest with herself she liked this side of Naruto better. Usually while friendly and very polite Naruto tended to be distant with both her and Sasuke. She didn't know why but she never liked it. Sakura is a curious girl by nature and she was always curious about her classmate and now teammate who she's been acquainted with for the last six years. He tended to stick to himself during the first two years of the Academy and when the shinobi classes started he immediately latched onto Hinata who he later revealed to be his best friend.

"But what about you? You're my teammate I can't just leave." Sakura protested. While she would love nothing more than to get as far away from Jūra as possible she still didn't feel right leaving her teammate behind, especially since this mysterious person was targeting her teammate. "He is after me and only me. I won't let him hurt the others just to get to me. I'll stall him while you guys leave. Don't worry I'll be fine." Naruto said as he stood back up with noticeable difficulty. _'My vision is getting blurry. Why does this mark hurt so bad?'_ Naruto groaned in his mind. The pain was intolerable.

"No way am I backing out of a fight like this. Don't try to hog the spot light Naruto." Sasuke said as he came up to stand besides Naruto. "Sasuke this person is unlike anything you've ever seen before. I know what he is capable of." Naruto said as he wearily watched the tall demon dodge out of the way of Chaos's blast. _'If he is anything like the demon who attacked me all those years ago than this one will be relentless and overwhelming. It took everything I had just to stay alive and protect the girls. I can't let people get caught up in our fight.'_ Naruto thought to himself. "Mind filling me in or are you going to keep this to yourself as well?" Sasuke said with a sideways glance to Naruto and Evangeline who was visible at the moment.

"If he is anything like his companion who attacked me a long time ago then I can safely say that he will be relentless. He won't stop until he gets what he wants and he will kill anyone who gets in his way. He has a predator mentality. He's not going to be easy." Naruto said with certainty in his voice. "You were attacked by his companion before?" Sakura asked in shock. "Yes and I barely got away with my life and this happened when I was around 7 or 8 years old. It was through stupid luck that I even survived that night." Naruto said with a grim tone to his voice. He was remembering that time in his head. "That's awful. How did you get away?" Sakura asked in morbid shock and awe. She couldn't even fathom how Naruto would get away.

Seeing Jūra trade blows with Chaos who was trying to keep him at a distance Naruto tightened his grip on his swords. "There's no time for that. If you can't fight, then stay back or leave. He wants me not you guys." Naruto stated as he slowed down his breathing as much as possible. "Eva how are our reserves?" Naruto asked Evangeline who was gathering up as much Yōki as she possibly could. She was splitting her Yōki in half and converting half of it into new chakra for Naruto to use. "We are running really low right now Naru. Our Chakra and Yōki is not regenerating as fast as it should. I think this mark is dampening our energy." Eva explained. "Then we don't have much time Eva, if we want to do this then we have to go now." Naruto said as he used his bow staff to hold him up and keep his balance. "Right Naru." Eva agreed. "Then let's go Eva!" Naruto said as he took of right in time to stop a strike from landing on Chaos who was forcing Jūra back with her tainted flames. "Chaos get back!" Naruto shouted as he did his absolute best to parry and block Jūra's relentless assault. The man just kept coming with claw strike after claw strike and he was not stopping.

Flying back Chaos set up above the bridge. " **Artemis**. Fire" Chaos said as her wings were lit on fire and dozens of small lightning fast bullets of fire came raining out onto the bridge below. Jumping back out of the way Naruto pointed his finger at Jūra. **"Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu!"** Sending another barrage of icicle bullets at Jūra everyone watched as a light white aura appeared around Jūra before he flexed his muscles and a shockwave of pure Yōki came rumbling off his body stonewalling both Naruto's and Chaos's assault. The shield of Yōki pulsed before it repelled the attacks away. Dodging out the way of his own attack Naruto was forced on the defensive when Jūra was in his face yet again. Bringing his Bo staff to bare Naruto deflected as many of Jūra's attacks while attempting to freeze Jūra's appendages.

However, this tactic was proving ineffective since Jūra's Yōki was so much more potent than Naruto's that every time he would try to freeze him his ice would melt almost immediately. Seeing Sasuke coming in from behind Naruto jumped back to get some distance between them. _'Got to make this count.'_ Naruto thought as his vision blurred a little. **"Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted as a long trail of ice formed in front of Naruto and surrounded Jūra's feet. Jūra's forward movement was stopped cold and he looked down just in time to see thick spears of ice impale his lower torso but fail to go through. They did however impede his movements for a moment and that was all the time Sasuke needed.

" **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** Sasuke called out as he sent out a dozen basketball sized fireballs that sailed straight for Jūra. They impacted and detonated the chakra inside of them sending out a small explosion that briefly shook the area. When the smoke cleared Naruto's ice was blown away and Jūra was standing there without a scratch on him. On the ground several shuriken were laying around with a few of them broken and chipped. "What… Impossible?" Sasuke said aloud.

"Nothing is impossible little boy. Your little human brain just can't comprehend it that's all. Now like I said. I came all this way to get a good fight out of you, and so far you are disappointing me. I wonder what it will take to get you to go all out?" Jūra insulted Sasuke before turning back to Naruto and questioning his resolve. Gritting his teeth Naruto started to generate a blue aura around his body. _'This is it I don't have much of anything else but if I'm going down then he is definitely coming with me. Let's see if he can handle this.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he prepared himself for his final move. He was too low on chakra and Yōki and he could feel chakra exhausting knocking on his door. He was so close to passing out that he believed it to be nothing short of a miracle that he is still standing. Because of the influence of the claw marks on his back, which was burning him at the moment he couldn't properly regenerate or produce any more Chakra which was a major problem.

" **Double Acceleration!"** Naruto shouted out as his chakra cloak flared. Chaos felt a dip in her reserves and her eyes picked up her father's energy. Iris who was returning after healing Kiba also felt the drop. _'Daddy?'_ Naruto felt gravity press down on him which cracked and fractured the concrete below his feet. Disappearing in a violent burst of speed Naruto appeared in front of Jūra with his fist cocked back. **"Acceleration Punch!"** Letting his fist fly Naruto put everything he had into the attack. Seeing this Jūra's smirk spread across his face and a predatory grin unlike any other showed itself on him.

" **Yōjutsu: Tiger Claw!"** Jūra called out as his long sharp nails were covered in a pure white aura of Yōki and the rest of his hands were covered in a thin layer of white Yōki that took the shape of a tiger. Both attacks met in the middle and a massive explosion rocked the entire section of bridge. Sasuke who was close by was blown off his feet across the bridge where he was caught in a bubble of air created by Iris. She deflected the shockwave and dust cloud away from everyone who gathered around her. Kakashi and Anko who were nursing bruised and broken ribs joined everyone else around Iris.

"Team Anko get Tazuna and the wounded out of here." Anko ordered as she pressed her hand against her ribs. She was blown away so fast she didn't even have time to substitute herself with any nearby objects. It just happened to fast. Ami and Kasumi didn't need to be told twice. They wanted nothing to do with this fight. They grabbed onto Kiba and Haku and started to head off the bridge. Fuki hesitated as she looked towards the dust cloud that contained Jūra and Naruto. With another look from Anko Fuki took off with her teammates.

The smoke slowly cleared and everyone was shocked to see Naruto barely conscious with scrapes and bruises all over his body and he was busted open if the blood dripping down his forehead was any indication. He was being held up by his collar with Jūra's larger hands around his neck. Jūra's armor had scuff marks and dust on it but the man was otherwise unharmed by Naruto's attack. Naruto's body was like a ragdoll because it wasn't moving and he was at least 2 and a half feet up in the air because of how tall Jūra was.

"I guess this is all that you have. That last attack actually accomplished something. You forced me to use a technique of mine. You do have great potential kid. I think I might just take you with me right now." Jūra said as he shook Naruto's body around without a care in the world. The shockwave from their attacks clashing bounced back and hit Naruto with the vast majority of the force which is the reason behind his current state right now. Jūra's own attack busted Naruto's head open and it was leaking blood onto the concrete below.

"Daddy?" Iris whispered in absolute mortification. Her eyes were wide with shock and they were trained in on Naruto's limp form. She could barely feel his presence in the back of her mind right now and that was not sitting to well with the distraught princess. "Iris don't look sweetie. Your father will be ok." Hinata said as she tried to comfort Iris who would not take her eyes off of her father's limp form. Something was bubbling up inside of Iris with each passing second and now the little girl was starting to hyperventilate. "Iris calm down. You have to remain calm." Hinata said with a panicky voice once Iris's breathing started to become erratic. It only got worse when they were able to hear the demon's words and how he planned on taking Naruto with him.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Iris screamed as a massive gust of wind exploded form her form and launched across the bridge. Jūra only had seconds to look over his shoulder before he was blasted off of his feet and send flying into a metal crane that toppled over form the force in which Jūra slammed into it. Nobody could believe what they just saw but when they turned to look at Iris they all wished that they hadn't. Iris's face was contorted into one filled with rage. Her beautiful face was marred by crease marks and a scowl to end all scowls. Her eyes were a blazing emerald green and everyone could feel an unbearable weight press down on their shoulders. Nobody knew why but seeing the rage filled look on Iris's face was one of the scariest things they had ever seen.

Chaos descended to the ground and took a look at her sister. A frown overcame Chaos's face for the second time today and that had Hinata and those who knew Chaos worried. "Iris?" Chaos mumbled out. Chaos's insanity fit left her body when she felt Iris's power explode from her body and right now she was genuinely worried for her twin sister. Chaos could feel her body starting to heat up and looking at Iris with her eyes Chaos was getting error messages flashing in front of her face. Chaos's eye sight was starting to become distorted and blurred and she was losing some resolution in them.

Walking over to Naruto Chaos picked up her father and started to make her way back to the others when the area behind her exploded with raw Yōki. Spinning around Chaos eyes scanned the area until they zoomed in on a particular area where the smoke started to clear form. "Now that really hurt. That's what I'm talking about." Jūra said as he cleared the smoke away from him and on the armor plate that was covering his chest a very noticeable dent along with a crack could be seen. Walking forward Jūra was then surprised to see Iris appear in front of Chaos in a protective stance. "You stay away from my family." Iris growled out and the sneer on her face increased. The frown on Chaos's face increased and her body heated up even further.

"So you want to take me on eh brat. Be my guess but I got to warn you I…" Jūra began to speak but he was cut off when Iris punched the air in front of her and a long stream of fire erupted from her fist that was pure white in color. Chaos jumped back out of the way since the heat from her sister's blast was not something she was expected. Jūra's eyes widened when he felt the energy rolling off of Iris. _'Holy Magic!? What is this child? Some kind of Angel… or wait is she a cosmic being?'_ Jūra's thought to himself frantically as he dodged to stream of fire at the last minute.

Jūra could feel the intense heat wash past his face as he dodged out of the way. Landing on his feet he looked up to see a cyclone of wind surrounding Iris as her angry face locked on to his. Her glowing green eyes bored into his own and Jūra felt a bead of sweat go down his face. _'What is she?'_ Jūra questioned himself. _'Iris.'_ Naruto thought as his eyes which were barely open looked up to see what was happening to his daughter. "You're not taking him anywhere!" Iris yelled as she sent two more fire blast at Jūra who did his best to dodge them. The problem was that even though he dodged them the heat coming off the flames were the hottest he's even felt before. Disappearing from his spot he appeared behind Iris with his claws outstretched. _'Now I've got you.'_ Jūra confidently thought as he brought down his claws. Iris suddenly brought her combat fan up at the last second stonewalling Jūra's claw attack. The ground beneath her feet splintered and fractured but Iris didn't falter. "What?" Jūra whispered. "No way." Sakura mumbled in awe.

The temperature around Iris and Jūra started to dramatically rise without signs of stopping. **"Phoenix Fire: Heat Wave!"** Iris yelled as a shockwave of hot air exploded from Iris and forced Jūra to jump back. Jūra had a massive amount of sweat all over his body just form standing around Iris. His clothes were heated up to the point where they were uncomfortable for Jūra to even were. The air around the two heated up to such an extent that the water molecules in the air instantly evaporated.

Landing on his feet Jūra leaned back at a 90-degree angle just in time to dodge a crescent blade of silver wind that nearly bisected him in half. "Ok you're more of a problem than I originally thought." Jūra commented as he wearily watched Iris who had her fans out in an attack stance. The raging winds circling her body were causing her dress and hair to flutter erratically but her angry face still remained. _'I think I've had enough fun. Until I find out what that girl is we can't move forward with our plans.'_ Jūra thought with a frown on his face. _'Her holy aura is incredible. It is definitely something a little girl like her shouldn't have. We need more information. Damn I hate retreating.'_ Jūra complained to himself as he prepared to fall back.

Iris saw that Jūra was slowly backing away and the winds around her body picked up in speed. "Don't even think of running away!" Iris yelled as she took off at blinding speeds and appeared in front of Jūra who was momentarily stunned but he responded by throwing a fast right claw hook. Iris responded by slashing at Jūra with her battle fans. They clashed and sparks flew between them. Launching a blade of wind Iris tried to cut Jūra's head off but the tall demon was having none of that. Disappearing and reappearing behind Iris Jūra grabbed onto Iris by the back of her dress and threw her across the bridge. In midair Iris corrected herself and launched a gust of wind from her feet stopping her from slamming into a stack of lumber. Landing on her feet Iris's eyes widened in shock when Jūra was suddenly in front of her and punched her into the stack of lumber. "Ahh!" Iris screamed as her back went through seven beams of wood and slammed into the tall metal railing at the edge of the bridge.

"Iris!" Hinata yelled in shock and worry. Her hands flew to her mouth and her heart was racing. "Sis." Chaos mumbled as she held her head in pain. Taking off from his spot Kakashi came zooming in and attacked Jūra from his side. Jūra was forced back by Kakashi who was giving Jūra a full course in Taijutsu. Kakashi was laying into Jūra who was fighting back and forced Kakashi off of him. **"Lightning Blade!"** Kakashi yelled as his hand was covered in electricity. Shoving his hand forward Kakashi was aiming for Jūra's chest. **"Yōjutsu: Tiger Claw!"** Jūra retaliated as his and Kakashi's attacks collided creating a shockwave that forced both men back. _'He is strong. We have to stop him somehow.'_ Kakashi told himself since that last attack stung quite a bit. Kakashi's hand was bleeding and Jūra's skin was singed and bruised.

Before anything else could be said the stack of lumbers exploded into a shower of splinters as Iris appeared in a sphere of silver wind. She was breathing very hard and sweat was rolling off her body in waves. Her dress was ripped where Jūra had punched her and the back of her dress had many small rips and cuts were the splinters from the wood had torn into her dress. "You stay away from my daddy." Iris said breathlessly as she held onto a nearby piece of lumber for support.

"You are starting to bug me girl. You wouldn't like it when I'm angry trust me." Jūra said patronizingly while also giving off a warning through his body language and aura. Iris's response was to blow out a stream of hot air from her nose that ruffled her dress a bit. Her vibrant emerald eyes flashed in warning but the light in them was fading back to blue and at the moment the princess's eyes were starting to transition into a blueish green like color. "Iris get back, let me handle this ok." Kakashi said as he positioned himself in between Iris and Jūra. Looking over Kakashi could see that Naruto was in bad shape and needed to get medical attention quickly.

Naruto himself wasn't doing too good. He was fading in and out of consciousness every few minutes and he was suffering through both chakra exhaustion and a head splitting headache which ironically enough is being caused by the fact that Naruto's head is busted open.

Iris didn't look like she wanted to back down but deep down she knew that her power was fading fast. The amount of power she was using right now was more than she has ever had to use before and quite frankly it was putting a huge strain on her body. To further complicate things since her power is tied directly to Naruto and he was in a critical like condition he couldn't properly regulate the flow of energy between their two bodies like he is supposed to so Iris was quickly losing power.

Seeing Kakashi momentarily distracted by thinking of Naruto Jūra decided to change targets. Disappearing in a burst of speed that sounded like a muffled sonic boom Jūra zoomed past Kakashi whose body was twisting around to try to intercept him. However, he was not expecting the speed Jūra was exerting and so couldn't turn around in time. Jūra's target was actually Naruto who was being supported by Chaos who was next to Hinata. Iris however had more time to react since she never took her eyes off of Jūra and still riding the intoxicating high of using her Holy Magic disappeared in a gust of wind to intercept.

Chaos's scanners came to life the second Jūra took off and she was forming an Aegis shield around her and her father but it wouldn't come up in time, at the most it would form around her body and not reach Naruto in time before Jūra struck. Iris and Jūra who were both traveling with enhanced speed saw each other moving in slow motion and the events played out that way for them both. Iris jumped in the way of Jūra's outstretched hand that was poised to cut Chaos's arm which was holding Naruto clean off. Instead Jūra's hand pierced through Iris's midsection and out her back.

The sheer speed and force of Jūra's movement pushed both of them over to Naruto and the others and Naruto with his blurred eyes suddenly widened them in absolute terror. Jūra suddenly got an intense look of pain on his face as he yanked his hand free of Iris. Quickly looking at his own hand Jūra saw that all the skin and almost off of the muscles on his hand had melted away and a sizzling sound along with steam could be seen coming off his hand. For the first time in a very long time Jūra wanted to scream in absolute pain but his untold amount of years of pain tolerance allowed him to keep that outburst in check.

Naruto watched Iris fall to the ground in slow motion with a shocked look on her face. At the same time inside of Naruto's mindscape Sōkyoku who was monitoring the battle and the sudden use of her powers received a backlash that momentarily stunned the titanic phoenix. A fluctuation in her powers cause a shockwave to shoot out through her cage and spread across the entire mindscape. Sōkyoku's errant power slammed into the massive rusted golden bars at the base of the mountain causing a noticeable crack to form in one of the many bars. The lake that could be seen that formed around the gate started to turn red and the water itself started to heat up and steam. For the first time since first arriving in Naruto's mindscape Sōkyoku heard a low deep primal growl emanated from deep behind the bars inside the cave of the mountain.

Sōkyoku's emerald eyes narrowed as she realized what was about to happen. But before she could send out any more of her power to fix what just happened she was rattled by a terrifying scream of terror. "IRIS!"

Naruto screamed as his bruised and battered body was suddenly revitalized as Iris's body hit the ground. Iris's face slowly started to transition from a look of shock to unrestricted pain. Tears could be seen rolling down Iris's face as she struggled to move her body. Ruby red blood started to flow out of her body along with white and gold particles. She was staring up into the sky with her emerald eyes immediately turning back to aqua blue. Her eyes were moving frantically around but they were starting to get hazy.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades. This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Summoning Technique. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body.

2.) **Fang Over Fang -** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. When this attack is done alone, it is called Passing Fang.

3.) **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation -** A move that Naruto came up with in the heat of battle mixed in with his determination to escape a dire situation he found himself in. Coating himself in his Accel Cloak Naruto who has a sword or bladed weapon in his hands _{It can be a real weapon or one created from his Ice Style}_ disappears in a burst of speed granted to him by his _Accel Turn_ and swiftly decapitates his target in one fluid and quick motion. The victim will have no time to react since this technique is used at point black range and it is used during the element of surprise which will catch the opponent off guard.

4.) **Hidden Jutsu: Beetle Sphere -** This technique covers the enemy's entire body with the kikaichū living inside the Aburame clan member's body. The chakra-sensing kikaichū spread over a wide range, and the moment they locate the enemy, the insects, following the user's orders, gather at once. The insects completely surround the target, making a globe. They then attach themselves to the enemy and begin eating away at their chakra bit by bit. Before long, death will arrive. Even if the target manages to escape, the insects will immediately follow it.

5.) **Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu -** A move that Naruto created that allows him to form thin icicles that he can launch at incredible speeds that most people can't track. It has a massive amount of penetration power since it was able to shoot straight through Mizuki's shoulder blade despite the fact that he had on his flak jacket. It pierced through the bones in his shoulder.

6.) **Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto developed that allows him to slam into an area and create a massive construct of ice that breaks apart and cuts deeply into anything in the surrounding area with millions of little icicle shards. It is an area effect Jutsu that covers large distances.

7.) **Artemis -** A new ability shown by Chaos. While her wings are manifested she can conjure her tainted flames and target multiple objects or enemies at the same time using her targeting systems. When they fire they are fast, traveling two to three times faster than the fire balls she shoots from her hands. They are smaller and in the shape of bullets. They have a lot of piercing power but a lower amount of explosive power. They are good at intercepting or bombarding targets.

8.) **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

9.) **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu -** A Fire style Jutsu that is often employed by the Uchiha clan. It is similar to the Fire ball Jutsu in a lot of ways but instead of one large fire ball it creates several small fire balls with half the power of a regular fire ball Jutsu. This Jutsu is often used to hit multiple opponents at once or to bombard a single opponent.

10.) **Double Acceleration -** The next level to Naruto's signature Acceleration Technique. This move is so strong that when it is used it unleashes a shockwave of pure chakra that can shatter and blow things in the immediate vicinity away. The move also blows away the opponent in which Naruto decides to use this move on. The level of speed Naruto attains with this is more than what a high level Jonin can produce using a Body Flicker. The explosive speed is immense and destructive.

11.) **Acceleration Punch -** The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

12.) **Yōjutsu: Tiger Claw -** Jūra's signature technique. The Great Demon coats his claw like hands in a white skin layer of Yōki and focuses a considerable amount of said Yōki around his actual nails that sharpen into incredibly durable and sharp claws capable of tearing through steel. It is Jūra's signature technique that he always falls back on. He can also use the attack to counter or defend against other attacks since the Yōki surrounding his hands is thick enough to offer him some protection.

13.) **Phoenix Fire: Heat Wave -** A magic attack that Iris invented during the heat of battle. This technique rapidly heats up the atmosphere around Iris to the boiling point. At full strength the heat could be comparable to standing on the surface of the sun. The heat is so much that any organic matter around Iris will evaporate almost instantly and inorganic materials will begin to melt after a short amount of exposure to this technique. Iris herself is left completely unharmed by the intense heat but any other person around her would die if they didn't flee in time.

14.) **Lightning Blade -** A technique that was created by Kakashi Hatake. It is a S-Rank Jutsu that is made for one hit kills and assassinations. It is so powerful that it was said Kakashi split a real lightning bolt in half with it. It is a more concentrated and enhanced form of the Lightning Style: Chidori Jutsu the parent Jutsu to the Lightning Blade and also a Jutsu that Kakashi created. It is also the very first and his only original technique that he has credit for using. All derived Jutsu from the Lightning Blade was also created by Kakashi unlike the hundreds of Jutsu that he knows that he did not create.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Well guys I now leave you on an evil cliff hanger. Now that Jūra is here to shake up the party we can expect him to continue to wreck everyone's day or is the tide of the battle going to change? But the big question on every bodies minds right now is what is going to happen to Iris? Is she ok? What will happen from here? You'll just have to stay tuned and find out.

The next chapter will be... _**(Final Confrontation: Demon (Part:2)**_

 _By the way this chapter and chapter 25 used to all be one large Chapter 24 with a total of 14,071 words. So I split it up and this chapter now has 6,265 words total. Of course not counting the Head and Foot Notes._

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 _That's the end of Chapter 24 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 6/30/2016


	26. Ch: 25 Final Confrontation: Demon Pt 2

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ __Hey everybody. Today is special. It's my birthday and we got a two in one special served up today since I'm in a great mood.

Hey guys this is the moment we've all been waiting for. The moment where Naruto loses it and unleashes the power of the Nine Tails for the first time. I hope I do this scene justice because I add my own little spin to Naruto's Initial Stage Transformation. The battle has reached its climax and this will be crazy. How will everyone survive this with an enraged Jinchūriki rampaging around the bridge, especially when its a father who's concerned for his children.

Only one way to find out. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 25

 _ **Final Confrontation: Demon (Part: 2)**_

A power unlike anything was suddenly unleashed form Naruto's body. A dark red miasma quickly started to leak out of his body. It was like a cloud as it swallowed Naruto whole. It started to swirl around Naruto's body in thick wisps and reach up into the air. The miasma condensed into a large sphere above Naruto's body and took on the shape of a highly detailed head shaped just like the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. A total of nine thick wisps of condensed energy bands were swirling around Naruto's body. Kakashi, Anko, and Kurenai's eyes all widened in absolute horror since they knew exactly what was happening, but more than that the chakra they were feeling right now coming off of Naruto was something none of them would ever forget for as long as they lived and it's a chakra none of them has felt since the night of Naruto's birth. Zabuza's eyes widened in sheer disbelieve. _'No way… this kid… He's a Jinchūriki just like Yagura.'_

Naruto's eyes turned a deep shade of vibrant scarlet and his pupil elongated into thin animalistic slits. Naruto's sharp and somewhat pronounced K9's grew out and became sharper as well as the rest of his teeth. Every single strand of hair on his body stood up straight into the air and his hair become extremely frizzy and spikier. His nails elongated until they turned into small sharp claws since the nails themselves sharpened themselves off into pointy tips. The last of the changes to occur and one of the most noticeable and significant was the fact that the six whisker marks on his cheeks elongated and become extremely think and pronounced. The amount of chakra coming off of his body was so staggering that it cracked the concrete below his feet and forced Naruto down onto all fours in a predatory like attack stance that was highly animalistic.

This was not the only change going on at the moment. Eva herself went through a change. Her golden wings once more turned a sickly coal black and black snow started to flake off of them. Her beautiful blue eyes were a blood red and her hair was frizzy. Her tiny little nails also sharpened into claws.

All around the bridge dark nearly black storm clouds rolled in unannounced and immediately pitch black snow started to fall onto the bridge. A foul miasma filled the air with a wicked killing intent that was so potent and strong it was enough to cause Ami and Kasumi to pass out instantly. Fuki wasn't lasting much better either and neither was Sakura. Sasuke was paralyzed on the spot and his eyes were glazed over. It would seem like his body was reliving an experience and it was causing him to go into shock. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata couldn't believe what they were seeing as none of them especially Hinata has ever seen Naruto this enraged before.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Naruto roared as his killing intent spiked to unimaginable levels. With that none of the Genin present could withstand the pressure anymore and they all collapsed to the floor unconscious in a heap. Kakashi and the others presence were pouring out copious amounts of sweat since the three leaf Jōnin knew exactly what was happening. A nightmare none of them ever wanted to experience again. Zabuza knew exactly what this feeling was since he comes from a Hidden Village that has two powerful shinobi who are also Jinchūriki and not only is one of them the Fourth Mizukage but he's also the man Zabuza tried to assassinate. As for Chaos who was attending to Iris she was at her limit. The amount of negative energy in the air was too much for her to handle especially since the source of it was her father whose emotions are potent to her. Chaos had a dark aura around her and her eyes were a deep shade of ruby red as her scanner like retinas took in everything around her.

A deep black glow was coming from the center of Chaos's being and it was fueling this dark miasmic cloud surrounding her. Despite the overwhelming aura Naruto was producing at the moment the four Jōnin were still able to sense the power coming off of little Chaos and if they could sum it up in one descriptive sentence then they would say that her aura felt like death itself had come for them. Being who they were each of them has had near death experiences before out on the battle fields and in those moments when they could feel their bodies going numb and the presence of death itself creeping up on them was the exact same feeling they were getting from Chaos only 10 times as strong.

Before any of the four Jōnin could do anything Naruto shot off like a bullet sending a shockwave of freezing cold air their way that instantly started to put frost on their skins. Jūra had a stunned look on her face as he was not expecting the sheer speed of Naruto's attack. He was socked right in the face and was thrown through the air until he hit one of the last few undamaged cranes on the bridge. He completely crumpled the iron and steel that made up the scaffolding for the crane and it was a miracle that it was even able to stand. Although the structure was starting to lean forward though.

Naruto landed on the ground on all fours, the concrete around him erupted with ice all over the place. With a grunt Jūra used his brute strength to plow his way out of the impromptu metal cage he found himself in. His face had bruise starting to form on it. _'This power is unreal. The others would want to know about this.'_ Jūra thought to himself. "Now that's what I'm talking about kid. This power is amazing." Jūra barked out. Naruto let out a rage filled roar as he tore across the bridge at a fast pace leaving Jūra with almost no time to react.

Ducking under a vicious claw strike from Naruto Jūra retaliated with one of his own. Naruto's momentum allowed him to escape the counter attack and without missing a beat Naruto launched off of the damaged crane and dove right at Jūra who back flipped out of the way causing Naruto to plow right into the concrete pavement of the bridge kicking up slabs of concrete and breaking the support and reinforcement bars embedded deep within the concrete slabs. Even maintenance and service pipes could be seen cracked and broken.

Jūra was given no time to think before Naruto bum rushed him and tackled him across the bridge into a pallet of 48 diameter steel pipes which cracked the first few in the pallet. Moving his head to the side Jūra just barely missed the punch that would have cracked his head in that Naruto threw. Naruto's punched broke through the pipe next to Jūra's head. Jūra attempted to swipe Naruto across his rib cage to deal severe damage to the enraged boy but Jūra was knocked off balance when Naruto yanked his hand back with a now completely frozen over steel pipe and smacked Jūra across the back with it shattering the layer of ice that was built up on it and deforming the steel tube in the spot where Naruto hit Jūra with.

Tumbling back over to the middle of the bridge Jūra stood up and sent a glare at Naruto. "Ok brat you've asked for it." Jūra threaten as a white magic circle appeared under him with the central design being that of a tiger. A huge cannon of mostly black and brown with gold finishes and a coating of the same color around the barrel appeared in Jūra's hands. "You want to play boy, well eat this!" Jūra yelled as he took aim with his cannon. **"Thunder Cannon!"** Jūra roared as a lightning ball made up of condensed Yōki shot out of the barrel with a startling bang and flash.

Naruto still shrouded in a red aura crouched down to the ground and a low deep growl emanated from the back of his throat. Pushing up Naruto unleashed a beastly roar that was accompanied by a red shockwave that pushed against the electro ball headed his way. The unstable energies exploded in the middle between them but Naruto's shockwave still carried on for some time pushing the dust cloud back to Jūra instead of to everyone. Appearing in front of Jūra with a snarl and a presence that was buffeting the great demon Naruto launched a sonic wave from a claw strike that almost tore off Jūra's head but instead the shockwave cut the damaged crane in half causing the machine to come crashing down with a bang. The crane itself slid off the bridge due to its great weight and everyone heard the sound of a large splash after the crane scrapped itself off the bridge.

Not done yet Naruto twisted into a devastating snap roundhouse kick that cracked the armor plating on Jūra's back and sent the man back into the ruins of the destroyed crane. Releasing a mighty roar Naruto slammed his hand into the concrete ground and his red chakra cloak released yet another shockwave but this time a mixture of amethyst and charcoal black icicle spears came erupting from the ground and heading straight for Jūra's position. Exploding into the area the entire corner of the bridge was frozen over. Still in an all fours position Naruto was emanating a deep beastly growl and his red animalistic eyes were zoomed in on the spot where Jūra was supposed to be.

Before anyone could release the breath they were holding a deep baritone of a moan came from out at sea right next to the bridge. Everyone including Naruto turned their eyes out to the sea which they could see since most of the fog had been blown away long ago. Chaos's eyes were scanning the sea until they widened in surprise. The four adults who were next to her and Iris were about to question her when to their surprise Chaos started to float up into the air with a psychotic smile on her face. Her purple blade like wings were keeping her afloat. Everyone's eyes widened to the size of saucers when they all spotted a massive dark spot moving through the ocean. The spot was about the size of a small island and they could tell whatever it was that it was massive. Another moan now louder reached everyone's ears when the thing partially surfaced and everyone could see this diamond hard rocky surface that had frightening stone spikes sticking out in every direction and massive crater like holes littering the surface of it. The color was dark brown nearly black in color and water was pouring off of its surface for breaking the surface of the water.

One final moan the loudest of them all reached everyone before one out of the many crater like holes littering the things body suddenly started to glow a bright white and static electricity started to spark up around the entrance to the hole. A bang. That was what everyone could describe the sound as. A massive electromagnetic ball of pure lightning infused and packed with highly volatile and potent Yōki about the size of a 2 story house was shot off out of the crater like hole on the creatures back and shot up into the sky in an arc. Once it reached its maximum height it began to descend towards the bridge and everyone on it. A spark of sanity could be seen in Naruto's eyes at that moment as he thought back to what Shoko told him and the others in her final moments before being put into a near death like state at the end of her mission to the Wharf over 3 years ago. All the pieces in the puzzle fit together for Naruto in that instance and because of that even more of the Nine Tails chakra came rushing out of him like a fountain as his rage was taken to new heights. He now knew exactly what happened to Shoko on that day and he has never felt this angry in his entire life.

No one knew what to do. None of the Jōnin have ever witnessed an attack quite like it in their lives. The closest thing they could equate it to would be a Tailed Beast Ball from a tailed beast or a special attack by a Boss Summoning Creature capable of Ninjutsu, and since attacks of that scale are highly uncommon none of them knew how to even attempt to block such an attack. Kakashi grabbed his wrist and channeled as much of his remaining chakra as he possibly could into it.

" **Lightning Blade!"** Kakashi announced. This technique gained its name when Kakashi first perfected it by splitting a natural bolt of lightning form a thunderstorm in half. Even at max strength he didn't know if he even had the strength necessary to block such an attack but he was not about to sit idly by when his comrades were in danger. It wasn't in him to give up when his back was against the wall. That wasn't the way he did things. At the same time Anko was gathering a considerable amount of her remaining chakra and she was busy channeling it into a Summoning Jutsu. Most likely to summon a snake big enough to either block the attack or get everyone off the bridge before the attack hit.

" **Thunder Cannon!"** Jūra's voice roared and out of the icy block that he found himself in nearly a dozen beach ball sized electro balls were launched at Naruto destroying the icy prison Jūra was in and distracting the other Jōnin form completing their attacks. Even with Naruto's greatly enhanced reaction time he was just to completely caught off guard to dodge the barrage of lightning spheres and his surrounding area was lit up with multiple explosions.

With no time to help Naruto Kakashi had to make a decision as so with a heavy heart for multiple reasons the gray haired Jōnin charged across the bridge with his lightning covered fist charging up. He was prepared to leap off the bridge in the air and stop the attack before it hit the bridge and killed everyone. However, he would never get the chance to do such a thing.

" **Aegis!"**

A massive light blue hexagonal patterned shield erected itself around the bridge just as the attack hit creating an explosion that rocked the very foundations of the bridge and churned the waters of the sea into a raging beast. Smoke and sea water filtered into the shield as everyone could see patches of hexagons were missing from the overall shield and after a few moments the shield started to flicker in and out before finally disappearing. The four adults looked up to see Chaos with a massive grin stretched across her face. A dark aura was about her and the look in her eyes was enough to make even the Jōnin a bit weary of her.

"You threw a really big curve ball mister turtle, let's see if I can make a fast ball!" Chaos said in a maniacally tone of voice as she held out her hand about her head and a massive ball of tainted flames that was at least five times her size. Her purple blade like wings grew in size and became almost organic and malleable as they started to twist into a barrel. Sparks of dark lightning like energy started to admit itself out of the barrel as the heat was so strong you could see it evaporating the moister in the air. "This pitch needs a cool name; oh I know what I'll call it. I'll call it…"

" **Chaos Cannon!"** Chaos shouted as she unleashed her sphere of tainted flames with a bang not unlike the one the creature who apparently Chaos was able to identify as a turtle did. The projectile that is at least 1/3rd the size of the turtle's attack shot through the air with tremendous speed and it was headed straight for the massive beast as it let out another loud moan. A spark appeared in another of the turtle's holes which could be called cannons at this point and another lightning ball was being charged up. However, it would never get the time to launch is since Chaos's lightning fast attack slammed right into the hole the Lightning ball was being charged in. The two attacks collided on the surface of the turtle's shell and the creature let out a head shaking moan of pain as a massive explosion unleashed lightning sparks all around the creature's body that damaged it quite badly due to its own attack pretty much being detonated inside of its body.

Everyone was astounded by what they had just witnessed. No one thought that Chaos had that much power. Especially Anko and Kakashi who actually knew her. More loud moans of pains could be heard and everyone widened their eyes beyond belief when the head of the turtle rose out of the water. It was a massively long neck that was at least a quarter of a mile long at the very least and the head itself was covered in a thick green leather like skin that looked extremely sturdy. The back of its neck all the way back down its spine back into its shell was covered in segmented like armor was black in color and that looked exactly like the substance the turtles shell was made out of. Two massive red rectangular eyes gazed out at the world above the sea. Six jagged cylindrical like horns three on each side of the turtle's head almost made it look like it was wearing a helmet or crown.

It let out an ear splitting roar or pain and anger that was very high pitched and far louder than the moans it was making earlier. "Incredible… this thing is even bigger than the Three Tails…" Zabuza muttered in awe at the sheer size of the Demon Turtle in front of them as it managed with its sheer girth and size to eclipse the hulking frame of the Dreaded **Three Tails Giant Turtle**.

"Gōra no!" Jūra roared in shock and anger while also revealing the name of the small island sized Turtle sitting in the bay of the country of wave. Now that the whole body of Gōra was revealed a black scorch mark could be seeing on the side of its shell where one of his many cannons were. Sparks of electricity was flying off the massive turtle as it was still recovering from having its own attack forcefully detonated while still in its body. Turing rage filled eyes to Chaos who was floating in the air and low on power after the stunt she pulled Jūra took aim with his large battle cannon. "You fucking little brat! Die!"

" **Thunder Cannon!"**

Launching a beach ball sized round of electricity at Chaos everyone watched in shock as the attack hit a stunned Chaos whose sensors and systems were rattling around inside the tiny girl's heads warning her of the incoming danger but the fact that Chaos just used an amount of power that she's never had to use before in her tiny little body caused her to be to slow on her reaction time. Chaos let out a muffled scream of pain. Her first ever reaction to any pain whatsoever as the ball of electricity hit her dead center causing the long blond haired little girl to fall out of the sky.

"Chaos!" Anko yell out in mortification. Kakashi reacted instantly. Pulling out a long string of ninja wire attached to a kunai the gray haired man threw the knife through the air and when it reached where Chaos would be Kakashi tugged on the wire causing it to bend and curve around Chaos's body when she hit the wire. Wrapped securely around Chaos's waist Kakashi pulled on the wire and yanked Chaos out of her nose dive into the river below the bridge. Feeling the wire go slack in his grip Kakashi reached and grabbed Chaos out of the air who was in a semi-conscious state and was twitching from the electricity coursing through her robotic body that almost no one knew about.

~Overload…~

~Severe Damage…~

~Need repairs…~

These mantras and many more like it was being mumbled out of Chaos's mouth as she rambled things that none of the four adults knew about let alone could understand. What was a flux capacitor or a rotator coil? Things that made no sense what so ever were being projected out of Chaos mouth as her scanners glazed over and shifted through copious amounts of damage report data in front of Chaos barely functioning eyes.

A crushing force slammed into everyone as they felt Naruto's killing intent and chakra levels surge to heights that they didn't even want to entertain. A beastly roar that sound almost like a loud shout of "no" was heard from Naruto's mouth as everybody could see his crimson eyes focused solely on Chaos's incapacitated form and for the briefest moments everybody could see a look of pain, panic, intense worry, self-loathing, shame, and much more in Naruto's eyes and it was clear for all of them to see but as soon as it was there it was then viciously swallowed up by a tidal wave of pure anger and hatred.

"RRRRRRAAAAAARRRR!" Naruto screamed in rage at not only seeing one but both his daughters, the center of his whole universe both down and incapacitated. What was worst was that he knew if he had done things differently, then none of this would have happened. He couldn't leave them behind because their powers would start to become more unstable the farther away he would get especially since they would get very irritable form being separated from him for so long so that would screw up his chakra control and make him almost useless during the mission especially since he would be worried sick about them as well and that would leave him vulnerable and distracted for the entire time they were on the mission. So he had no choice but to bring along his daughter but he knew if he had made better choices than things could have turned out differently. At least that was what he thought in his head.

The red chakra cloak that was surrounding Naruto was slowly starting to change. Dark red bubbles were starting to appear on the surface of Naruto's skin and the chakra cloak was starting to solidify and turn a darker shade of red. "He's losing control. If we don't do something fast, we may lose not just Naruto but this entire country as well." Kakashi said gravely. He had no disillusion as to what would happen if Naruto lost full control. The Nine Tails would be released from its 12-year-old prison. The strongest of the Nine Tailed Beast would be free to roam the world again and the first thing it would do in order to get revenge against all that had wronged it would be to wipe the entire island nation off the face of the world in a matter of minutes. For a being such as itself that would be far beneath child's play. Especially since a single flick from one of its tails can create massive Tsunami's and since they were on a medium sized chain of islands the effects of the Nine Tails being released in this area would be catastrophic.

Kakashi also had no illusions that he would be able to put up a fight against that force of nature. The simple matter of the fact was that Kakashi was a world renown Elite Jōnin well on his way to one day becoming an S – Rank Shinobi who are said to be monsters in human clothing but the fact was Kakashi wasn't there yet and even if he was S class shinobi still have immense trouble dealing with Tailed Beast let alone the strongest of them.

"RRRRAAAARRRR!" Naruto roared as he swiped both of his arms out in two different directions. A massive sonic boom was released as two different sonic waves were launched off of Naruto's limbs. One headed straight for Jūra who saw it coming but knew the blast was too fast and wide for him to dodge so he powered himself up as a large white aura of pure Yōki overtook him and Naruto's wave of pure energy slammed into Jūra with the force of a meteor sending Jūra flying across the bridge all the way to the end were the unfinished part was. His armor was ripped to shreds and his clothes suffered major damage.

The second blast flew off the bridge and traveled over to Gōra going more than a 100 miles an hour. Since there was a large gap of distance between Gōra and the bridge he saw the attack coming and had more time to prepare. He moved his enormous neck out of the way of the blast but the large turtle was not expecting the chakra or the sheer cutting pressure of the attack and a nasty chunk of flesh and soft padding of segmented neck armor was ripped off of the giant demon's neck causing the turtle to unleash a cry of pain that caused the waters to churn underneath it from the shockwave its voice made alone. It let out a pained filled moan as its elongated massive neck toppled over into the sea with a massive splash that jostled the water all the way underneath the bridge nearly a half a mile away.

"Gōra! Dammit… I've had my fun for the day kid but trust me the hunt is just beginning. I'll be back before you know it." Jūra said as he dispelled his cannon and leapt off the bridge into the waters below. A bullet of a shadow could be seen right underneath the water's surface speeding off into the open sea away from the bay and over to the hulking form of Gōra the massive island sized turtle. There was nothing the Shinobi could do to stop the man's escape especially since they were in no condition to give chase and they had an out of control Jinchūriki who was losing control of himself.

"We'll worry about them later we have to stop Naruto." Anko said as she focused her attention of her surrogate little brother who she loved dearly. "At full strength the four of us combined would be able to subdue him especially since he hasn't progressed to far into his transformation but we are all beat to hell. We don't stand a chance now." Zabuza pointed out as he used his massive sword as a crutch to lean against. He was feeling the massive exhaustion of the battle and he was not looking forward to finishing off his day by subduing a rampaging Jinchūriki, that was not a part of his to do list for the day.

Just then the four Jōnin sensed nearly a dozen chakra signatures appear on the bridge near them and they tensed until it was revealed who it was. Aria and the rest of the Mafia team had shown up after sensing the massive spike in chakra that could be felt all the way back in the town of wave. "Oh my god… master?" Aria called out in fright. The scene she was looking at was something she would never have even imagined. Words failed her at this point. "What happened?" Aspen questioned in a no nonsense tone. He was skipping pleasantries and small talk despite the fact he hasn't seen Kakashi his old ANBU squad mate in years. "It's a very long story but the seal is starting to weaken, we need to subdue him and stop him before he unleashes any more of the fox's chakra." Kakashi informed grimly.

A factor that the members of the mafia noticed right away was how freezing cold it was and how it was getting colder and colder the closer they got to the bridge. A black storm cloud could be seen all the way back in the town hovering over the bridge and stretching out just a little farther than that and then stopping while the rest of the sky was mostly blue skies. It was very foreboding and ominous and it was one of the many reasons why the mafia team decided to hurry to the bridge.

A few members of the mafia were attending to the Genin who were all knocked out and Aria and Henrietta took notice of Hinata's knocked out form. "What happened to Hinata?" Henrietta fretted as she was instantly by her best friend's side. None of the four Jōnin have met Henrietta before with only Anko knowing who the girl was but never getting the chance to meet her. But they could see the obvious concern in the chestnut haired girl's eyes as she gazed at Kurenai's student in worry.

"Little miss!" Aria called out in concern. It was a nickname that she developed for Iris and Chaos and it was her way of addressing the two little girls who she thought of as her mistresses. Aria's instincts as a low class supernatural being instantly reacted when she first met the twins. The sheer overwhelming dominant aura she could feel coming from them instantly made her subservient and submissive to the girls that were obviously on the highest end of the food chain compared to her.

"What happened to them?" Aria cried in alarm. She was terrified to even know that the two little girls were harmed in any way. To make it worst was that it wasn't some simple scrapped knee or a cut on the elbow. There injuries were severe. "They were injured in the battle; we don't know how to help them." Kurenai answered as she sized up the two younger girls that was showing so much concern for Naruto and those associated with them. "We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else." Kakashi stated.

"Then we'll need to do this quickly. It would appear that he can't handle to much of the fox's chakra." Aspen said as he stepped up besides the others. "Aspen the man with nine lives. I never would have thought I would be able to meet another of the Hidden Leafs powerful Jōnin, even if you did retire." Zabuza conversed as he sized up the tall man besides him. Everyone knows who Aspen is. Like Kakashi he is an Elite Jōnin with prestigious talent but what makes him famous like Kakashi and Guy is that he has incredible knowledge of the criminal underworld and he is a master spy and knows the information of every known criminal in both the civilian and shinobi bingo book. His vast knowledge is what makes him so famous and dangerous and it helps that he has quite the bit of talent as a ninja and can back up his knowledge with power. That and he has survived many near death experiences which has earned him the nickname the man with nine lives.

Jose seeing things about to get rough decided it was best to take Iris and Chaos with him away from the fight but the second Naruto who at this point was losing his mind let out a beastly roar. "Stay away from them!" He roared as he set his sights on the gathered adults. His crimson red eyes were clouded over and they could tell that he didn't recognize them anymore. The cloak was solid at this point and fox like ears and one long tail of bubbling see through dark red chakra was around his body.

" **Light Screen."** Aria called out as a golden honeycomb patterned second skin appeared on everyone's body including her own. The light from the attack soon faded and the barrier disappeared. "I think I know how we can stop him." Aria stated. "How, and what did you do?" Kurenai asked. "I just put up a barrier around us. If he hits us with any long range attacks or energy based attacks like his Ninjutsu we should be protected from the brunt of it." Aria explained. "If I can put him to sleep then maybe the Nine Tails influence will go away." Aria suggested. "But you'd need to put him into a powerful Genjutsu to knock him out since the Nine Tails chakra is so potent. Are you strong enough for such a task?" Kurenai asked as she gauged Aria's reaction.

"It doesn't matter if I'm strong enough or not. He's my master and I will get him back to normal." Aria said with a powerful conviction in her tone that shocked the others that didn't know her. Before anything else could be said Naruto tensed his legs. "Here he comes!" Aspen warned as Naruto disappeared from his spot. A bang was heard as Aspen managed barely to intercept Naruto's charge. Naruto was headed straight for Jose who had Iris and Chaos in his arms. "You stay right here." Aspen grunted as his skin was staring to burn because of the acidic nature of the Nine Tails Chakra. "Aria!" Aspen called.

" **Confusion!"** Aria chanted as her eyes glowed blue and a blue outline of energy surrounded her body. The same outline surrounded Naruto as well who suddenly stopped pressuring Aspen. Naruto's body was lifted off the ground and turned towards Aria's direction who was struggling to have her power overpower that of the nine tails. Her medallions hanging from her neck started to glow with her psychic energy. Not liking this in the least Naruto let out a roar that broke Aria's concentration. Landing on his feet he glared at Aria with such hatred that the young witch wanted to break down and cry. Charging at the witch Naruto was going to run Aria through with his claw like hands.

" **Agility** and **Reflect**." Aria chanted as she used her powers to make her body extremely light, fast, and agile. A rectangular clear glass pane appeared in front of Aria right as Naruto slashed down with his claw like hand. Naruto shattered Aria's barrier but do to the nature of the barrier the concussive force that would have blown her back was neutralized. With Arias now enhanced reaction speed she then threw up several more barriers just in time to block incoming rage filled strikes form Naruto at all angles. Naruto shattered each barrier he came in contact with but it wasn't getting him any closer to Aria and he wasn't harming her as much as he would want to. Releasing a shockwave accompanied by a blast of chakra with his latest roar it sailed right into Aria who was blown back but as this was happening the golden barrier form her light screen shined on her body dissipating the chakra wave that surely would have burned her if it had hit.

Disappearing with nearly Jōnin like speed thanks to her Agility Ability Aria appeared right in front of Naruto who was to slow to react. **"Psychic!"** Aria chanted as Naruto was blow away by Aria and right into a large pallet of cinderblocks. "We need to end this quickly." Aspen said as he went through some hand signs. **"Earth Style: Earth Assimilation Jutsu!"** Aspen called out as the cinderblocks all around Naruto changed form and started to mold around his body perfectly like a second skin. Aria's body glowed green as well as her eyes as she used her **Telekinesis** ability to levitate one of the large steel tubes from the destroyed pallet and placed it around Naruto's body so that the concrete and cinderblocks would mold around it into the perfect prison.

Aria's medallions started to glow with psychic power again. **"Psybeam!"** Aria chanted as two rainbow colored beams of energy shot of right into Naruto's face and more directly into his eyes. The blast itself didn't hurt him but that was not Aria's intentions. When the energy dissipated everyone could see a distinct looked of confusion and if he was standing a complete loss of balance in Naruto's eyes. His rage filled eyes were replaced with just pure confusion but the chakra was still there. "Now let's end this. **Hypnosis**." Aria chanted as her eyes glowed red and Naruto's eyes started to sag until they closed completely.

Not even wasting a second Aspen leapt forward and slapped a chakra suppressing seal over Naruto's forehead which instantly started to evaporate the Chakra cloak around his body. _'Incredible… who is this girl?'_ That was what Kurenai was thinking as she gazed at Aria with awe. The other three Jōnin were also visibly surprised at Aria as well.

"Well damn Aria I never knew you had it in you. You're always sticking to that house maid routine that I never thought you could be this strong." Anko praised with a small clap of her hands and a raised eyebrow. Anko has known Aria ever since she moved in with Naruto and they have hung out a lot ever since then but Anko never pegged Aria to be a fighter. Sure Anko has seen Aria constantly on a daily basis using her psychic and telekinetic abilities to help her out with her day to day chores and activities she busied herself with and as an experienced Shinobi Anko could see various applications of Aria's unique powers but the snake loving woman never saw Aria use her powers for anything but domestic uses.

"It was nothing Anko. Master was in trouble so I was just doing my duty to protect him… even if that meant I had to protect him from himself this time." Aria said with an extremely embarrassed blush on her face. She had pulled down her oversized witch hat to cover up her blushing face. "Master?" Kurenai questioned incredulously. She didn't particularly like the fact that a Genin who was 12 years old had what appeared to be a 15 or 16-year-old maid or servant who called him master. There was a lot of questions floating around not just in Kurenai's head.

"Yes… Naruto is my master." Aria said cheerfully although the blush on her face didn't diminish. "It's a long story." Anko said before Kurenai could open her mouth to question the young witch further. Turing to her longtime friend Kurenai gave Anko an incredulous look as well. "…a long story." Anko emphasized.

"Be that as it may we still need to help the girls out. They are in very bad conditions." Kakashi said as he brought the conversation back on track. Looking over to Iris and Chaos as he said this Kakashi's eyes widened in near disbelieve as they saw the huge gaping hole in Iris's abdomen completely sealed off. The skin over it now was still bruised but it would slowly heal in a couple of days. "Incredible. Such healing?" Kurenai said with awe in her voice. Her ruby red eyes were looking at Iris's stomach only to see skin instead of a fist sized hole. "I think they'll be fine… for the most part." Anko said as she looked at Iris's now nonexistent injury before she shifted her attention over to Chaos who was twitching with tiny sparks coming off of her body.

"We need to get everybody back to the house. We've all took a beating and now that the threat is finally over I say we recover for a few days then proceed from there." Kakashi suggested now that no real threat would be coming by anytime soon. Gatō was now neutralized and his monopoly and empire over the country was completely destroyed by the coalition of Ninja and Mafia. The two powerful Demons who mysteriously showed up were injured by an enraged Naruto so they wouldn't be surfacing anytime soon based on how Jūra was acting.

"What about the Genin? How are we going to explain Naruto to them?" Kurenai asked. She didn't want to be around when they had to explain just what Naruto was to the rest of his peers. It wasn't something she was looking forward to. "You won't have to. The Third Hokage's Law is still in effect and he didn't want Naruto's generation learning about the Nine Tails and treating him differently. We'll simply wipe their minds of this event." Aspen said with his business like tone. "Are you sure that's alright? Can we do that?" Kurenai asked as she looked towards her two colleges.

"It's for the best. Naruto should be the one to tell them of his burden when he is ready. Not when such a situation was thrust upon him. They all saw what was happening before they passed out. Half of them would be terrified of him especially of the killing intent and chakra he was giving off. Just because they weren't even born or old enough to remember that night doesn't mean they won't still be afraid of him. They'll want answers… answers I'm afraid Naruto would be too ashamed and scared to provide and that would only drive a wedge in between not only my team but the rest of his peers. Naruto is a naturally secretive and distrustful person, he wouldn't just reveal that secret about himself to anybody and whenever he is pressured or backed into a corner he shuts down or lashes out. I don't really blame him after the childhood he has had to endure but we should wait until he is ready before any from his generation should know." Kakashi said as he stared at Naruto sadly with his eyes. He was remembering his days back in ANBU when he would have to guard Naruto from attackers. Even assassination attempts that even Naruto didn't know about. But most importantly he was remembering Naruto's fourth birthday.

"Then I'll wipe their memory." Aspen said and he proceeded to do just that. He used a special Jutsu created by the Yamanaka Clan that is taught to all ANBU Black Ops agents that allows them to selectively wipe out segments of a victim's memory. It is a very useful technique for those of the ANBU profession. "Wait… Hinata already knows about the Fox." Anko spoke up before Aspen could get to Hinata. "She what?" Kurenai blurted out wide eyed. "Yeah… she knows. Naruto told her soon after the incident with Mizuki. Hinata's Byakugan is very powerful and sharp. Ever since they were little she has been able to see the different chakras and energies circulating around inside of Naruto and she's even seen the Fox's on occasion whenever Naruto molds chakra in front of her. She's the only one in their class that he trusted even remotely enough to tell such information about. In fact, he doesn't hide anything from her. They are very close you know." Anko explained.

"How come you never told me this. I mean I know they are best friends and all. He comes by all the time whenever are team assignments are done and he whisks her away and sometimes brings Shino with him. But I never knew their friendship was that strong." Kurenai admitted with wide eyes. There was a lot about not just her own student that she didn't know. "I'm sorry Kurenai but like Kakashi said Naruto is a very mistrustful and paranoid person. He keeps his friends and secrets very close and he doesn't like information of any kind getting to people he doesn't know or trust. It's just how the little brat is. Besides Hinata's babysat Iris and Chaos many times since they've been born. If I'm not mistaken not only was she the first person he told about them, but she's been taken care of them longer than Aria has." Anko revealed as she put her finger to her lip in a thinking pose. She was recalling this information since it wasn't something she thought of very often.

Kurenai was shocked speechless by this revelation as she looked between Hinata, Naruto, Iris and Chaos. Zabuza himself raised an eyebrow at all of this as he was deeply curious about Naruto's past. "We should get Naruto out of that now sir." Aria said shyly with a bit of a sweat drop behind her head. Naruto was trapped within a giant metal tube covered in dried cement. It wasn't exactly comfortable. "Dully noted." Aspen said as he held up a hand sign and the cement started to pour out of the large pipe leaving Naruto's stiff but unharmed body to drop into the tube.

"We will help you bring everyone back to the house of the bridge builder but after that we must be on our way. We have stayed long enough and our mission is finished." Aspen said as the rest of the members started to pick up the unconscious bodies of the Genin while a few of the other went around and sealed up the bodies of the enemy Chūnin and Jōnin. "But sir, master needs me now. We can't just leave." Aria protested with a distraught look on her face. She didn't fancy the thought of leaving her injured family behind just because their mission was complete. She vowed to always take care of them. "That can't be helped. Our mission is now complete, and we need to report to Lord Dino immediately. We cannot stay and mingle here any longer. A relief team is on its way here to finish establishing a base of operations in this sector and they will relieve us of our post. Naruto's teammates will take care of him." Aspen said without a hint of compromise in his voice.

"But…" Aria tried to protest but a stern look from Aspen stopped her from continuing. "Don't worry Aria I'll watch over the shrimp with no problems alright. He's be as good as new when we get back to the village." Anko said as she placed her hand on the young distraught looking witches shoulder. Henrietta herself wanted to stay and take care of her friends as well but she knew for a fact that would be next to impossible. "Thanks Anko." Aria said with a defeated smile. With that the bridge was cleared out and none remained with everybody returning to Tazuna's house. The Mafia team simply dropping off the Genin before heading out.

One thing was for sure though. Nothing was quite the same after today and Naruto would have a lot to look forward to as well as answer for.

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 _ **To be continued...**_

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Thunder Cannon -** It is an attack that is unique to the weapon used by Jūra as it shares the same name with its own weapon. The portable cannon shoots out an extremely compressed ball of electricity that is made up of pure potent Yōki. The attack travels fast and can cover long distances fairly quickly. It explodes like a bomb and can cause considerable damage to anything that it hits. Their is at least a 3 to 5 second reload time in between each shot as the weapon itself is not a rapid fire one as it needs time to gather, compress, and then shoot out the electric ball. Also when shot it is accompanied by a very loud and noticeable bang and flash of light which eliminates the weapons use in missions of stealth and discretion. A cloud of smoke and exhaust also leaves from the barrel of the cannon which further diminishes the weapons roll to nothing more than a front line weapon as stealth is out of the question.

2.) **Lightning Blade -** A technique that was created by Kakashi Hatake. It is a S-Rank Jutsu that is made for one hit kills and assassinations. It is so powerful that it was said Kakashi split a real lightning bolt in half with it. It is a more concentrated and enhanced form of the Lightning Style: Chidori Jutsu the parent Jutsu to the Lightning Blade and also a Jutsu that Kakashi created. It is also the very first and his only original technique that he has credit for using. All derived Jutsu from the Lightning Blade was also created by Kakashi unlike the hundreds of Jutsu that he knows that he did not create.

3.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

4.) **Chaos Cannon -** A technique that Chaos can use when she is charged up on negative energy. Chaos summons her wings and conforms them into a tight compact cylinder barrel and then gathers a very large mass of tainted flames in front of her. The barrel formed out of her wings condenses the ball of flames in Chaos's hands and she packs _Tainted Holy Magic_ into the attack which makes this technique extremely harmful to Demons and Devil alike as well as tainting any Holy being should they come in contact with it. The ball is compressed so much that sparks fly off the ball which is the signal that the technique is ready to fire. When Chaos fires this attack it launches with a bang and can travel a vast amount of distance very fast. Because Chaos surrounds herself with her wings she gives herself tunnel vision to everything but her target which forces her to rely upon the powerful sensors inside of her body. After this attack is launched Chaos enters a quick cool down period to recharge her power which leaves her in a vulnerable state for a few moments.

5.) **Light Screen -** An Psychic Type Technique that Aria uses. It allows Aria to stop any energy based attack or Natural force of nature that comes in contact with her barrier which takes the shape of a gold translucent barrier with a pulsating honeycomb like pattern in it. Aria can form the attack in a flat barrier in front of her with the barrier having no defining edge or space. She can form it into a flat pane like a square or rectangle just like her Reflect Technique. Aria can coat her body in this technique and wear it like a second skin. Finally, Aria can project this technique in the shape of a box around her or a target of her choosing. If her barrier was to come in contact with a physical attack in nature, then Aria's barrier will shatter instantly.

6.) **Confusion -** A Psychic Type Attack that is very useful. Aria's eyes glow blue and an outline of blue energy surrounds her target. Aria focuses Psychic magic into the targets brain to control their every movement. The technique is quite taxing but during its duration Aria has complete control over all of the victim's bodily functions and she can control them however she wishes. After she breaks connection with the target the victim is left in a heavily confused and dizzy state. The confusion can last for up to 10 minutes.

7.) **Agility -** A simple technique that Aria uses that increases her speed in the same way that the Body Flicker Jutsu does. When using this technique Aria can disappear and reappear in short burst for short distances. The Psychic energy used in this technique vitalizes Aria's body in exactly the same way Body Flicker does for Ninja.

8.) **Reflect -** An Psychic Type Technique that Aria uses. It allows Aria to half the momentum and velocity of any physical object with mass that comes in contact with her barrier that takes the shape of a square or rectangular pane of clear glass. When Aria packs a lot of Psychic Magic into this technique the glass will appear to have a kaleidoscope of rainbow like colors swimming around on the glass's surface. However, the weakness to this technique is that it can't block any attack against it that is not directly physical in nature such as a punch or a falling rock. If it was struck by a bolt of lightning or hit by a ball of flames the shield would break. If any energy based attacks or techniques are used against it, then the barrier will also break.

9.) **Psychic -** The trade mark skill of Aria. Psychic is a jack of all trades technique and it basically combines several of Aria's attacks into one making it Aria's most used technique. Aria can levitate both herself and others with this move which is borrowed from her Telekinesis technique. Aria can fire this attack in the form of an energy ball or beam similar to Psybeam. It can also be used to mind control others similar to Confusion.

10.) **Earth Style: Earth Assimilation Jutsu -** A versatile Earth Style Ninjutsu that takes any preexisting compounds of earth and transforms them into a more liquid malleable state. The user can then cover a target in the malleable earth and then harden the earth back to its sturdy solid state.

11.) **Telekinesis -** Aria's eyes glow light green and a light green aura surrounds the target. The target is then lifted off the ground and Aria can control them for a short period of time. Aria can also lift multiple items at once. It is Aria's most basic technique and the easiest for her to use.

12.) **Psybeam -** A psychic type attack that is very powerful. The user concentrates large amounts of Psychic Magic into focus through a medium or object although there is no proof disproving the attack can't be fired from any body part. After concentrating a sufficient amount of Psychic Magic the magic becomes visible in the form of a kaleidoscope of colors from all across the light spectrum. The attack is then fired very quickly in a beam at the target. It is powerful enough to break through barriers and push people or objects back considerable distances. An additional affect that Aria incorporated into the move is that if the beam was to hit the victim in their eyes then the opponent would be rendered not only confused but also with severe damage to their equilibrium.

13.) **Hypnosis -** A technique that Aria creates after studying Genjutsu from Shoko. Aria can create complex convincing illusions that can affect her targets mind or she can simply put her victim into a deep sleep that they will have a hard time awakening from on their own. Aria's eyes typically glow either blue or red while using this technique.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So how was that? I hope you all enjoyed that crazy battle. I had a blast writing it. A lot has happened and many more things are left with questions to be answered. What will become of Iris and Chaos? Will they be ok? What will the Demon's next plan be? What did he mean by the others? How will everyone proceed moving forward now? Now that Wave is finally safe will Naruto finally get the rest he deserves or will he have a lot to answer too for all his actions. What surprises are en-store for Naruto when he recovers?

All of this and more will be revealed in the next chapter. **(The Great Naruto Bridge)**

 _By the way this chapter and chapter 24 used to all be one large Chapter 24 with a total of 14,071 words. So I split it up and this chapter now has 7,813 words total. Of course not counting the Head and Foot Notes._

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 _That's the end of Chapter 25 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** **6/30/2016**


	27. CH: 26 The Great Naruto Bridge

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this is it. The last chapter of the Land of Wave's Arc. Everything will be resolved in this chapter and things will be moving forward for everyone. I know I haven't had any lighthearted moments between any of the character or just general light hearted moments period and this chapter is to correct that. I really want more moments like that in and I'm making it my mission to ensure that happens from now on. So look forward to some little comedy and lighthearted moments between characters as things get wrapped up in this chapter.

So everyone sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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Chapter 26

 _ **The Great Naruto Bridge**_

' _This isn't good. With his Tailed Beast awakened it will make things much more difficult for him in the future. My outer persona shouldn't have been so overzealous.'_ Sōkyoku chided herself as she roosted in her magnificent golden cage inside of Naruto's mindscape. Her titanic body resting comfortably within her cage as her neck angled down so that she could gaze at the entrance into the massive mountain on one corner of Naruto's mindscape. The Goddess with her unparalleled eyesight could penetrate the pitch black darkness that enveloped the inside of the mountain entrance. She could see that the inside walls of the cave quickly turn into sewer pipes of a rusted bronze color with different sized pipes. She could also see that the cave comes to an abrupt massive wall that spans the entire width and circumference of the cave were all the pipes enter through the walls and also congregate around a small bronze colored rusted industrial door on ground level with the cave. Sōkyoku knew that on the other side of that door would be a maze of hallways that would bring Naruto straight to the Nine Tails at the heart of the mountain if he so chooses to go there.

' _You're reckless little one, but your heart is in the right place.'_ Sōkyoku said to herself as she shifted her gaze from the Nine Tails lair to the ant sized human boy laying in front of her eclipsing body. Peering down at Naruto with her overpowering emerald eyes Sōkyoku sighed softly to herself with a look of understanding yet exasperation. _'However I think it's time you've woken up now.'_ Sōkyoku assessed as in that exact moment she thought this she willed Naruto to wake up from his deep slumber.

' _Huh what's going on?'_ Naruto said as he came to with a grunt. His thoughts and memory were fuzzy and unreliable at the moment but as he shifted his gaze around he could see a warm pulsating glow surrounding him. Seeing impossibly large feathers in a large radius surrounding him with the feathers themselves on fire emitting a soft and warm glow immediately clued Naruto into where he was. It also helped that he was laying down on a house sized incredibly soft and plushy red and orange feather. Turing his gaze upwards the soft red glow from the fires were replace with the celestial light from Sōkyoku's heavenly emerald eyes which casted an ethereal green light to shine down around Naruto to her eyes natural glow.

"Lady Sōkyoku?" Naruto mumbled as he groggily took in the appearance of his daughter's true form. "Hello there little one. Or should I call you father?" Sōkyoku teased as she let out a giggle that rattled the golden bars of her cage. The soft melodic sound of her giggle actually cured Naruto of his grogginess and removed the fog from his mind. "Wait Lady Sōkyoku why am I here?" Naruto questioned as he sat up and craned his neck up just so he could see her head which would have been far up in the sky had he been on solid ground. "I brought you here silly. Unless you don't want to be here with me?" Sōkyoku said with a charming giggle that instantly turned into a hurtful and rejected tone. She was teasing him of course but her tone sounded sincere and Naruto couldn't tell the difference.

"What of course not. I love spending time with you… I was just wondering what I was doing here!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet in seconds to comfort the hurt Goddess but her giggling and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes was the only indicator that Naruto need to know that he was pranked. "I guess you got me huh?" Naruto said with a resigned laugh as he plopped himself back on the makeshift feather bed and laid down so he was staring straight up at the ceiling which made it better for him to look up at Sōkyoku without having to strain his neck in uncomfortable positions just to get a glimpse at Sōkyoku's face.

"I guess so. I brought you here because you suffered some major trauma both physically and mentally. You're within my presence so that you can recover and also to shield you from the mental backlash you received from your ordeal including the nightmares you would no doubt be experiencing right about now." Sōkyoku explained in her regal voice that had that distinctive accent that no one else in Naruto's world had. With that said the memories from the battle on the bridge came flooding back into Naruto's mind reminding Naruto of a crucial fact.

"IRIS! Is she ok… I mean are you ok Lady Sōkyoku?" Naruto wailed in desperation as the condition of his daughter became the primary focus of all his attention. Naruto stumbled over his words however since he reminded himself that this is Iris's true self and that the little girl in the real world is like a blank vessel that was gaining more and more of Sōkyoku's personality as the days go by. "Yes my avatar is just fine and as for me I've already recovered from my ordeal. I received some mental backlash from that dreadful demon running me through with his claw and it caused my powers to surge for a moment but I am fine now so thanks for the concern." Sōkyoku explained with a bitter tone when speaking of Jūra but it turned very sincere and grateful towards the end.

Naruto released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's a great relief. I don't know what I'd do if I'd lost Iris." Naruto said as a few tears shined in his eyes. Life without one of his daughters in it was something he just couldn't fathom. Ever since Iris and Chaos came into his life he's realized that he has become not only attached to them but dependent on them just like they depend on him as their father. They banished the loneliness in his heart and gave him the strength to not only ignore the hatred the village casted upon him but they gave him a real reason to be strong. They were the first people to ever depend on him, to open his heart up to the possibility that he could be loved and if something were to happen to them he didn't think he could go on living. They've just become too far ingrained into his life for him to imagine life without them.

Sōkyoku's eyes shined with warmth as she craned her massive neck and body down until her large beak was above Naruto. She gently rubbed her beak against Naruto's body which turned out to be very soft instead of hard as Naruto would have thought. "You are truly a gentle soul. That makes me happy." Sōkyoku said with a gentle sigh of contentment. Chuckling Naruto took his hands and rubbed Sōkyoku's beak. "You know for an all-powerful goddess you sure are very affectionate Lady Sōkyoku, I guess that's were Iris gets it from." Naruto said with a chuckle. He wouldn't admit it but having Sōkyoku show him such gentle affection placed a warmth in his heart and also surprised him a little since while he knows Sōkyoku is a nice and gentle person he has to keep reminding himself that she is an all-powerful goddess that's been around for who knows how long. If what she told him a long time ago was true, then she was around long before the god of his world that they call Kami.

"Well of course I'm affectionate and stuff. I mean I like…" Sōkyoku said highly flustered as she started to ramble on and on with a blush on her beak. She was pacing back and forth in her cage which was sending out earthquakes for Naruto. She would always do this whenever she got embarrass and Naruto found it amusing that it didn't even take him any effort at all to do. "Ok… Lady Sōkyoku I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Naruto said as he tried to not only hold in his laughter but also his lunch since these world spitting earthquakes Sōkyoku was sending out simply by walking around was causing Naruto some serious stomach problems. He was surprised that the cage could even contain Sōkyoku. He would think with her obvious strength she could shatter the cage by accident without even trying.

"Ok if you say so." Sōkyoku said with a childish huff as she settled back down in front of Naruto and lowered herself a little so that she could be closer to Naruto. The candle like feathers around the cage had lit up with intensity due to Sōkyoku's embarrassment but the feathers which were giving off that warm glow simmered back down to their normal glow. Naruto was just thanking every deity he could think of that the feather he was sitting on didn't suddenly erupt into flames like the others.

"Lady Sōkyoku what happened to the others? What happened to Chaos is she ok? What about the Demon Jūra is he gone?" Naruto fired off question after question. He was trying to piece his fragmented memories which became hazy after the Nine Tail's Chakra entered his system. "Chaos will be fine and Jūra was defeated and you forced him and his accomplice into retreat. I estimate he will be gone for a while. He himself or his accomplice won't make a move against us for a while. However, we must still remain vigilant. As for you classmates they are all fine and will make a full recovery from their injuries." Sōkyoku explained to Naruto who sighed in relief. "Chaos's injures are more severe compared to the others but with my powers I've been healing her. She will be fine." Sōkyoku comforted Naruto with that information. _'Thank god.'_ Naruto thought to himself at hearing such information. The flames in the cage brightened for a moment at his thoughts but settled back down.

"However we do have a problem." Sōkyoku said after a moment of silence between them. "What problem?" Naruto asked. "It's better for me to show you." Sōkyoku stated as she rose to her feet. The house sized feather Naruto was sitting on rose into the air and Naruto could feel a gentle calming breeze accompanying it so Naruto figured the Goddess was using her unrivaled control over wind to make this feat possible. Walking over to the edge of her cage Sōkyoku started to roost again and the feather gently set itself down in front of her. Naruto idly took note of the fact that it would have took him at least an hour to walk from the center of the cage over to the edge if he was walking at a casual pace. It just further goes to emphasize Sōkyoku's immense size and the even bigger size of the cage.

"The Nine Tails has awoken." Sōkyoku revealed as she stared down at the cracked cage at the bottom of the mountain. "He what?" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "Look for yourself." Sōkyoku said as she channeled some power to Naruto's eyes which turned them emerald green. With his new eyesight he could see all the way back down to the ground below and looking at the golden bars that blocked off the cage in the mountain a noticeable crack in one of the bars could be seen. "His chakra took over your body when it responded to your rage at my avatars peril. You further became enraged when Chaos was struck down as well. You used more of his chakra then your body could handle and you lost control and gave into his influence." Sōkyoku stated as she sensed Naruto becoming more and more distraught with what she was telling him. She made the feather below him glow with a soft calming aura that was soothing his worries.

"How was I stopped?" Naruto questioned as he looked up at Sōkyoku with a certain desperation in his voice and eyes. "Your little witch stopped you almost all by herself. She and the rest of the Mafia team stepped in and she along with that Aspen fellow restrained you with her fighting you off all by herself. You should be very proud of her. She was quite brave." Sōkyoku explained with a warm tone. She felt proud of the little witch who stood up against a superior opponent just to save her master. Sōkyoku admired courage and strength and she approved of Aria's performance. "Aria stopped me? Wow. I know she's strong, especially since she even managed to score a few hits on Shoko when they first met but to think she would stop me with the Nine Tails taking over me is incredible." Naruto commented in awe.

"Indeed. It was a commendable performance. However, there are some things I still wish to speak to you about before you awaken." Sōkyoku explained as she leaned down further to be more at level with Naruto. "Ok."

* * *

After some time talking with Sōkyoku Naruto decided it was time to awaken. With that thought Sōkyoku banished Naruto form his mindscape so he could return to consciousness. Waking up with a groan Naruto opened his eyes to the world and tried to shift his weight around but quickly found some resistance. Looking down at his chest Naruto could see a huge mop of long blonde hair sprawled out in every direction. Looking to his right Naruto saw another mop of blonde hair but a lot shorter sprawled out over his right shoulder. But the last bit of resistance came from his left and seeing a long arm that did not belong to either Iris or Chaos made Naruto twitch in irritation. Looking to his left he saw a mop of purple hair sprawled out with loud snores coming from the person. An irritated sigh that was meant to hide Naruto's actual contentment escaped Naruto's mouth.

He was fine with Iris and Chaos trapping him in his sleep since it was better to let them do as they pleased rather than deal with their wrath particularly Iris's but Anko always sneaking into his bed at night has been a running gag between the pseudo brother sister pair for the last few years now. Naruto would usually respond with an annoyed or irritated attitude but deep down both he and Anko both knew that he welcomed it. Naruto felt the love of having an elder sibling whenever Anko came around and it was something Naruto selfishly would never give up. Now he would probably never admit it but he has come to love Anko very dearly over the years and no words needed to be shared between the two for them to both know this and return each other's feelings.

"Oh so you're finally awake?" Anko questioned as she opened her brown eyes and looked at Naruto with concern, relief, and love but the usual smirk that was on her face was there as well to let Naruto know that Anko was trying to hide this fact. "Yeah and what are you doing in my bed Anko?" Naruto asked with an irritated tone to his voice. Playing his part in their little back and forth banter. "Oh just getting the most comfortable spot that's all." Anko replied as she sat up in the bed wearing nothing but a black laced bra and panties. Naruto's face turned crimson as he nearly fainted. Even after all these years of Anko sneaking into his bed he could never get over the fact that she would most of the time find very inappropriate clothing to wear just to embarrass him when he sees them in the morning.

Taking his considerable willpower Naruto managed to ignore Anko's teasing. Shifting his attention to his girls with Anko in the back pouting in defeat Naruto gently shook Iris awake first. Groaning in irritation the little princess opened her eyes and the second they found Naruto they lit up with elation. Sitting up in one swift movement Iris was about to bombard Naruto with a bunch of questions and her everlasting affection but Naruto halted her before she could do so. Quickly waking Chaos up which took more effort than needed considering who she was, but Naruto eventually got her coherent enough for the little Angeloid to focus on him. By that time Anko had already decided to leave the bed and quickly get dress.

"Daddy are you ok…?" Iris asked and that was the only question Naruto could catch before Iris went into an unending tirade of questions about his health and if he was ok or not. Naruto sweat dropped since he thought he was the one who should have been asking all those questions but eventually he managed to get Iris to calm down. "Are you calm now?" Naruto asked with a chuckle. Iris shook her head yes. "Good. Ok I'm fine and as for all your other questions I guess I'll just say that I'm ok now and there's no need to worry." Naruto said as he scratched behind Iris's ear which was a soft spot that she loved. His answers seemed to calm the princess down enough to where she sighed in contentment.

"Chaos are you ok sweetie?" Naruto asked in concern since Chaos hasn't said much yet. "I'm… ok…." Chaos said with a twitch and a variation in the tone of her voice. Naruto frowned at this as it was a blatant and clear sign that Chaos was not ok. "How long was I out for?" Naruto turned to Anko for the answer. "Three days. When we brought you in after passing out I insisted that we put Iris and Chaos with you to rest. I had a feeling they would heal better if they were in contact with you and I was right. Their injuries were a lot worst the other day but the thing was they've been out for the same amount of time you were. They still need to recover a bit." Anko explained. Nodding his head Naruto turned back to Chaos.

"Hey Chaos tell me what's wrong. Where are you hurt?" Naruto asked and Chaos's eyes changed over to her ruby red scanners.

~Electrical damage to circuitry…~

~Power conduit blockage…~

Chaos listed a few other mechanics that Naruto had no idea what they were. Anko didn't either but Iris was looking at Chaos with her eyes now an Emerald color. "Uh…umm… can you repeat that again sweetie." Naruto said with a massive sweat drop rolling down the back of his head. He didn't understand a single thing Chaos just said but he could see multiple things wrong with Chaos. One her eyes were slightly unfocused. Her body was unnaturally stiff and certain movements that she would try to do would seem very limited or just completely impossible for her to perform. Her speech patterns and vocalization was also off as well. "How about you just speak English this time." Anko commented. "I agree." Eva said as she poked her body out of Naruto's mop of naturally disheveled hair. "Good morning Eva." Naruto greeted warmly as he scratched the top of his others half's head affectionately. He was very happy to see Evangeline again. "Hey Naru." Eva said while giving him a light peck on the nose which caused both blondes to blush from the action. "I need you to repair me." Chaos replied.

"Repair you… I… how do I even do that?" Naruto fumbled. He knew that Chaos was an artificial being that was created to be a weapon. She told him so herself in the mindscape years ago when he first went their but based on what she's told him over the years even attempting a fraction of what she would have him do would be far beyond his capabilities. She's not a simple appliance like a stove or toaster. She's much more than that and as far as his world is concerned she is the most technologically advanced thing on it. Not to mention for many other dimensions she would fit that category as well. It also doesn't help that he's never thought of his mischievous daughter as a killer robot or whatever other classifications someone would give her. She's always been his daughter to him and it's difficult for him to see her otherwise. However, the one thing nagging at the back of his mind ever since he first found out about what she actually was is the fact that he wants to know how can she age and grow if she's a machine. It's a question that perhaps only Sōkyoku could answer for him but he always forgets and it's not really something that's ever brought up in conversations.

"Repair what does she mean by that?" Anko asked in confusion. That was one of the very few things Naruto's never told anyone besides Eva, Hinata, and Aria. He has kept Iris and Chaos's true nature a carefully guarded secret. The fact that they are supernatural creatures is a more widely known fact amongst his circle of people he can trust but their exact nature is something that nobody knows. "I'd like to know the same thing." A new voice asked and Naruto looked up to see Kurenai standing in the doorway with Kakashi besides her. Sighing Naruto turned back to Chaos who was in pretty bad shape. "It's complicated and not something that many people should know." He explained as he pulled Chaos into his lap and rubbed her head.

"A lot of things about you are complicated Naruto." Kurenai interjected. "I wish that they weren't." Naruto quickly quipped back. "You're stalling." Kurenai fired back. "And you're prying." Naruto shot back with a glare. Eva growled out in anger at Kurenai's prodding and the fact she was trying to back Naruto into a corner. Both Eva and Naruto have an intense hatred for feeling backed into corners. They hate when others pry on their business or try to force things out of them. It's a part of their distrustful and paranoid nature for growing up on the streets alone and just generally how they raised themselves over the years and the two very paranoid heavy professions they eventually fell into. Kurenai narrowed her eyes back at the tone Naruto took with her. "Kurenai easy." Anko warned as she sent her best friend a look. Backing down Kurenai conceded and apologized. Nodding in acceptance Naruto was about to explain when there was a knocking on the door. Kakashi who was closest answered it and it revealed everyone else in the house. Tsunami was the first to enter with some items in her hand.

"Naruto how are you feeling?" Hinata asked with her soft whisper like voice as she squeezed herself into the room. She approached Naruto's side before the room was filled up with the others. "I'm fine now thanks Hinata." Naruto replied with a smile he only gives his close friends like her. "Hina!" Iris called with a smile. Iris jumped into Hinata's waiting arms and wrapped her arms around Hinata's neck. Hinata carefully supported Iris's weight with one hand on Iris's bottom and the other under her arm. "Hey Iris how are you feeling?" Hinata asked with a sparkle in her eyes. "I'm doing just fine." Iris replied happily. She enjoys spending time with Iris and Chaos very much and it's so much better when Hanabi joins in since the three girls are quite the handful when together and it's a blast trying to keep track of them. Iris and Chaos hold Hinata in a special place in their heart and as such they show her a special form of affection that is different to the others. The main thing they do is that they exempt her from being a victim to their constant pranks and rambunctious behavior. Henrietta sometimes gets this treatment as well but Chaos sometimes still pranks her. As for Aria, Anko, Shoko, and Hiruzen the twins would try to prank them at every chance they would get and with the exception of Hiruzen they would generally act up just to get a rise out of the older adults in their life.

"Is Chaos ok?" Hinata asked as her Byakugan was on and scanning Chaos. The first time Hinata laid eyes on Chaos with her Byakugan she made the startling discover that Chaos wasn't what she appeared to be on the outside. This was even before Naruto met Chaos in his mindscape. She told him right away but with no proof or explanation they two decided to keep it to themselves and not discuss it. However, after finding out for himself what Chaos was Naruto approached Hinata about the subject and the two alongside Eva discussed it in detail and made the decision not to reveal such information to anybody who didn't know. It's bad enough that they were supernatural creatures but it made all the worst that they were such unique creatures that anyone in the world would have to be completely stupid not to try to get their hands on them. Their potential for the future was set and it was guaranteed that they would be more powerful than anything on this planet and you'd have to be dumb not to try to control them. Aria found out on her own based on the fact she as a witch and supernatural creature could tell exactly what species Chaos came from, or at least what species her powers come from. That is until Naruto explained it her.

Right now Hinata could see that the internal components in Chaos was damaged in several areas and it's been like this for the last three days. Of course it was far worst three days ago but being next to Naruto and being allowed time to recover has helped Chaos heal. Hinata remembered everything that happened since her mind wasn't wiped and she came to the conclusion by herself that some foul play was at work when no one after waking up immediately wanted to rush to Naruto to forcibly demand answers to what happen back on the bridge with him losing control. The Jōnin explained to Hinata what was done for Naruto's sake and Hinata found herself grateful for that fact. She could only imagine how Naruto would react if everyone was bombarding him with demanding questions. She knew it wouldn't end well at all especially since she knows how defensive he can be. She's put up with his paranoid nature for the last six and a half years so she knows better than anyone how Naruto acts. He was and still is that way with her. It's just not that apparent since she can simply goad him into telling her things and he generally doesn't like hiding things from her. In fact, it took Naruto about three weeks after the Mizuki incident for him to work up the courage needed to tell Hinata about the Nine Tailed Fox.

"Hey girlfriend." Eva said as she pecked Hinata on the nose as well just to get a rise out of her best friend and she wasn't disappointed when Hinata's face turned into a tomato. Eva was laughing her wings off because of the embarrassed look on her face and it wasn't helping that Naruto, Iris who was in her arms, Anko, and even Chaos with some difficulty was laughing at her. Everyone else had stupefied looks on their faces at the scene in front of them. "Eva, not in front of everyone." Hinata mumbled out pitifully. She didn't particularly mind Eva's affectionate gestures since the two girls have grown very close over the years especially within the last few months after the incident with Eva but she never would have thought the fairy would pull a stunt like this in public. Hinata was very accepting of her girlfriend status with Eva since it was their way of bonding with each other and both girls didn't really mind the so called status of their relationship since it was just a thing between them but Hinata keeps on forgetting that Evangeline is a demon and she takes pleasure in causing discomfort to others. Even those she is close with.

"Are these girls ok Naruto?" Tsunami asked as she had a light breakfast in her hands. Once she heard the commotion from upstairs she realized that Naruto must be up so she made a light breakfast to get him up and going. "Yes my girls are going to be fine Ms. Tsunami. Although Chaos here is going to need a little more time to heal." Naruto said as he scratched Chaos's head who was trying to bury her head into Naruto's chest at the moment. Naruto's hands were a slice of heaven to her scalp since she had a particular itch in that spot. "I'm doing just fine… see… completely fine." Iris chirped as she jumped out of Hinata's arms and landed on the floor. Everyone could instantly see that Iris had a look of discomfort on her face and her balance was far from perfect. In fact, it looked like she was about to fall over. A quick little gust of wind prevented her from falling on her back. Tsunami raised her eyebrow at this since this was the first she's heard Iris talk and she's never heard an accent anywhere close to what Iris was using.

"Yeah I don't think so princess, back in the bed for now. You need more rest." Naruto chided as Iris's performance wasn't fooling him in the slightest. Iris pouted but everyone could see she wasn't going to disobey her father. Iris tried to get back up on the bed but her muscles were both very stiff from sleeping three days straight and she still felt sore. "Need some help." Tsunami asked. "No, I got it." Iris said with a huff as she has never felt so weak before. After another failed attempt she sighed with a pout. "Ok, so I don't have it." Iris mumbled with unladylike grammar. Tsunami thought it was the cutest thing ever as she picked Iris up and placed her back on the bed. She noted that Iris surprisingly wasn't as heavy as a child her age should be. But when she looks at Iris's arms and other visible parts of her body she can clearly see well defined muscles on her arms and legs. Iris instantly snuggled up to Naruto who wrapped an arm around her. Naruto idly noted his Chakra network behaving quite erratically as his chakra/Yōki was starting to rapidly recover. Chaos's energy was very low in his body, Iris's was working double time as it was circulating heavily throughout his body and Evangeline's was pushed a little to the side but it was recovering as well.

"Ok that's nice and all but you've got a lot of explaining to do Naruto." Kiba barked as he gave Naruto a look. Naruto looked out at everyone present and could see a curious look in their eyes. Naruto was about to say something before he noticed a few extra individuals in the room. Zabuza and Haku were on the back wall and they were quiet and Inari was besides his mother and grandfather while sending discreet looks at Iris. Naruto made a quick mental note of that. Zabuza noticed his eyes and let out a seemingly bored chuckle. "Oh don't mind me brat, pretend I'm not even here." Zabuza said but you could see the inner burning curiosity in the older man's eyes.

"…Fine. Whatever." Naruto sighed as he quickly took out a small slip of paper and a jar of ink. Making a design on it that none of the civilians or Genin have seen before Naruto placed it on the closest wall to him and used chakra to make the paper stick. **"Fūinjutsu: Privacy Barrier."** Naruto said as he surged just a little bit of his chakra and the paper tag with the central Kanji for privacy lit up in a dull blue color. Fūinjutsu formula's copied themselves to the four corners of the room before fading away like they were never there.

"Everything that I'm about to say is to stay between us got it." Naruto said and everyone could see he was serious. "… and I'll only share what I feel needs to be shared." He finished. "Hey, what! No you owe us a lot more than that." Kiba growled but the look Naruto gave him startled many as well as the severe drop in temperature in the room as a light bit of frost built up on the nearby window and Hinata silently sighed to herself as she knew this would happen. "I'll only share what I feel needs to be shared." Naruto repeated himself with a glare and tone that said he was dead serious and no amount of compromise would get him to budge on the matter. Kiba relented after feeling a shiver go up his spine. "Fine say what you got to say." Kiba mumbled out as he tried to save face.

"Ok, but don't interrupt me while I tell you all this. I'll answer as many questions that I feel need to be answered." Naruto stated before taking a deep breath. With that for the next 4 hours Naruto sat and told those gathered many things about his past but he left out a great deal of things. One he didn't mention the incident on his 4th birthday, although he skimmed over it and talked about how he met Eva who during this time introduced herself formally to all those gathered. Naruto covered the day he found Iris and Chaos in the forest. He then talked about the many trials and struggles he went through with trying to provide for them while taking care of himself. He recalled in great detail the day he met Hinata and how they formed the strong bond they now have today. He spoke of meeting Shoko and her taking him under her wing although he lightly skimmed over the Mafia and just what they were and how involved he was with them. He spoke of his crazy meeting with Anko and many of the others gave Anko strange looks after that but the woman shrugged them off easily enough. Naruto talked about meeting Aria but he kept it brief as he didn't want to mention what Aria was or exactly the circumstances of why she came to the village. Every time he thinks back to that time he always remembers Shoko in the hospital bed dying and he idle wondered over the years if that is what it feels like to lose a mother. He talked about meeting his classmates and many things that happened during the academy but the most that he talked about was Iris, Chaos, and Evangeline. He would talk about the mischief they would cause but generally he would just have a lot to say about his daughters and other half.

Throughout this entire time everyone else stayed mostly quiet until a question would pop up and Naruto would answer it with as much honesty as he could or if it was something he couldn't or didn't want to mention he would politely say so instead of dodging the question. A thing everybody noticed though was how relaxed Naruto was becoming as time went on and everybody could see a metaphorical weight being lifted off his shoulders. He was smiling a lot and his voice was much calmer and his eyes would light up whenever he would particularly speak of his daughters. Soon however Naruto finished what he had to say and everyone could see he looked metaphorically ten years younger. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders and a certain shine was in his eyes. Hinata had a proud and happy look on her face as she gazed at her best friend/ crush and she was immensely proud and happy for Naruto to finally get these things off his chest. When Naruto noticed the look he was getting from her he blushed a little and looked away.

"That's quite the story their kid." Tazuna said with a bottle of sake in hand. He pulled it out at some point during Naruto's story and he's been sipping it ever since. "I agree. That's pretty rough in some spots." Zabuza agreed as he gave Naruto a nod of respect that Naruto returned. "So you went through all that?" Kiba asked as he eyed Naruto with a different look in his eye. "Yes I did and it wasn't easy but it made me the person I am today." Naruto replied honestly. "And that's still not the full story." Sasuke stated as he gave Naruto a particular look. "Hinata you know the full story don't you. Every last part that he skipped out on or skimmed over you know those parts in full detail don't you." Kurenai asked her student. "Yes sensei I do. I'm the only one in this room that knows everything." Hinata said with her soft voice as everyone looked to her. She felt really self-conscious right now and wanted to shrink herself inside her large puffy coat that Naruto bought her years ago.

"How come you never told anybody any of this? I thought we were teammates Hinata?" Kiba asked with a hurt tone in his voice as well as something else buried underneath. Naruto caught this and narrowed his eyes at this. "We are Kiba but it's not my place to reveal another person's information like that. Its rude and I would be breaking the trust Naruto has placed in me if I did that." Hinata countered. It wasn't her place to go around revealing information about her best friend to any and everybody especially since half of that information is sensitive and not for others to know. She was fortunate to even know half the things she knows about Naruto. "Naruto tells you everything. How come he never distrusts you?" Sakura asked.

"That's actually not true Sakura." Naruto butted in. "Huh?" Several people wondered. "I trust Hinata with my life and with my daughter's life but I'm always fighting a constant battle within myself to tell her half the things about myself. I have to constantly fight my instincts to keep things to myself instead of just out right sharing things with her. Sometimes it even takes me weeks just to get the courage needed to reveal certain things to her." Naruto explained while sending Hinata a discreet glance at the end. A look that she caught and understood what he was implying.

* * *

Many more things were said between those present before slowly the group dispersed. Naruto made sure to apologize to Shino for keeping these things from him and Shino excepted the apology but on the condition that Naruto come to him about his problems in the future. It warmed his heart to know that Shino wasn't mad at him and still wanted to be his friend and even supported him fully. Naruto made a mental note to hang out with Shino even more after this and to trust in the silent boy's friendship. Soon the only people left in the room was Hinata, Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai. Everyone else left to go be somewhere else in the house. "I'm happy you got all that off your chest Naruto." Kakashi said with his eye smile. "Thanks sensei. Now I need to focus on getting Chaos better." Naruto said as he turned to Chaos who had fallen into a light sleep during this time.

"Now I need to figure out how to repair her…" Naruto mumbled. "I can show you how dada." Chaos mumbled out as her eyes turned red again. After some directions to which Naruto became shocked at he was finally convinced to give it a try. "Ok so like this?" Naruto questioned as he twisted Chaos's shoulder blade at a certain point. Nodding the little girl didn't even flinch when her entire arm came off in one clean swoop. "Impossible…" Kurenai muttered in awe. Inside Chaos's arm were circuitry far more advanced than anything on the planet. In fact, it was perhaps millions of years more advanced than anything else. "You'd need a powerful Sharingan or Byakugan to see it but there are tiny minute lines all over her body where her body parts can detach. This is incredible." Kakashi said with awe in his voice. "Actually that's not true sensei." Hinata spoke up. "Huh? What do you mean Hinata?" Kakashi asked. The others were just as curious.

"My Byakugan is special in the fact that I can vividly see Yōki and Holy Aura. Because I've been around Naruto for half of my life and the fact that he leaks a considerable amount of energy that I've absorbed and become accustomed to my Byakugan can track other energies that are not chakra based. But so far it's only been Yōki and Holy Aura because that's all that I've been exposed to. I showed a member of my clan a piece of ice Naruto created himself and they couldn't really distinguish anything different about it even though he packed it with Yōki." Hinata explained. It was true. Naruto has exposed Hinata to so much of his mixed energy signature over the years that her Byakugan is the only one in her clan that can see him perfectly with great detail.

"Incredible… I never knew something like that was possible." Kakashi mumbled in shock. "Ok Chaos what else am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked. "This arm is ruined Dada. This was the spot I was hit in by that ball of electricity. I can barely feel it anymore." Chaos stated. "Ok so what now?" Naruto asked. "Now Iris can heal me." Chaos said. "Ok Iris let's give it a try." Naruto said. "Daddy I can't, however you can." Iris spoke with a peculiar tone to her voice. A tone Naruto instinctively knew to be Sōkyoku trying to tell him something. "Oh… oh ok I understand. Let's give that a try then." Naruto said once he caught on to what Sōkyoku was trying to tell him. Everyone else noticed this shift in Naruto and they were curious to know what was going on. Seeing her cue Iris closed her eyes and everyone could feel a shift in the air. Opening them up they were their powerful emerald green. Naruto's body went still and when he opened his eyes they were also emerald green shocking the adults in the room. Hinata recalled Naruto telling her something about this a while ago.

" **Sacred Fire."**

A brilliant while fire bloomed in Naruto's hands as it then turned into a rich golden color as the flames slowed to a crawl as if time had slowed down. Then the unexpected happened. Iris's voiced changed over to sound older. Sōkyoku had taken complete control. A Black fire appeared in Naruto's other hand and the color of the flames seemed to sucked the light out of the room. The flames then turned a multitude of colors that looked exactly like Chaos's tainted flames.

" **Cursed Fire."** Sōkyoku intoned in her powerful voice that made everyone present weak in their knees. With Sōkyoku's guidance Naruto did the impossible. The hand with the tainted flames went into Chaos's chest with no resistance. Everyone gasped at this but the surprise wasn't done. Taking his hand out of Chaos's chest everyone could see a purple glow in the center of her chest. Moving on Naruto placed his hand on the base of Chaos's shoulder and then moved out and as his flames moved out into the open air a pale see through copy of Chaos's arm appeared with everything on the inside of her arm visible. Once her arm was traced out the blackish flames in Naruto's left hand extinguished themselves. Naruto then took the sacred fire and retraced the ghost like arm and it instantly became real. Everything down to the last detail was in place and Chaos's arm was in perfect condition. The purple light in the center of her chest died down until it wasn't visible anymore.

The very last thing to happened was that Naruto grabbed Chaos's old arm and disintegrated it right before everyone's eyes. The emerald light faded from Naruto's eyes and the same happened for Iris whose eyes went back to their aqua blue color.

Speechless. That was the only thing everyone in the room had in common at the moment. No one has ever seen something quite like this before and they doubted they ever would. "How…?" Kurenai mumbled out slowly. Her mind was having serious trouble understanding what just happened. Nobody could say anything as the silence was broken by Iris's little snores and Chaos's eerie giggles that let those who knew her know that she was returning to her normal self. Iris was already fast asleep due to the possession of her body and the use of techniques that was far beyond the comprehension of those around her. Chaos herself still needed time to recover but she was back to her old self that much was apparent.

* * *

Three days past after that with Naruto making those present promise never to speak of this again. Within that time Naruto, Iris, and Chaos fully recovered from their injuries and were back on their feet. With the threat to the country gone Tazuna was left to complete his bridge in peace with many of the workers enthusiastically coming back to work but the problem they ran into was that Zabuza had killed off most of the original workers that actually had skill in building the bridge so Naruto offered up his services and that of at least a hundred Shadow Clones to fill up the workforce for Tazuna. Iris and Chaos tagged along and helped with the construction of the bridge as well. Many were surprised to see the three family members helping out but after a quick explanation everyone came to except this new bit of information. Naruto's main hobby was construction, repairing and general D.I.Y activities. Having renovated his entire apartment by himself over the last 6 years taught Naruto a vast amount of knowledge in this area and now that things were not so hectic Naruto was savoring the opportunity to work under a Master builder like Tazuna who despite his drunken tendencies had decades of experience and knowledge that Naruto was soaking up like a sponge.

Again many were shocked to see the twins hard at work right beside their father but it turns out that Naruto instilled in the twins the same handyman mentality that he himself had and the twins didn't mind the hands on dirty work especially Iris who was actually enjoying herself immensely. She was completely in her element at the moment with her hands on approach and she was improving her wind control by moving tiny little nails in place all the way up to lifting up the massive steel pipes that were scattered around the bridge. Chaos with her ability to fly and super strength was lifting up massive steel beams that was meant to support the great weight of the bridge and she was having a blast. Naruto had to reprimand her a few times since the girl looked like she would drop the 2 ton beams at any second. And the hundred clones of Naruto moving around the massive bridge doing any and all jobs available was a sight that the citizens of wave and his own teammates could not get out of their minds.

With the help of the Uzumaki family the schedule for the bridge was moved up as things were getting done much faster than before. Naruto was just happy to help and was also secretly glad that his chakra levels had returned to normal to allow him to spam that many clones. He was far more conservative with the use of his clones but to spam that many and get so much done secretly pleased Naruto. At the moment they were in the kitchen with Tsunami who was just about to start preparing dinner. "Ms. Tsunami do you need any help?" Naruto asked as he approached Tsunami with Chaos clinging to his back and Iris at his side. "Oh no I couldn't possibly ask you to do any more than you already have." Tsunami denied with a shake of her head. "Oh would you please let us help. We're really good cooks and daddy's the best." Iris requested with her regal voice. "The truth is I haven't cooked anything since starting this mission and it's been almost 3 and a half weeks now. I don't want to get rusty." Naruto explained. "But…" Tsunami tried to protest. "Leave it to us. You'll have the best dinner ever." Chaos chirped as she jumped off of Naruto's back and raced into the kitchen before anyone could stop her. "Sorry about that… but I promise we won't cause any trouble." Naruto replied with a nervous laugh. It wasn't helping matters that Chaos was already making a lot of noise as the sound of pots and pans could be heard in the background.

"Ok…" Tsunami said slowly as she let Naruto pass by. Iris had already gone ahead and joined her twin in the kitchen. Everyone else had entered the dining room and was content to wait for dinner but was confused when they saw Tsunami sitting with them. "Ms. Tsunami how come you aren't cooking?" Sakura asked in bewilderment. "Um the girls wanted to cook tonight. I don't know though… I'm not so sure it's a good idea but I couldn't refuse them." Tsunami replied. "Oh don't you worry about a thing. You're all in for a big surprise." Anko said with a smirk that was threatening to rip her face in two. Since the kitchen was opened to the dining room everyone could get a clear view of what was going on in the kitchen and what they saw shocked them.

Mayhem. That was the only word to describe it. Iris was standing on a stool so she could reach the counter and everyone was shocked beyond belief to see her waving her hands around and singing while ingredients and other objects were floating in the air by her Wind Magic. She was mixing and blending ingredients together in a smooth formation and cabinets were being opened and closed by her wind. They saw Chaos place a pot of water on the stove and with a snap of Iris's fingers without even looking a beautiful fire bloomed underneath the pot which instantly heated up the water. Chaos was zipping about with a knife in her hand that was scaring everyone and they were about to say something until they saw the crazy girl start chopping vegetables and others ingredients at a ridiculous pace. Salts and spices were lifted into the air by Iris who was now twirling like a ballerina around the kitchen commanding it to her will. Individual bands of wind were circulating around the room each tending to a different task while Iris used her eyes to check the time and status of each individual thing all the while not physically touching a single thing in the entire kitchen.

Iris would snap her fingers and things would be heated up in the blink of an eye all the while Chaos would pluck the spices out of the air and shake them all over whatever was in front of her. A nearby draw opened up and over two dozen utensils flew out into the air. A bead of sweat rolled down Iris's face as she had 6 bands of air currents circulating and this was her limit. However, that didn't stop or slow her down so instead she stuck to her limit and continued on. Chaos had a devilish smile on her face as she came up behind Iris and placed a lemon near her nose. It was a known fact to the Uzumaki family that Iris always sneezes whenever she smells a lemon. It was extremely strange and no one knew why but that just worked to Chaos's advantaged. Iris sneezed and almost everyone in the house was about to feel a churn of disgust in their stomachs until their jaws dropped when instead of snot a small cloud of orange and red feathers flew out from a plume of fire. Chaos took these feathers and quickly dipped them into the food were they instantly dissolved and the already powerful smell of food was increased tenfold. Chaos then threw the remaining feathers back into the air were they passed by the utensils and everyone who was now trying to pick their jaws off the floor gave up when they saw the previously old a used utensils transform into brand new utensils in the blink of an eye.

Iris distributed all the utensils to the table with her wind while everyone had shocked looks on their faces. "Daddy, I need you on the soup." Iris called out and Naruto let out a blush when Anko and Hinata turned to him with Anko having a predator like grin on her face. "Uh, how about I sit this one out huh sweetie." Naruto said with a nervous chuckle as his blush grew bigger. "Daddy, soup. Now!" Iris commanded and it was clear to see who wore the pants in the family as the look Iris was giving her father gave no room for arguments. Naruto got out of the chair he was sitting in and with a quick hand sign he was cloaked in a cloud of smoke. Once it disappeared everyone was having a hard time not dying right then and there. Naruto was wearing a bright pink cooking apron that had the words _**[Please do nothing to the cook]**_ stitched on to it with brown thread. Frills and streamers were attached all over the apron and below the words were teddy bears and hearts stitched in as well as Iris's feathers stitched in on the edges alongside the frills. Naruto's face was so red right now that it was glowing and giving off actual light and without looking at anyone Naruto moved with speed far faster than his acceleration to get to the kitchen and as far from everyone as he physically could.

Since the inner girl in Hinata would come out whenever she saw that apron, at the moment she was blushing a light pink since she thought that the apron came out perfectly and looked cute on Naruto. Iris, Chaos, Hinata, Aria, Shoko, and Anko each had a hand in making the apron for Naruto and he wears it every time he steps into his kitchen. The only difference here is that while at home he has the privacy of his own kitchen without a bunch of people around but here he is in front of a bunch of people and it was extremely embarrassing. Naruto loves the apron and can feel the love put into it and doesn't mind wearing it at home but he does think it's extremely feminine and unmanly.

With a quick glare and warning Naruto prevented anyone from commenting on what was obviously an embarrassing subject for him. However, everyone could agree that the Uzumaki family was good cooks. 1 week passed after that and with the unending manual labor force provided by Naruto and everyone else who decided to pitch in even Zabuza who took some convincing by Naruto and Haku who was just naturally kind enough to assist the bridge was finally completed and now the Island Country of wave was permanently connected to the main continent with a truly massive stone and brick bridge that upon completion became the largest and longest bridge in the world. The country was five miles off the coast of the main continent and with the bridge now complete the five-mile gap was filled and with the bridge being nearly two hundred feet wide with a marker dividing each half it allowed cargo of all sizes to travel across the bridge. Since it was arced on the bottom it allowed for massive ships to sail beneath the bridge without being slowed down.

What no one knew was that Naruto riddled the bridge with thousands of strengthening seals that he slipped into the cement and in between each and every brick he came across. He would make sure nothing caused the bridge any damage. Even if a ship collided with one of the columns below the ship would end up taking more damage than the bridge would. He also made sure to strengthen the pavement on top of the bride as well so nothing could scratch the surface or crack it. He infused the seal with a liberal amount of both his Yōki laced chakra and copious amounts of Iris's aura. His broken use of his shadow clones ensured that this task was done faster and more efficiently. What the others didn't know was that was the reason the family was so exhausted and tired after every day. They also built toll booths and custom buildings on each end of the bridge that was laced with Genjutsu breaking seals powered by Chaos's aura to ensure no contraband of any kind could get into or out of the country and with two massive beautiful arch ways at the entrance to each end of the bridge made it an imposing sight to any who would one day travel across it.

At the moment the entire group was gathered at the entrance of the bridge on the side for wave and what they saw warmed their heart. The entire population of wave was gathered in front of the shinobi to see them off and Tazuna's family was at the very front of the pack with sad smiles on their faces. "Well this is it I guess." Naruto said with a sad smile. Despite everything that has happened this place has become a second home to him. Whenever he wasn't working on the bridge he would spend the rest of the time walking though the towns helping any and everybody he came across. He spent the most time with the unfortunately high number of orphans that came about because of Gatō's occupation of their home and the deaths of their parents who initially tried to fight back. He alongside Iris and Chaos played many games with the citizens and orphans and even with Iris's powers managed to heal a few unfortunate people with illnesses which they were eternally grateful for. He made sure to teach them all the survival tricks he learned over the years so that they too could survive. He imparted many stories of his pranks and survival stories to inspire not just the orphans but the other citizens as well to survive and thrive and most importantly how to appreciate all that you have.

With the weeks that they have spent in the country Naruto was confident enough with his photographic memory to remember everybody by name and face and it warmed his heart to know that he could do something good for these people and not just cause any destruction and death like his powers would allow him too. Especially with the Nine Tails now awake. "Yeah I guess it is." Tazuna said and this time he didn't have a bottle of sake in his hands. Naruto felt tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. He's come to enjoy the company of the drunken old man he's learned so much from. He would truly miss him. At the same time everyone else was getting their goodbyes in to those that have come to know them.

"Please don't go!" Many of the orphans screamed as they crowded around Naruto and held him down. Naruto now had visible tears in his eyes and surrounded by people just like him made him feel excepted and loved. "I know guys. I would actually love to stay here but a Shinobi's job never ends and I have to keep moving forward. I'm going to miss every last one of you. But don't forget the things I taught you ok." Naruto said as a few tears fell from his eyes. He would truly miss them all. "Maybe when you visit again we can all play together." One orphan requested. "Sure, I would love nothing more than to do that." Naruto said with a warm smile as he wiped his tears away. "Oh maybe we can play water devil too." A young girl said and she was even bold enough to wink at Naruto. A bunch of the other girls around her were giggling and sending winks and looks at Naruto whose face was a searing red in embarrassment and mortification at the ages of some of the girls. Naruto immediately sent a scathing sun melting glare at Iris who had an aloof and innocent look on her face and Chaos was besides her biting her lip to keep from dying of laughter. Naruto also sent a glare at Anko for corrupting his daughter which led to all this mess but Anko only gave a half attempted innocent face back because it was ruined by the triumphant smirk on her face.

Hinata thought it was absolutely cute since with the amount of time Naruto spent with everyone it was blatantly obvious that almost the entire population of orphan girls had a combination of hero worship and little crushes on Naruto. It was endearing to see them either get so shy around him or try and fail to flirt with him since they had no experience at all with boys. However, Hinata would be blatantly lying if she said she didn't feel something when a few of the girls around their age flirting with Naruto. It didn't help that a few of them were pretty attractive and Naruto's nervous blushing and obvious reactions around them made Hinata think no so nice thoughts but trying to be the good person that she is she would let the incidents slide. Hinata also spent a lot of time with the orphans as well and when they asked what her relationship was to him Hinata initially held out until the combined might of at least two dozen girls overpowered her and she told the girls of her crush on Naruto. But she had made sure he wasn't around to here.

"So I guess this is goodbye then Iris." Inari said with a combination of a sad smile and nervous blush on his face. "I guess so." Inari became good friends with the twins while they stayed here particularly Iris who he obviously had a big crush on. Everyone knew about it since as a kid he couldn't do a good job of being discrete and hiding it. Everyone knew except Iris though. "Here I got you this." Inari said as he gave Iris a flower. "Oh, thank you Inari its beautiful." Iris chirped and she stuck in into her hair where it matched perfectly with everything else she had on. "Here I got a present for you Inari." Chaos said with a snicker as she gave Inari a journal. "A journal?" Inari questioned as he turned it over and an embarrassed blush came on his face. The journal had the title _**[Diary of a Wimpy Kid]**_ stitched on the front of it by Chaos herself. "See now whenever you feel like you are going to cry you can write in this journal." Chaos said while barely holding back her laughter. "Hey! I don't cry any more. I made that promise and I'm not going to break it." Inari indignantly said with a huff and an embarrassed blush on his face as he looked to Iris only to see her giggling.

"I think it's cute. Besides my sister has the right idea you deserve a reward for maturing some." Iris said but then a worried look came on her face. "But I don't know what to give you. Oh well I guess this would do." Iris said with a casual shrug of her shoulders as she gave Inari and quick peck on the cheek to show her appreciation. Inari looked ready to pass out and go to cloud 9 while the others had amused and shocked looks on their faces which soon turned to just plain old amusement when they turned to see Naruto with jealously and over protectiveness overflowing from his body. The temperature in the air dropped rapidly as he quickly slid up next to Inari with a sickly sweet smile on his face. "Hey Inari let's talk for a few before I go." Naruto said in a deceptively calm voice as he led Inari by the shoulder over to the railings of the bridge well out of sight of the others since the natural mist and fog that surrounds the area rolled in earlier that day.

"He is so dead." Anko was the first to comment. "You're in so much trouble Iris." Chaos said in a taunting tone as she snickered at her twin. "But what did I do?" Iris said in pure confusion which had a slight undertone of panic since she never liked to upset her father or get punished by him. "Oh my naïve twin sister. You have much to learn." Chaos chided as she patted Iris's head in sympathy. "It's ok Iris." Hinata said as she rubbed the poor girls head. Hinata wanted to laugh as well but thought better of it. "I had no idea Naruto had a side like that." Sakura commented with a sweat drop. "The brat's full of surprises huh?" Zabuza said with a simple shake of his head. He found Naruto's antics quite amusing. After spending some time around the Uzumaki trio he found he liked the family quite a bit and he even wanted to fight Naruto himself and after seeing what Iris and Chaos could do he wanted to fight them as well.

Several moments later Naruto still leading Inari by the shoulder came back into view and the poor boy looked like he was locked in a freezer for 50 years. He was shivering and looked like he saw a ghost. By this time everyone had said their goodbyes so Naruto moved to join the others while Inari went over to his mother. Inari tried to shoot Iris a glance but then quickly adverted his eyes while Naruto still with that fake smile on his face nodded in approval. Everyone else around his had major sweat drops forming around them as they all took a minute step back.

"So I guess we'll see you later huh brat." Tazuna said as he gave Naruto a hard pat on the back. "Yeah old man definitely." Naruto said as he and everyone else started their journey across the bridge. Once they were out of sight Tazuna lowered his hands from waving. Seeing the state his grandson was in Tazuna rubbed Inari's head. "See Inari that's what happens when you pursue a girl in front of her father. But I'm still proud of you my boy you have great taste just like your old man." Tazuna said with a belly laugh. Many of the adults around him shared in this laugh as well since everyone could see the blatant puppy dog love Inari had for Iris. "Hey what about the name for the bridge?" One villager pointed out. "Yeah we'll need one." Another stated. "Already taken care of." Tazuna said with a smirk on his face as he looked into the distance.

* * *

As the group reached the other end of the bridge that was the entrance to the mainland they all turned back to take one last look at the bridge they all had a hand in creating but a gasp brought everyone's attention to Sakura who was looking up at the massive arch way in front of the bridge. "Sakura what's wrong?" Naruto asked as he followed Sakura's line of sight and he was rendered speechless. On the stone arch way was the bold sign carved out of the stone itself and it read:

 _ **[The Great Naruto Bridge]**_

On the outer edges of the title one before the word "The" and one after the word "Bridge" were the symbol of the hidden leaf village colored in with a vibrant forest green paint surrounded by a thick black outline. But the thing that spoke more to Naruto was what was in the center. In between the words "Great" and "Naruto" was the symbol that every shinobi of the Hidden Leaf wears on their clothes. It was a red spiral. The same spiral that the Leaf Symbol originates from. The Uzumaki Clan Symbol. "Oh my…" Kakashi whispered out in pride as he shifted his gaze to Naruto who had silent tears falling down his face as he refused to take his eyes off the bridge. Feeling bold Hinata came up to Naruto and gave him a comforting hug with a proud smile on her face.

On a plaque that was attached to each column of the bridge words were written.

 _{Here stands a completed bridge to peace that a shinobi fought so hard for. May he and his comrade's find peace and success in all that awaits them in the future. This country shall live on and always welcome back its hero who personally built this bridge with his own blood, sweat, and tears. He and his family and friends shall always have a home here within the great waves of this country. For he taught us what it truly means to be strong.}_

Below that heartfelt speech was the names of everyone who came. Naruto's name was at the top of the list and it went down making sure to get everyone's name and leave nothing out. At the end of the list Zabuza and Haku's names were separated and words were written for them.

 _{Two individuals who started out as our enemies and oppressors. Now who are forever welcomed to a home here within the waves of this country. May you find peace and success in your future.}_ Haku was touched as he read this and Zabuza averted his eyes from the others and he let out a grunt trying to deflect everyone's attention. But only a few of them caught how his eyes softened just a little bit at the kindness showed to them.

"I'm never going to forget this place for as long as I live." Naruto said as he did nothing to stop his tears from falling. "Well we can always come back and visit any time we want." Eva said as she sat in Naruto's hair. Her heart was touched as well since her name was on the plaque as well. "We definitely will." Naruto said as he made that promise to himself. "Let's go. The sooner we get home the sooner we can finally rest." Kakashi said as everyone turned away from the bridge and resumed their journey. After a few minutes Naruto laid his hand on Iris's shoulder who suddenly tensed. "Oh yeah and sweetie you are in so much trouble." Naruto said in the same sickly sweet voice he used earlier. Iris gulped and Chaos was snickering next to her sister. Hinata tried to send a sympathetic look to Iris but she just couldn't, she thought it was way to funny. Anko was seconds away from busting a gut and everyone else who cared had sweat drops running down the back of their heads.

"Daddy how much trouble am I in?" Iris asked with a nervous chuckle while poking her fingers together.

"A lot sweetie… a lot." Naruto replied with a tired sigh.

* * *

 _ **The End of The Land of Wave's Arc**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Fūinjutsu: Privacy Seal –** A seal that allows the user to conceal an area and cut off both sound and light from escaping the area. It is perfect as it allows private meetings to take place without the worry of easy droppers. The seal is typically formed on a small sheet of paper that is then stuck to a nearby surface to engulf the area in its effect.

2.) **Sacred Fire –** A move that is unique and a special ability of the Phoenix Goddess Sōkyoku. This unknown ability allows the Supreme Goddess of Life to create golden colored flames that is more unique and potent than her normal red hot fires. With these flames Sōkyoku is able to heal any injury no matter the severity and she is more that capable of bringing people who have died back to life with these flames. These flames have strong and potent side effects though. Anything that the flames engulf will not only be healed back to perfect health but they will also regress atomically back to a point in time when they were in their prime or at their very absolute peak. This aspect suggest that Time/Space abilities and aspects are involved in her flames as well. These affects are not limited to living organisms either. Anything that the flames touch including but not limited to by any stretch of the imagination are inanimate objects and nonliving things.

3.) **Cursed Fire –** A move that is unique and almost identical to the special ability of the Phoenix Goddess Sōkyoku. Black flames come to life and then quickly change over to a myriad of multiple shades that look exactly like Chaos's Tainted Flames. These flames can phase through objects without touching them and can create things out of thin air. At this time, it is still unclear just what power this is.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So everyone how was that? Did you all enjoy the moments between Naruto and Sōkyoku? Did you enjoy their conversation? Or how about Naruto and Anko? Many things were revealed in this chapter and I hope none were put off by Kurenai's attitude in this. She is new to the fold and pretty much and outsider to the mystery that is Naruto Uzumaki. I hope I dropped enough comedic moments to satisfy everyone. I know I am. Also some very strange and interesting things have happened with Iris and Chaos in this chapter to raise many more questions. I also couldn't resist throwing in the whole scene between Iris and Inari. I was dying to get to that part and I'm very happy with the way everything turned out. Finally I wanted to do something special for the bridge and I'm not just talking about the thousands of seals all over it. The plaque and writings on the bridge was something that I came up with on the spot as I was typing and as soon as I was done with it I felt really proud and happy. I hope you guys like the message the citizen's of wave left everyone.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 26 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 7/31/2016


	28. CH: 27 Home Bound

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey everyone that is it. The Land of Wave's Arc is through and now everyone is making their way back to the Hidden Leaf Village. It's been quite calm ever since Gato was taking care of but the peace everyone has been enjoying is about to be disrupted in more ways than one.

* * *

Chapter 27

 ** _Home Bound_**

Thunder and lightning. A storm was raging across a ravaged island. Two figures shrouded in the darkness of a nondescript cave were plotting. "Jūra should have been back by now. What is taking him so long." A slightly feminine voice spoke up, but it was undeniably still a man. "He must have got caught up in the moment. The fool can't help himself when it comes to fighting. Be patient Kyōra he will arrive soon enough." A calmer silky voice spoke out with confidence. "But I wanted to go dear brother. I'm very interested to see how far that young boy has improved." Kyōra insisted. "As am I, he very well may be the person we are looking for. Only time will tell." The other voice stated but before any more conversation between the two brothers could take place a very loud moan came from the sea.

"They're back. See Kyōra a little bit of patients can go a long way…" The man said but his voice was cut off when he saw Jūra approach them and enter the cave. "Jūra what happened to you?" The man demanded with an edge in his voice. "Hehehehe… the brat is far more powerful than any of us could have imagined. As well as those little pesky brats he calls daughters." Jūra said as he found himself a rock and sat down to relax himself. "Tell me everything that happened." The man demanded. "Oh yes do tell, I'm interested as well." Kyōra said as he leaned forward with a hungry and interested look in his green animalistic eyes. "Before I begin, I'll just say that you were right to take interest in him Ryūra. He and those brats of his might be what we are looking for."

"Is he a member of that clan?" Ryūra asked with eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I think he might be. When you listen to this story I think you might agree." Jūra said with a grin. "Well then let's hear it." Ryūra said with a smirk also on his face. "Are you boys having story time without me?" A voice said from the entrance to the cave. All three demons turned their head to the voice and immediately dropped to a knee. "Forgive us milady. We had no idea you returned." Ryūra spoke up.

"It is of no consequence. I too am interested to find out all that has happened. Please spare no details Jūra." The voice said in a seductive tone as the three demons resumed sitting. A tiny figure sat itself down in between the three men and with a signal Jūra began his tale.

By the end of it there was silence in the cave. "Fascinating. Truly fascinating. I had a feeling that boy was one of them, and to make it even better he is her son as well. Truly fascinating. This makes everything so much more fun. And to think that wench's daughter would become attached to her son is like an icing on the cake. History truly repeats itself." The woman said with an excited tone. A certain glee was in her tone and her power spiked causing flames to briefly erupt from around her but they died down just as quickly. "What should we do now milady? If this boy is the key, we should capture him immediately." Kyōra asked.

"Patience Kyōra. Let us not be hasty. They are going nowhere so I see no reason to rush things. However, that boy is known for his paranoia… so I say let's keep him on his toes. Send Kurruk to pay the boy a visit again. Those two are well acquainted over the years. Seeing him the boy will know that we can still reach him and it will only keep him guessing. That will give us more than enough time to continue are plans." The woman spoke as she floated up from her sitting position. The tiny sound of wings flapping could be heard. "What of the girl Kurruk has?" Ryūra questioned. "The little human girl serves her purpose. She is still useful. Besides she would do anything just to get her father back so she will comply." The woman said as she started to leave the cave.

"Very well milady. But where are you going now?" Ryūra asked as he and his brothers looked to were their mistress was headed. "I heard rumors that a snake is planning an attack on the boy's home. I would like to be privy to such knowledge. It might benefit us if we use this opportunity to our advantage." The demoness said as a magic circle appeared beneath her. It was red in design with the primary shape of a flower. "Ryūra see to it that things are taken care of." The woman said as the magic circle engulfed her body.

"Yes Lady Daylily."

* * *

 ** _Unknown Location_**

 _'What is happening? Why did my sister use my powers?'_ A being thought to itself as it was shrouded in darkness. _'I just felt her interact with my crystal, so she has it within her possession. So why doesn't she come back to me?'_ The being thought in frustration as the darkness in the cave became even darker if that was even possible. _'Why is it that I can't sense your location sister?'_ The being thought as it focused once more. Trillions of starts and billions upon billions of Universe's past by her mind's eye in the blink of an eye but she still could not find what she is looking for. _'Where have you been?'_ The being thought as universe upon universe past by her mind as she searched for her wayward sister.

Days pasted as the being kept trying to search over and over again. Soon it gave up but then thought better of it. It decided to try once more and soon found something that shocked it.

 _'What is this? A blank spot?'_ The being thought to itself in shock. _'This world has been swallowed up by the void. Is this where you hid yourself sister? In the void where no one can find you. But what could have forced you into hiding like me?'_ The being thought as it opened its eye and the darkness was banished by an oppressive red light from a massive red rectangular eyes. It was the most vibrant shade of ruby and the darkness was casted away to reveal a cave of sorts that the being was in. It wasn't much but black with shades of purple colors could be seen around the beings eyes which looked like feathers. Black and purple feathers.

 _'It must have been him. That abomination. If he has already found my sister, then that means I'm next.'_ The feathered creature thought as movement could be heard from within the cave. _'I can't communicate with her telepathically because of the void being in the way. I must speak to her directly in order to reestablish our connection.'_ With that said it opened both of its eyes and the cave was flooded with red light from its eyes.

[And where do you think you're going?] A voice devoid of any and everything spoke up as it was accompanied by a darkness of such proportions that it sucked the light from the cave. "You!" The majestic feathered creature said in a feminine voice that was soft yet supposedly devoid of emotion. However, at the moment it was filled with absolute hatred and malice. [Yes, it's me… You have no idea just how long it's been since any one has seen you. I've searched for so long but now I've finally found you. I never would have suspected you would have hidden yourself on the frontier. That was an ingenious move on your part. I would expect nothing less from you.] The intruding voice said as it slithered and bounced off the walls in the cave.

"You're not really here." The feathered creature stated as it searched the cave with its senses. [Oh no, unfortunately I'm not their physically right now. This is just a small probe of my consciousness that has finally found you after all this time. I suppose we should thank your sister for that. Her interacting with your crystal acted like a ping on a radar for me.] The mysterious being said with a laugh that disgusted the majestic being in front of it. [But with that being said I thought it would be a good idea to test out just how much power you still have left.] The menacing voice said but it was cut off by the majestic being it was talking to. "Be gone." A force of beyond god like proportions exerted itself on the mysterious being and with a pained grunt from it the darkness was banished from the cave. _'This place is no longer safe for me.'_ The feathered being thought before the cave around it shook from an unknown force. _'So he did send something to test me.'_ The feathered creature thought as it started to dig deep within itself to find that spark. That infinite fountain of power that was far larger than anything else. When it found it the cave around it started to shake not from whatever was outside of it but because of the being that was inside of it.

BOOM!

The entire cave which actually turned out to be a massive mountain exploded with the force of a Tsar Bomba. The planet around was actually a dust ball. It was a barren wasteland that could not support life at all. It was a Mars like planet that was a dusty gray like color and the only defining feature about it was the incredibly large mountains that seemed to reach into space with their immense size. These mountains were few and far in between since the entire planet was mostly flat with fields that spread for millions of miles in every direction with the occasional tall mountain that stood by itself with no mountain range near it. From outer space it looked like the planet was a large ball with a few spikes sticking out of it in random directions since the mountains were so huge they could be seen form space. It was from one of these widely spaced out mountains that this beyond nuclear sized explosion occurred that obliterated over half the entire mountain.

A jet black bird of indescribable size that was highlighted by shades of purple flew out of the mountain into the air for the first time in an unknown amount of time. The bird that was actually a phoenix was beyond massive with a wing span that was miles long. On its crown where the crest was it had five long stems sticking out of its head and on each of those stems was a massive feather. From its tail feathers a massive plumage of feathers that looked more like a dress flapped behind it. It's feet that looked razor sharp were like claws and they folded up into its body. Out of that under-dress of massive feathers three immensely long stems that looked more like tails were dangling behind the massive phoenix and at the end of those stems a truly massive feather was billowing out from it.

The phoenix let out a screech so loud that dust from the ground was blown away into a massive dust storm that actually started to rage across the entire planet. Below it on the surface of the planet millions of little dark creatures could be seen. The had congregated around the mountain that the Phoenix resided in and almost half of them were obliterated from the sudden destruction of the mountain they were trying to assault. The other half was buffeted by the impromptu dust storm that was now reaping destruction across the desolate world that could not support life.

"Be gone. All of you. **Phoenix Rising!** " The phoenix said and the next thing to happen was total destruction. Pitch black fire erupted form the phoenix that reached the surface of the planet below and began to scorch the entire surface black with the intense heat. Millions of feathers fell from the sky from the phoenix and when they hit the ground they hit like meteors causing massive explosions to occur. The creatures below were numerous and ranged from many different sizes. Some were as big as normal sized mountains and some were as small as fairies but they were all different species. Many were demons and devils and other kinds of monsters and other unknown species. None were spared. They were all obliterated with extreme prejudice. However, it didn't stop there. The phoenix took off until it was in outer space. Letting a single feather fall back down to the planet the phoenix turned and opened a portal and flew threw it with the explosion of the entire planet behind it.

 _'It will take me a lot of time to pinpoint exactly where you are sister but I am coming. We are no longer safe anymore.'_ The phoenix thought as it flew through the portal but it didn't notice a small spec of a shadow slip in behind it as the portal closed on that dimension which collapsed and disappeared with the absence of the phoenix.

* * *

 ** _Land of Fire_**

They were making good time. Just a day away from the village. Everyone was quite shocked to see Iris and Chaos keeping up with them as they tree hopped through the trees. Because of their very young age and short stature everyone thought that they wouldn't be able to keep up with the older shinobi but the two almost 7 year olds proved everyone wrong. For Iris she used subtle amounts of her absolute control over Wind that comes naturally to her to propel herself faster and farther through the trees. For Chaos well… she was simply enjoying herself as her Angeloid biology prevented her from getting exhausted. She however did need to take breaks since she apparently exhausts her energy faster than Iris. For Naruto being a Jinchūriki even at his age his stamina was far above all of his classmates. He didn't mind the pace that the Jōnin of the group was setting. He himself was more than eager to return home. He's been feeling homesick and has also missed those he left behind such as Shoko, Hiruzen, Iruka, and the Ramen Stand Father and Daughter Duo.

He also didn't forget about the recent visit of the Hidden Stone's Mafia Kingpin. To know that someone as powerful as Balalaika could just be allowed inside the village was disconcerting. More than that to know that Hiruzen and the top brass allowed her to be in the village worried Naruto even more. But despite those negative points Naruto was definitely looking forward to seeing his home again. To sleep in his bed and be in his own apartment again was calling to Naruto and he was all too eager to answer the call as he subconsciously pushed himself just a little harder. A peaceful smile was on his face as he navigated through the trees with his two daughters by his side and his classmates and comrades all around him. He's had this same aura about him ever since he was able to tell the others about his own past. A proverbial weight had been lifted from his shoulders and its left him in a better mood ever since.

Iris and Chaos had recently taken a break and was now fit to go so they were happily doing crazy stunts through the trees trying to outdo each other. Iris always claims she is the more mature twin and as such tries to act like an adult but the truth is she acts very childish and any time Chaos challenges her in anything she immediately jumps at the chance to compete with her sister. So with that being said no one was surprised to see the two little girls darting around them in the trees. Even Zabuza couldn't keep the stern look on his face as he saw Chaos doing cartwheels through the trees. The Demon of the Mist warmed up considerably to the Uzumaki Twins after the bridge battle. Zabuza tried to stay clear of them or intimidate them with his stern demeanor but he was shocked by how they reacted to him. Iris wasn't intimidated in the least. She was quite sassy with the older man and never let him boss her around and would always enter his personal space or try to initiate a conversation with the older man even if he didn't want to. As for Chaos her aloof nature and free spirit made it impossible for Zabuza's stern vibes to harm her, if anything they just bounced off her. She practically invades his personal space at every chance she could get especially given her rather unique and peculiar abilities. She would prank the veteran shinobi at any moment causing the already paranoid veteran to become afraid of his own shadow with the tiny terror constantly around him for the last stretch of their time in the Land of Waves.

It was because of how energetic the girls were being and how peaceful everything was that no one expected what happened next. Naruto felt a sudden and abrupt shift in his chakra network. Iris's eyes turned emerald green before growing dull from being heavily distracted. She smacked her forehead onto a tree branch which caused her to take a tumble out of the trees. At the exact same time Chaos's eyes turned ruby red before her eyes completely blanked out and a dull purplish glow could be seen emanating from her chest before she passed out in mid jump causing her body to limp aimlessly through the air.

"GIRLS!" Naruto screamed in fright as Chaos's consciousness in the back of his head grew dull signifying she was no longer conscious and Iris's presence grew hazy indicating that his connection to Sōkyoku was interrupted due to the Goddess herself. With a seal less Shadow Clone Jutsu a clone of Naruto appeared besides Naruto in an instant and it jumped away and caught Iris who was closer to Naruto at the moment. Naruto himself launched himself off of a tree branch so hard it shattered under the stress. Naruto caught Chaos like a bullet as he dropped to the ground below with his clone dropping besides him a moment later. Everyone else came to a screeching halt when they first saw Iris hit her head on the tree branch. Everyone dropped down besides Naruto who was trying to shake Chaos awake. "Hey sweetie wake up? What happened?" Naruto said as he gently shook Chaos who was not responding.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked as he looked at both girls who were out of it. He was thinking someone attacked and his senses were ablaze trying to detect any enemy that might be in the area. "I don't know sensei. Chaos's is unconscious and Iris is semi-conscious right now." Naruto said in fear in his tone. "I think we should set up camp here. It's almost sun down and we shouldn't travel through the night with to incapacitated members. Even if we are in friendly territory it is still an unwise choice." Kakashi expressed as he slung off his heavy duty backpack with all of his extra gear inside. "Right. Everyone form a perimeter and stay on guard. We'll be setting up camp right in this spot. Luckily this little place here is a clearing big enough for our little group. Go through standard procedures." Kurenai ordered as the Genin all started checking around the area in a 200-foot diameter from where Naruto and the Jōnin were.

"Why did they pass out?" Zabuza asked as he gazed at the two girls with a critical eye. His shinobi side was trying to analyze what could have caused this. "Something interrupted my connection to Iris and as for Chaos I'm not sure." Naruto said as he himself was feeling out his own chakra network and was startled to feel something new attached to Chaos's energy. It was almost unnoticeable but Naruto could feel a slight change in Chaos's energy. "Are they going to be ok?" Anko asked as she gazed in worry. "Yes they will be. They just need to rest for a few minutes that's all." Naruto said as he summoned his own tent which was almost twice the size of the others. "I'll start a fire right now." Naruto offered. Taking a single strand of hair from Iris's head those that were looking were shocked to see it transform into one of her feathers. A ring of stones was already set in place to form a pit and some dry sticks and leaves were inside ready for a fire. Naruto channeled just the tiniest hint of Sōkyoku's aura into the feather and it caught on fire. Naruto put the feather into the fire pit and a beautiful white fire bloomed into existence that soon turned a radiant pure golden color as the flames slowed down to a crawl as if time had slowed down on the fire itself.

Naruto placed Iris and Chaos into his tent to let them rest and he joined the others in gathering any last minute items. 10 minutes later everything was ready and everyone sat around the fire eating. Some remained silent while others made small talk. Everyone was bathed in the golden light given off by the mysterious golden flame that had many captivated. "So Naruto, why did you decide to give Chaos her name? Isn't it a little strange?" Sakura asked Naruto as she tried to make small talk with her teammate. She was sitting close to him with Sasuke also close by with Kakashi also nearby. Each team was sitting roughly in the same area but Hinata and Anko managed to get spots close by to Naruto as well.

Naruto's relationship towards Sakura and Sasuke improved greatly since his big reveal and he smiles and jokes around with them more not to mention simply talking to and interacting with them a lot more than before that time. Even so old habits die hard and so Naruto is still a little sociably awkward around his teammates and a little more reclusive. He also tends to want to hide things but he forces those desires down since he wants to make an effort to be more open with the people around him. He's let his paranoia control him all his life and he wanted to start to break away from that mindset. Of course he would never get rid of his paranoia or secretive nature but he vowed to not let that control every single action he makes.

"The funny thing is Sakura, I didn't come up with Chaos's name." Naruto said with a chuckle. "Huh you didn't, then who did?" Sakura asked in curiosity. The others were also leaning in slightly since their curiosities had been peaked. "Chaos did herself." Naruto said with a smile. He noticed the more interested looks some from the group were sending him and he couldn't help but savor their looks a bit. "Huh? How is that possible. You said you found them when they were newborns. Chaos couldn't talk then. Could she?" Sakura questioned with absurdity in her voice. Others were going to raise their own valid complaints but a laugh from Naruto stopped them. "No she didn't speak to me but she was responsible for me naming her. It also reminds me of the time she spoke her first words." Naruto said with a twinkle in his eye. Mirth was overflowing from him as he thought back to the time Chaos spoke her first words. It freaked him out but amazed him at the same time.

"Then how did it happen." Sakura asked as her inquisitive and curious nature came into play. "When I picked her up for the first time a connection was formed between us. She mentally imprinted her name into my mind and when me and Eva went to think of a name for her that was the name the was forced to the front of my mind. Any other name that I tried to think of was mentally blocked off and didn't feel right. So that was the name I went with. I'll admit that it is a weird name to have and I felt weird naming her that as well but because of what she did when I gave her that name I felt a sense of contentment and satisfaction even though I also felt unconvinced of her name at the same time. Those secondary emotions of satisfaction were artificial emotions that was forced onto me by Chaos herself so I eventually stopped fighting it and went with it. After all this time I've come to accept her name and just being around her you can tell that it fits her perfectly." Naruto explained to those who were listening.

After that more small talk was made with a few jokes thrown in but soon everyone decided to head to sleep. Inside Naruto's tent Iris and Chaos was fast asleep and they were not moving. Laying down in between the two blondes Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon enough he was in his mindscape and he quickly went to Sōkyoku for answers. When he reached her bird cage he found that the small normal sized door that he always walks into was locked. "Locked? That's never happened before." Naruto said to himself in shock. After spending a few minutes trying to figure a way in Naruto gave up. The only thing that reassured him was the fact that the torches on each side of the door that has Sōkyoku's feathers in them were still burning just as brightly as any other time that he came to see her. So he knew that she was ok but for some reason she was not excepting any visits from him.

Walking on one of the giant tree branches of the tree Naruto then floated up to the floating platforms in his mindscape. In a lush green field outside one of the many ruins scattered about the city of platforms was Chaos's body. She was laying down in the field staring at the clouds that fazed through the platforms since they were at cloud level with the impressive height the platforms were levitating at. "Chaos. Sweetie its me." Naruto called out as he landed besides Chaos. She was asleep as far as he could see. Her breath was shallow and her chest was raising up and down. But what drew Naruto's attention was the feint purple glow at the center of her chest. Rolling up her shirt to get a better look Naruto could see that the glow was coming from beneath her skin. "What is this?" Naruto said as he placed a finger right were the glow was coming from and Naruto's body went rigid as a few images flashed through his mind.

Ruby red glowing eyes that looked very much like Sōkyoku's emerald eyes and an overwhelming presence of power filled Naruto's very soul. The power was cold and felt like the very life from him body was being choked out of him. Compared to Sōkyoku whose power always made Naruto feel full of life and warm. Opening his eyes from the startling jolt Naruto let out a scream of shock when pitch black flames that contrasted Sōkyoku's signature white flames started to climb up his finger and spread across his body. It felt like he was dying yet there was no pain. The flames erased Naruto from his mindscape with the last of his surprised screams fading away.

"Sister what has happened? Why have you awakened and used your powers? Why did you leave your hiding place?" Sōkyoku asked to herself in solitude as she stared blankly out into the vastness that was Naruto's mindscape. She knew Naruto came by to see her but she wasn't in the mood or right state of mind to talk to her host. She was more concerned about things happening dimensions away with her sister. She could feel her sisters power deep within her own body activating for the first time in a very long time and it startled her so much that she lost her connection to her avatar in the real world. Sōkyoku was deeply worried about her sister who she could not telepathically communicate with because of the conflicting locations they were in. It greatly frustrated Sōkyoku that something very important just happened to her sister and she could not intervene. Growling in a very rare outburst of anger and frustration Sōkyoku released a screech so loud that it rattled the very tree she resided in. The flames that burned all around her lit up in a blaze as all the feathers on her body ignited into a pure white and gold display making her look like a true Phoenix.

Naruto jumped out of his sleeping bag with a startled yelp. Sweat was pouring down his face in copious amounts. Out of breath Naruto looked around the dark tent he was in and let out a sigh as he checked his skin for any burn marks. When Sōkyoku sends him out of his mindscape the flames she uses are warm and welcoming and he never actually feels like he is being burned alive. With those mysterious black flames that banished him from his own mind he felt so cold like the life from his body was being sucked out. The only other time he felt a sensation similar to this was when he was on the verge of death on the night of his 4th Birthday where Eva saved his life.

Looking at Iris for a moment Naruto reached out and touched her face with concern etched into his brow but he recoiled when his hand touched her face and didn't feel the usual warmth that he always felt. Iris's skin is naturally very warm to the touch so much so that sweat and water evaporates faster on her compared to others. It's not boiling hot or scalding to the touch but it is noticeably warmer as if she just spent the day in the sun. Even at nighttime when she sleeps her skin temperature does not change in the slightest. When a person comes in skin contact to Iris their very soul is filled with that same warmth and a calming aura overtakes them. That was how Iris was able to calm down Tora the little demon cat.

When Naruto touched Iris's face her skin was at a normal if slightly cold temperature. About the average skin temperature for everyone else but with a slight coldness to it as if she was asleep but without a blanket around her. This has never happened ever before and it only increased Naruto's worry for his daughters. Turning to Chaos Naruto touched her face and a brief mental flash of those ruby red eyes filled his mind. He clammed up for a moment but he tried his best to relax. Worried about the strange glow he saw on her chest Naruto unbuttoned Chaos's shirt to get a look at her skin but as he looked he couldn't see a single sign of any glow. He even placed his finger right where the glow should have been coming from but nothing happened. Buttoning up her shirt again Naruto laid back down and brought both Iris and Chaos closer to him. He placed Chaos's head next to his until they were touching and wrapped his other arm around Iris until there was no room between them.

 _'Girls… what is happening to you?'_ Naruto thought as he closed his eyes tight as he pulled them even closer to him if that was possible. Naruto held his daughters close that night not just for their sake but for his as well. He was scared of this new development and he felt powerless to help them. He didn't even know where to begin to help them now and he felt fear because of it. It wasn't something he felt often but when it came and especially when it concerned his daughters Naruto felt useless and afraid. Naruto felt a single tear bubble up in his eye as he let sleep claim him.

* * *

The next morning came quickly and everyone was getting up roughly around the same time. Stepping out of her tent alongside Kurenai, Hinata stretched her muscles out. Looking around she saw that Kiba, Sasuke, Fuki and Zabuza was up and sitting around. Kakashi was up in a nearby tree reading his favorite book and everyone else was still in their tent. Hearing a zipper opening Hinata looked to the tent near her and saw Sakura getting out with her hair freshly groomed. "Hey Hinata." Sakura said with a smile. Smiling back Hinata returned the greeting.

"I'll go get Naruto up. The dummy is probably still sleeping in." Sakura said with a frown. Looking towards Hinata, Sakura could see a particular look in the girl's eyes. "Unless you want to do it instead." Sakura suggested seeing the hidden worry in the girl's lavender eyes. "Huh, oh. How about we do it together?" Hinata suggested with a friendly smile. Walking over to the tent Hinata unzipped it and walked inside with Sakura right behind her. Hinata's eyes immediately softened when she saw Naruto with both girls clung tightly to his form. A small tear stain on his cheek could be seen and it ripped at Hinata's heart because she could easily see how distraught Naruto is. "What happened?" Sakura whispered as she noticed the visible tear stain on his cheek as well. "He's worried about them. Something like this has never happened before. I think he feels useless to help them now." Hinata offered her insight since she knew better than most how Naruto's thought process work.

Gently prying the girls loose from Naruto's iron grip Hinata with Sakura besides her woke all three blonds up. Groaning as he sat up Naruto scratched his head which caused Eva to fall out into his lap which woke her up. "Morning Hinata…" Naruto said with a yawn. "Morning Naruto." Hinata replied with a small smile. A tiny blush was on her face since Naruto was in his pajamas and he had his favorite hat with the childish eyes and teeth on it. "Morning Girlfriend…" Eva said with a slur in her voice as she floated over to Hinata's face and splattered herself on the indigo haired girls face like a mosquito to a window. Hinata giggled as she plucked the small little fairy off her face and placed her on her head. "Morning to you to girlfriend." Hinata teased back with a blush and she could visibly see and feel Eva's happiness at the fact that she played back with her joke.

Chaos as usual was half awake and it took her quite some time before she could function. Iris was more manageable as she was leaning against Naruto's shoulder after greeting the others. "Sakura what are you doing here?" Naruto questioned once he noticed his teammate. "Oh, I came to wake you up. I hope that's ok?" Sakura said shyly. "Yeah sure. That's fine." Naruto said with a curious tone. Turning his attention to his daughters both of Naruto's classmates could feel the tension noticeably rise. The worried look in Naruto's eyes returned as he checked them over. "Come on girls it's time to start the day." Naruto said as a bowl made of ice appeared in both of his hands and seconds later it was filled with water. In a burst of smoke two tooth brushes as well as toothpaste appeared in his hands after he had set the bowls down. "Let's brush your teeth." Naruto said as he reached for Chaos first. Chaos is the most manageable for the first thirty minutes after waking up, after those thirty minutes are up that is when she becomes herself and starts bouncing off the walls. That's why every morning Naruto tends to Chaos first before his chance slips away.

Starting with her teeth Naruto did this task mechanically and Hinata was able to tell immediately that Naruto wasn't ok. Usually Naruto would have a grin on his face as he made weird sounds or be telling lame jokes on purpose to get Chaos to laugh since that was a part of their normal morning routine. But now his eyes were vacant as they just looked at his daughter in barely concealed worry. "Naruto go wash up and get dressed. I'll handle the girls today." Hinata said without giving away how worried she was for her best friend. "Huh, why… I always do this?" Naruto said as he was taken out of his trance for a moment. "Don't worry Naruto, I can handle them now go ok." Hinata said with kind smile that hid her true intentions. "Ok…" Naruto said slowly as he got up and unsealed the clothes the girls would be wearing as well as creating a comb and other cosmetic items made out of ice. He dropped all of this on the floor and left with Eva buzzing over to his hair. Once they left Hinata let out a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked in concern. "Naruto's still worried about the girls. He's beating himself up inside. I'm trying to take the weight off his shoulders for him. It's the least I can do for him." Hinata said with a small smile as she finished brushing Chaos's teeth for her. The little terror was still booting up so to speak since Hinata opened up her eye lids and saw that Chaos's eyes were flashing information across them to fast for her to see. Her little fingers were twitching and getting movement in them. Of course if need be Chaos could immediately wake herself up without this huge time delay but it would cause her to become tired later on in the day. So it's better to let her take her time waking up on her own especially since it benefits Naruto and Aria greatly in the mornings since they won't have to deal with her hyperactive personality the seconds she opens her eyes. "You're a really good friend Hinata." Sakura said with hints of awe and a deep respect buried in her voice. Hinata blushed lightly in embarrassment but the smile didn't leave her face.

After everyone was up the group decided to have a quick breakfast before they make the last stretch of their journey to the Leaf which was only 5 to 6 hours away. Everyone was talking quietly to each other and by this time Chaos was fully up and jittery as she sat next to her father and ate a bowl of ramen. Even now the others of the group still kept the Uzumaki family as the main topic of discussion as they asked them particularly Eva questions about herself. Eva being the person she was soaked up this attention greatly but still kept in mind to dodge any question that was not supposed to be answered. She said that she was a special summoning creature to cover her tracks. It wasn't the best cover and it had some holes in its story but they managed to barely pull it off.

* * *

As their breakfast was winding down everyone started to clean up and pack up the tents. Chaos had a certain gleam in her eyes as she hasn't caused any mischief in a while. She was running quite low on her sustaining life blood which is negative and chaotic energies. With how peaceful everything has been for the last two weeks since the end of the battle she has been feeling an inch. She had drained herself of all her energy and negative emotions during the battle and she's been slowly trying to recollect it all since then. But she needed a victim. Someone who she hasn't had the time to prank in a while and someone who could fill her up very easily with the energy she needed. Her eyes turned to her dear twin sister who didn't even see or feel it coming. As soon as Iris had stood up to help Naruto put away their tent the young princess let out a startled yelp when a gentle breeze past by her yellow skirt.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" Naruto jumped when he turned to see a frantic Iris slowly starting to look like she was going to have a major panic attack. Everyone else swiftly turned to the young girl as well when they heard her yelp. "Daddy their missing." Iris wailed. "Missing what's missing?" Naruto questioned as he tried to find anything on Iris that was missing. Her signature pink bow was in place and Iris wasn't the type of girl who put on jewelry so it wasn't that. She had both her socks on as well and it was definitely not her teddy bear John Paul since Iris pretty much has that bear glued to her left arm. She eats, sleeps, and pretty much does everything with only one arm since the other is supporting her precious teddy bear. So nothing visibly was missing from his daughter's appearance so Naruto didn't see what the problem was. Too bad he doesn't have x-ray vision, unlike Hinata who let out a startled gasp as she put her hand over her mouth in shock.

"My underwear is missing." Iris whined causing the others to nearly flip out. Naruto slapped a hand over his face as he sighed. "You mean these?" Chaos's voice chirped out as everyone directed their attention to her. In her hands was a pair of underwear. It was white with little girly frills on it and on the back of it was a large brown teddy bear. Iris's entire face turned cherry red as the hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. Everyone else was speechless except for Anko who was lucky enough to see such a scandal before. "Give me back my underwear!" Iris shouted in rage as the camp fire that hadn't been put out yet erupted briefly into an inferno scarring the ones close to it. "Have to catch me first!" Chaos taunted as she placed her sister's underwear on her head like a mask. Iris had a mortified look on her face as she could see everyone else watching.

Letting out an aggravated scream Iris launched a fireball at her sister who simple dodged the attack with no wasted movement. Punching the air in front of her a long stream of fire erupted from Iris's fist that blazed a trail across the campsite towards her sister. Dropping to the ground in a picture perfect split Chaos dodged the fire by mere inches. The underwear that was on her head and face like a mask almost got burned. Seeing this Iris let off the pressure and growled when Chaos laughed. Getting to her feet Chaos jumped over a pressurized gust of wind. Pulling and stretching at the underwear that was on her face Chaos grinned in a taunting manner. "Have to do better than that." Not getting the chance to say anything else Chaos was launched into the air when her sister stomped her foot on the ground in aggravation and a column of wind pushed Chaos off the ground. Taking the underwear off her face Chaos held it above her head and started to gently float to the ground as if the underwear was a parachute.

Seeing this the others were having a hard time believing the scene in front of them. Growling Iris started to spin into a roundhouse kick to launch a fireball at her sister but the second she felt the breeze under her skirt she squeaked and pulled her dress down while crouching to the ground with her face going even redder than before. Iris's dress wasn't short by any means it was just about right below her knees but because of the fact that when she uses her powers it does cause her dress to flutter about and if she's not careful it could fly up and make the others see something that they are not supposed to. In the middle of a battle it's no problem since Iris actually wears shorts underneath her dress but since this was not her battle clothes there was a real problem for her to deal with.

"So Aunty Anko, do you think this looks good on me?" Chaos asked as she somehow made it to were Anko was standing even though she was supposed to still be floating down to the ground. No one saw her touch the ground and definitely they did not see her past them by as she made her way to Anko so the question on everyone's mind was how did Chaos move so fast. "I think they look cute little munchkin." Anko said as she patted Chaos on the head who had put the underwear back on her face like a mask. "I'm like the ANBU now. I have a mask." Chaos said with a laugh with Anko joining in. A rage filled screech fill the air as Iris jumped to her feet. Sliding her foot across the ground from right to left a gust of wind appeared and forcibly pushed Chaos away from Anko in the same direction Iris moved her foot in. Launching a fire ball from her fist at Chaos Iris was half expecting her sister to dodge since it would take her a second to regain her balance. The fireball swallowed Chaos whole and the others widened their eyes at this.

"Um Naruto don't you think this has gone on long enough? Shouldn't we stop them?" Sakura asked in fright since from her perspective it looked serious and not a game anymore. Some of the others were thinking the same thing and were seconds away from voicing their opinions as well. "It's soon over. They aren't actually serious." Naruto said with a palm on his face. He was mortified that the girls would choose now of all times to start their roughhousing. Running up to the spot where Chaos was hit with the fireball Iris let out a screech of rage. The ground had a scorch mark were the brief fire burned the ground and in the burnt soil Chaos wrote the words [Missed Me]. "Where is she!?" Iris screamed as she was extremely embarrassed right now. She would have this conflict with her sister all the time. Chaos would steal Iris's underwear almost every day. It didn't really bother Iris much because they were in the privacy of their own home and no one bothers them, she would simply chase her down and take them back from her but here they were surrounded by a bunch of people and her sister was flashing her panties around.

Closing her eyes Iris opened them and they were glowing emerald green. They flashed and then turned back to baby blue. "There!" Iris exclaimed as she spun around on the spot and launched a fireball at a tree and Chaos jumped out of the tree with a bunch of birds pecking at her. "Aw, no fair Iris you cheated!" Chaos said as she landed on the ground and suddenly appeared without warning behind Naruto with a pout on her face. Growling Iris stomped forward towards her sister. "Ah. Ah. Ah. Take one step closer and the undies gets it." Chaos threatened as she lit a small flame underneath the underwear that was now in her other hand. Stopping abruptly Iris panicked. "Don't you dear!" Iris growled. "Try me." Chaos taunted.

"Ok Chaos that's enough sweetie. You've had your fill so give your sister her underwear back." Naruto said as he placed his hand on Chaos's head. "Ok dada. I'm full anyways." Chaos said as she stepped forward. Without warning Chaos launched a tainted fireball at Iris who snapped into action. Grabbing the ball of tainted flames in her outstretched hand she spun around and threw it back at were Chaos was supposed to be standing but she was no longer there. Iris let out a startled yelp of surprise as the sound of fabric smacking against skin could be heard. Chaos was latched onto her sister in a tight hug with her signature smile on her face. Iris's face which was still cheery red sighed in visible relief when she reached down and felt that her underwear was back where it was supposed to be. Iris was about to throttle her sister for her games when she heard Chaos snicker. Turning around to look at her sister Iris's face went from shock to anger when Chaos lifted up her own dress and showed everyone that she was wearing Iris's teddy bear underwear. Before she could react Chaos flipped Iris's dress up and everyone could see she was wearing a pair of polka dotted black underwear with frills on it.

Iris screamed in embarrassment as she tackled Chaos to the ground and wrapped her legs around the tiny terrors waist from behind and wrapped her arms underneath Chaos's armpits locking them in place and started to pinch Chaos's cheeks. "Give them back!" Iris yelled. "More! More!" Chaos was chanting as Iris pulled on her cheeks harder. While this was happening everyone else was still in a state of disbelief. "Does this happen a lot?" Sakura couldn't help but ask. "Almost every morning." Naruto said with a sigh but the look in his eyes was different. They were full of love as he stared at his daughters wrestling on the ground. It was a look the others saw and it gave them pause as it was not a side of Naruto that they've ever seen until he revealed the existence of his daughters.

* * *

With the fiasco of his daughters out of the way Naruto and the group made excellent time as they managed to reach the village in four hours instead of the 6 it should have taken. Before they entered the village Naruto had Iris and Chaos transform which raised questions form the others. Naruto deflected them but the defensive look in his eyes caused the others to back off. They were met at the gate by a squad of ANBU Black Ops. Since Zabuza and Haku was with them they reported in to take them into custody. After a quick explanation from Kakashi the ANBU transported Zabuza and Haku through the village their own way until they reached the Hokage's Administrative Building. The group had to take the roofs and make it there on their own.

Reaching the Hokage's office everyone squeezed in to see Hiruzen the Third Hokage alongside his two former teammates and now top advisors. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. The ANBU Commander himself was present standing next to Hiruzen at attention covered in a pitch black cloak with gold trims outlining it. His reflective silver Puma mask hiding away his identity from everyone. But his presence along with some of the most powerful and experienced shinobi in the world made him all the more intimidating due to the fact he could stand amongst them.

"Welcome back Teams 6,7, and 8. We have much to discuss." Hiruzen said in his scratchy voice as smoke billowed out from his pipe.

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 _ **To be continued...**_

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Phoenix Rising –** A move that is another of Sōkyoku's signature attacks. While in her true form Sōkyoku ascends into the sky while spinning her massive body around while building up to her a minimal amount of energy, but to others it would be a staggering unimaginable amount. Once at the apex of her ascent she spreads her titanic wings as wide as they can go and unleashes the pent up energy she was stockpiling in her body. The release of this attack is so immense that a wall of pure white flames will shoot up hundreds if not thousands of feet into the sky depending on the amount of power she unleashes. The wall of flames shoots off from her body in a sphere that stretches again hundreds if not thousands of miles depending on the amount of power she puts into the attack. As one of the side effects, hundreds of thousands of her feathers come raining down from the sky like a meteor shower and when her massive building size feathers hit the ground they strike with the same force as a meteor leaving massive damage far from the actual blast zone of her attack. The power of this attack can wipe entire continents off the face of a planet and leaves nothing alive especially evil beings filled with taint.

 _ **Note:**_ The Black Phoenix also uses this exact same technique just like Sōkyoku. The only difference is that the color of the flames instead of being pure white like Sōkyoku's is instead a pitch black color.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys how was that. Some things are being stirred up behind the scenes and its only a matter of time before some of those plans come into fruition. Why was this black Phoenix in hiding and why is is that she can't contact her sister Sōkyoku? Who exactly was that mysterious being talking to her in the cave and what does it want? Those are just some of the questions that will have answers in time.

I decided to end the chapter with a more lighthearted tone and what better way to do that than to have some hilarious play fighting between sisters?

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 _That's the end of Chapter 27 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 8/9/2016


	29. CH: 28 Mission Complete

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Authors Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back yet again with another chapter. This chapter is the wrap up and fall out of the Land of Wave's Mission. This chapter serves as a conclusion and a transition over to the next Arc and my favorite one. The Chunin Exam's Arc. Now just a little heads up. The Chunin Exam Arc Officially begins on Chapter 31. The next two chapters including this one is transition chapters meant to set up really important plot progression. But rest assured we won't have to wait long to see our favorite characters.

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Chapter 28

 _ **Mission Complete**_

If one word could describe the atmosphere in the Hokage's office, then that word would be tense. The atmosphere was very tense and solemn. The aged Hokage had a stern yet composed visage on his face. There was no visible emotion on his face but to Naruto Hiruzen directed a brief flicker of compassion and understanding, but it was over in an instant. Naruto caught the look directed at him but he could see that the look was loaded with many emotions and hidden meanings that he could not decipher in such a short amount of time.

For the others in the room they were all feeling the pressure of their leader baring down on them. The rest of the Genin rarely see the Hokage of their village face to face for any period of time unlike Naruto who visits the elderly man almost daily despite the fact Hiruzen made it an objective for himself to visit the Academy very periodically to oversee the next generation and see them prosper. It fills him with pride and a sense of nostalgia when he periodically finds himself walking the halls of the decades old Academy building that housed the next generations of leaf shinobi.

The current presence of Hiruzen and the mood he was in didn't particularly affect Naruto too much. It wasn't a side he sees Hiruzen in often. In fact, it's very rare but at the moment he felt that he could deal with it. What he couldn't deal with however was the fact that his two old teammates and now top advisors were in the same room sitting next to him and they both had very stern stone wall expressions on their faces that gave nothing away of what they were really thinking about at the moment. Not a flicker of emotion could be seen on their faces and that unnerved Naruto greatly since he's unfamiliar with them and he is unsure of their opinion on him and how they view him as a person. Do the hate or dislike him? Are they neutral to him and pretty much don't really care about him? Or do they actually like him and don't hold any malice in their heart for him?

These were the questions burning in the back of Naruto's mind as he gazed at the two advisors. Depending on their view of him it could complicate things in the future especially since he has no choice but to reveal the existence of his daughters to these two if Hiruzen didn't already inform them. Either way it wouldn't matter to much since he would have to tell them since they will be mentioned in the debriefing that is about to start.

"Your simple C – Rank mission turned out to be much more than any of us anticipated. This is quite the mess we are all left with." Hiruzen stated as he started the conversation. The wise Hokage had a few opened scrolls and documents scattered on his desk. Most of it was gathered information that was sent to him over the weeks since he originally received the message from Iris's little bird. Since then Hiruzen has been receiving updates from not only Kakashi but from the villages trusted Spy Network. While the appropriate manpower couldn't be sent down to the Land of Wave's in time that doesn't mean Hiruzen doesn't know what was going on. With the constant stream of information coming in from not just the Jōnin squad leaders of the teams and well-hidden spies from the Spy Network Hiruzen has had the country under a microscope. Add on the information that Dino supplied him with form his own Mafia teams on the ground in the Land of Wave's and you get a well-informed Hokage who is caught up with almost all of the events that transpired in the small island nation.

Hiruzen's eyes roamed over the papers on his desk as he bounced from one piece of information to the next. Familiarizing himself with the information so he could quickly compare it to what his Jōnin were about to tell him. Cutting his eye to the Jōnin and Genin lined up rigidly in front of him he took a few seconds for his eyes to roam over everyone present as well as their body language and facial expressions. Stopping on Naruto's for a brief second Hiruzen then placed his eyes on Kakashi.

"Kakashi begin your debriefing." Hiruzen ordered as he opened his ears and all of his senses to gather up every single last detail possible from one of his top Jōnin. "Yes milord." Kakashi said in a very humble and professional tone. He knew what time it was. This mission was originally supposed to be a simple escort and protection mission but it quickly escalated into a national issue that has many international ramifications. With most of the Leaf's top brass sitting before him wanting an in-depth debriefing of all that had happened Kakashi knew that this was not the time for his usual laid back responses and that he had to act professionally like he was trained too.

With that said Kakashi started his debriefing sparring no detail. It was like he was telling a very detailed story. When he finally got to the part where Zabuza came into the picture the old council members perked up as they paid extra attention when Kakashi added in Naruto's involvement with the fight. Koharu gave Naruto a barely concealed gaze of suspicion while Homura was a little bit more on the curious yet cautious side. Hiruzen himself perked up a little as he was interested to know more about how far Naruto has improved. The last assessment he analyzed Naruto's skills on was when he had his Bell Test with Kakashi. Unknown to all was the fact that Hiruzen using his crystal ball watched from start to finish what happened during the test. The aged Hokage was impressed with what he saw but since then he has had no measurement of Naruto's skills. He missed the little skirmish Naruto and Hinata had with Evangeline when she went out of control so he was forced to rely on the debriefing Kakashi gave him that day. They only measurement of Naruto's skills in a life or death scenario was the Mizuki incident on the night Naruto graduated and that was months old by now and he knows that Naruto has improved a lot since then. Giving Naruto a brief look Hiruzen could see that Naruto experienced the most amount of development as far as his power and skills are concerned during the mission.

With that in mind he listened carefully to everything that transpired since that point onward. Hearing how Naruto defended his teammates and received critical injuries at the hands of Zabuza caused the elders to start to ask Naruto questions. "How was it that you were able to hold your own against the likes of Zabuza boy? You were given orders by your sensei and you blatantly disregarded them and got yourself injured halving they effectiveness and manpower of your team. That is unacceptable." Koharu stated as her old squinted eyes pierced into Naruto's skull with unforgiving intensity.

"I did what I had to do in order to insure my teammates and client were safe. Kakashi sensei would not be able to fight off both Zabuza and Haku who was hidden at the time by himself unless he went all out and he wouldn't be able to do that if he had to constantly worry about his defenseless Genin. If his Genin weren't as defenseless as he thought, it would make things go smoother." Naruto answered back crisply. He could already tell that Koharu didn't practically like him and Homura was on the fence with him. Naruto was dreading what would happen in a few minutes when it came time to mention his daughters.

"And what makes you qualified to make such a decision? Your actions could have cost your team the mission as well as their lives." Koharu abolished. Naruto frowned at this. He knew very well that what he did was extremely risky and foolish, he's beaten himself up over it a lot since then. "Please continue Kakashi." Hiruzen interrupted. It was going to be a long day and the worst of the debriefing had yet to come. He was also secretly eager to hear about Iris and Chaos's involvement with the mission, even if he knew it would cause a big racket with his old teammates.

Continuing on Kakashi skimmed a little over the part dealing with the drama in the house and the brief fight between Naruto and Inari. Kakashi again skimmed over Teams 6 and 8 arriving as backup. He went into detail the day they set off for the bridge and everything that had happened including Naruto not being able to wake up. Naruto knew that out of the three visions he had that day the most urgent one for the Hokage to hear about would be the one he saw of the squad of Hidden Stone Shinobi being brutally murdered by the strange duo that reminded him of what Chaos was. An Angeloid. That was something the Hokage's ears should only hear. It was sensitive unknown information and Naruto knew that no one else knew exactly what happened to those men like Naruto did.

' _Here it comes.'_ Naruto thought as he tensed up when it came to the part where Iris and Chaos entered the picture. "Two children took out 10 Chūnin?" Homura mumbled in disbelief. Koharu's eyes were wide opened. "Preposterous. Two six-year-old girls could not possibly have that amount of power. Where are they now?" The elderly woman demanded.

She could not believe such a tail. They were no longer in war so children should not have any kind of training or power anywhere close enough to even accomplish such a feat. Being the generation born directly after the end of the Waring State's Era Koharu along with her two teammates were directly influenced by that time and they already had training and power that the Academy students of this day and age could only dream about. But her and her teammates era has long since passed them by and the only other notable child shinobi with notable skills would be the man standing in the room before them Kakashi Hatake and the now rouge ninja Itachi Uchiha. Not even the legendary Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze had that level of skill and power at the age of 6.

Naruto looked to Hiruzen for permission and guidance. A look of worry and fear that was concealing feelings of mistrust and paranoia was etched onto Naruto's face as he looked towards the man he thought of and affectionately called grandpa. Seeing the look Hiruzen exhaled a cloud of smoke from his trusted tobacco pipe. Nodding his head in Naruto's direction Hiruzen braced himself for the headache to come. With a mental signal from Naruto everyone watched as the air around Naruto rippled and distorted all the while simultaneously combusting into a beautiful shower of pure white flames. Iris and Chaos were now in the room with everyone else and the elder's eyes widened in disbelief.

Iris was wearing a soft pink dress that reached her knees. Around her waist she had a white ribbon tied tightly in the back in the shape of a bow with two streamers of left over ribbon dangling behind her. The dress had a white collar that folded down and was in the shape of a small V-neck towards the front. At the end of the short sheaves of the dress it was cuffed by white bands. On her feet she had white socks and expensive looking red shoes that were very shiny and well-kept despite the fact she was jumping through the trees with them just half an hour ago. Iris had decided to change up her style a bit. Instead of her signature pink bow that highlighted her bangs on top of her head she decided to have a smaller red bow tied at the back of her head. Her teddy bear shaped purse was hung over her shoulder and inside of it was her two metal battle fans as well as a few other items including her signature pink bow. Last but not least Iris had her ever present Teddy Bear John Paul in her arms.

Chaos had on a light amethyst colored dress that was about knee length. Underneath her dress attached on the inside of the bottom portion of her dress was a light baby blue see through silk like material that flowed out to below her knees and ended in jagged triangle like edges. At her waist was a dark purple thin band that actually marked where the silk like secondary underdress was sewed into the primary dress and inches above that the dress changes colors along with a crease forming in the dress marking the top form the bottom. The top portion of the dress has a deep V-neck that reveals Chaos's collar bones and Chaos is wearing a red bow tie that hangs down into an actual tie. The dress is practically sleeveless as the sleeves themselves stop at Chaos shoulders and ripple out in frills.

Despite what some people thought Naruto did have a fashion sense. Mostly due to Iris forcing Naruto to read fashion magazines or else she would hide his ramen away from him. Suffice to say Naruto learned pretty quick for his stomachs sake. Half the wardrobe of clothes that the girls wear was handpicked by Naruto himself. The other half was pooled together by Hinata, Aria, Anko, Shoko, and Henrietta. The girls weren't too picky with the choices unless they really saw something that caught their eye so they rarely requested or showed interest in picking out clothes for themselves. Well at least Chaos in that regard. Iris was just content and approved most of the choices that were given to her. She rarely fused about the clothes Naruto picked out for her since he knew her taste pretty well.

"But how...?" Homura mumbled out in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He never once sensed their presence in the room. His eyes that were hidden behind his glasses opened up in astonishment. _'I didn't even sense any other presences in the room. I only sense them now that they are right here in front of me.'_ Koharu thought to herself in shock. She was no sensory ninja and old age hasn't affected her senses but she knew for a fact that they had to have been in room with them the whole time. She saw that Naruto was now missing the choker around his neck and the small teddy bear pendant that hung from the chain on the choker. So with that in mind she knew that is what they had transformed themselves into for Naruto to transport them. Naruto at one point in time taught Iris how to transform into other things other than her teddy bear. So she chose a pendant that could attach itself to Chaos's choker when it's around Naruto's neck. It saved on space and it didn't get in the way.

"Hey grandpa!" Chaos cheerfully said from Hiruzen's lap. No one saw her move from her spot next to Naruto. No one saw her get behind Hiruzen's desk and no one saw her climb up into his lap to sit. There was absolutely no time for any of this to realistically take place yet Chaos was sitting in Hiruzen's lap with a cheerful smile on her usual glee filled face. She was thrilled to see her Grandfather like figure again after being gone from the village for a month. She missed him dearly so she took the first chance she got to greet him. She just didn't know that her actions would have consequences. The same second Chaos spoke up was the same moment the ANBU Commander reacted. Time stopped for everyone in the room as they saw the commander with a beautiful katana in hand and the tip of the blade was mere inches away from Chaos's face. Hiruzen had placed his bare hand on the tip of the blade and was keeping it from harming Chaos. Hiruzen himself didn't really move much from how he was originally seated in the chair but one arm was supporting Chaos while the other was blocking his own Commander's sword.

"Puma, little Chaos is no threat. Stand down." Hiruzen commanded and just like that the sword disappeared from Puma's hand like it was never even there. His reflective silver mask gleamed in the light of the room as he returned to a rigid statue besides his Hokage. Naruto let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. "Impossible…" Koharu whispered. She never even saw Chaos move from her spot next to Naruto. No one did. The only thing that drew everyone's attention to her new location in the first place was the fact that she spoke up. Hiruzen was very surprised and a little bit unnerved by what just happened but he hid it perfectly well. Despite spending a lot of time around Iris and Chaos the old Hokage still knew very little about their abilities. This was the first time Chaos has ever done her little trick in his presence and it took every single ounce of restraint and training he's accumulated over the many decades he's trained as a Shinobi not to react to the sudden invasion of his personal space and the total abruptness of the tiny blonde's actions.

However, he did need to unleash his instincts in some form or fashion so he instead chose to block the strike that would have surely killed the young girl. While it looked casual to everyone else Hiruzen did have to put a little bit of effort into that block. The commander's sword wasn't a practice sword or anything of that nature. It was the real deal, the sword was specially crafted and handed down to each ANBU Commander that takes up the position. The blade is extremely sharp. One of the sharpest not to mention densest swords in the world. The blade is made of an exceedingly rare material that is so rare you could easily buy a small island and still have money left over to spare. Hiruzen simply applied a dense coating of his super rich and dense chakra to his finger tip to prevent himself from losing a finger.

Chaos was staring at Puma in wonder with a sparkle in her eye. Naruto knew that look very well. Chaos just found something that interest her. When she finds something that interests her the first instinct that would come to mind is to try to corrupt it or torture it in her own sadistic way but seeing this from a very early age Naruto has raised Chaos to instead channel those urges into pranking and other non-life threatening mediums. It's helped wonders since Chaos is so simple minded that she usually agrees and goes along with whatever he tells her to do but whenever her instincts overwhelm her like when she absorbs to much negative energy it can cause those killer impulses to creep back up.

"That could have ended badly little one. That was quite reckless." Hiruzen said lightly as he gently rocked Chaos in his lap. She wasn't really listening however as her eyes were watching Puma. Naruto who finally regained his breath saw what was happening and what Chaos's next likely course of action would be and so decided to stop her in her tracks. "CHAOS! Come here right now!" Naruto commanded as he raised his voice for the very first time in front of everyone. Not even Hinata has ever seen him talk to the girls like that before. Chaos flinched in Hiruzen's lap and again for the second time in less than a minute Chaos somehow managed to move across the room and appear before Naruto without anyone seeing her move. Her head was down and she wasn't looking at Naruto. "Look at me." Naruto said firmly. Looking up everyone could see that Chaos's face still had the same dopey smile as usual but that was actually not the case. Chaos communicates in a special language only known to Naruto and Iris. Not even Hinata has picked up on many of it.

Chaos's lips were not as curved upwards as they usually are in her ever present smile. Her nose isn't crinkled a bit in its usual way. Her eyebrows aren't fully in the right position. Her eyes while shining in the same mischievous light was actually concealing feelings of sadness and regret. It was all in her body language and other cues. From the position her fingers and toes were in too the way she placed her feet where she stood and the posture her body is taking. To everyone else it doesn't look like anything has changed but to Naruto this is what Chaos's kicked puppy expression looks like. It's the closest she would get without actually physically demonstrating it to any noticeable degree for others that don't know her to see.

"Don't ever do something like that again. This is a very serious time right now do you understand." Naruto reprimanded as he got down on one knee so he could be at eye level with the tiny terror. "Yes dada. I'm sorry." Chaos chirped in what everyone assumed was her usual tone but to Naruto he could pick up on the variation in her tone. She was feeling remorse right now. She was well aware of what just happened and what could have happened to her. She could also sense and feel Naruto's fear for her safety and it was starting to eat her up inside. These particular emotions are poisonous to her and she hates to absorb them since when they come from Naruto it makes her physically sick. Chaos placed her hands on the side of her head and shook her head from side to side slowly. This was her message that she wasn't feeling well. Naruto could feel a mental shift in the back of his head pertaining to Chaos and it made him sad but he did have to put his foot down. He couldn't blame Puma for simply doing his job and he would have done the same if someone without explanation suddenly appeared in his leader's lap. They could have been a threat.

"How did she do that?" Koharu demanded. As a shinobi this incident could not be overlooked. Whatever Chaos just did was incredibly dangerous to the right people if she was to be used against an enemy. "I don't know. It is a unique passive ability that she has. It comes to her just as naturally as breathing." Naruto said as he held Chaos's hand.

He wasn't lying either. After all this time Naruto still does not know how Chaos does what she does. He's questioned her multiple times over the years on her strange ability but she would always give him either her usual dopey if not mischievous smile or she would look at him in total confusion. Going to her inner persona that's inside of his mind didn't help him either since she would respond the same way. He's just had to accept that fact over the years.

She slowly stopped swaying from side to side as she started to feel better. He rarely disciplines the girls since he hates it and they usually are obedient but he had to make sure she didn't do something like that again. Someone like Hiruzen wouldn't be around to protect her the next time something like that happens again. Especially since Naruto never even saw the ANBU Commander move. He moved with such a speed that Naruto could honestly question if he was human. It was just to inhumanly fast.

"An ability like that is unheard of. Hiruzen these two children are far too dangerous. They need to be taken in for monitoring and studied…" Koharu started to say as she just could not let something like that go. An unknown ability that unique could not simply just be passive and could be used at any time without limit. That was far too powerful of an ability. As well as Iris's unknown ability to control Fire and Wind in the way she does. Her old shinobi mind was starting to think they were not human but instead supernatural creatures and if that was the case then they needed to be taken in right away. It was bad enough that Naruto as the Jinchūriki of the Hidden Leaf was being possessed by a demon, even a species as weak as Eva's, but to have two extra unknown entities around him made warning bells go off in her mind. Homura was thinking along the same lines as well. Koharu was going to say more but she was cut off by Naruto's outburst.

"Absolutely not!" Naruto shouted as his chakra flared around him and the temperature in the room started to rapidly drop. "My girls are not going anywhere…" Naruto growled as his whole body language screamed caged animal and it looked like he would lash out at any second. "Excuse me young man. I don't believe you have any say in this matter." Homura spoke up with a firm tone. "They are my daughters so that gives me every right in this matter." Naruto said with a heated glare towards the old councilor. "Not legally. The leaf holds no records of their birth, not vaccinations, not medical charts or anything else. As far as the law is concerned they don't exist and they are definitely not your daughters." Koharu spoke up with a brick wall defense.

Naruto felt a white hot anger suddenly course through his body as he listened to what Koharu just said. At this point in time Naruto couldn't see Iris and Chaos as anything but his daughters. Not after everything he has been through over the years while raising them. Koharu's words triggered Naruto's anger but something startled him on the inside, the Nine Tail's Chakra started to seep out and leak into his system. He was honestly surprised that this amount of anger was all it took for the Nine Tails to become active again but before he could rein himself in and control his anger something else attached itself to the Nine Tail's Chakra. It felt just like Evangeline's Yōki but darker. It was the same presence that he felt the day Eva lost control and a couple of weeks back when he lost control on the bridge.

[Destroy this woman. She wants to take your daughters from you. Prove her wrong. Show her that you are their father. She has no right to claim they aren't your daughters.]

Poisonous whispers started to flood into Naruto's mind at an alarming rate that startled Naruto deeply. He had no idea this was going to happen to him but again as he tried to control himself he found that his mouth had already started moving and venomous yet passionate words were flowing out without any signs of stopping.

"I don't care. No piece of paper can tell me that the last six and a half years of my life raising them meant nothing. They do exist. They are right here besides me!" Naruto fired back with a fierce shout. "A piece of paper can't tell me that I'm not their father. A group of people don't need blood ties to call themselves family!" Naruto continued as he yelled at the two councilors who looked shocked. His emotions quickly spiraled out of control the second it was implied that his girls would be taken from him. It was his worst nightmare to ever have his girls taken from him. Over the last six years Naruto has discovered just how much he's come to care for the girls. His entire heart has slowly been given over to them as the years went by and now its quickly reached the point that he couldn't imagine life without them. It honestly scared him just how much he's come to not only love but depend on them but not only does he not know how to slow down and detach himself from those feelings but he finds himself each and every day not caring. He doesn't want to detach himself from them.

"… until you change their diapers, wash their clothes, feed them, comfort them when they are scared then you can't decide anything for them so you can both shove it!" Naruto roared as he placed Iris and Chaos behind him and his entire posture and body language was completely rigid and coiled like he would lunge at the first person who made a move against him. The others have never seen this side of Naruto ever. Not Hinata, Anko, Kakashi, or Hiruzen. Not any of the others either. This was a completely knew side of him. They caught a glimpse of it back when Gatō made the mistake of saying inappropriate remarks to Iris and Chaos but they couldn't visibly see what Naruto had done since Zabuza had summoned his famed mist to hide the carnage that was to transpire. The others couldn't see Naruto's face right now since he had made his way forward in front of everyone but the councilors and the Hokage saw his face and it caused both Koharu and Homura to abruptly stand up from their chairs. Puma showed the first signs of moving since Hiruzen told him to stand down.

The reason for this was because Naruto's eyes were no longer blue. They were a vibrant shade of crimson red that was almost glowing and his pupils was elongated into vertical slits that was animalistic in nature. The whisker marks on his face were starting to darken and become more pronounced and both his hair and teeth were starting to grow in size with his hair becoming spikier while his teeth began to sharpen. The temperature in the room was starting to plummet rapidly and it was showing no sign of stopping. "That is very well said my boy I couldn't have said it any better, but you need to calm down now Naruto. Shouting doesn't get anything accomplished. Besides you're starting to scare the girls." Hiruzen said in a calming tone as he nodded to Iris and Chaos who was behind Naruto. Taking a quick moment to collect himself Naruto blinked and his eyes returned to their natural blue color. The rest of his facial features reset themselves as well.

Naruto took all of his willpower and forced the whispers to the back of his mind as well as forced the Nine Tail's Chakra out of his system. He could feel a sliver of Iris's energy circulating around his body and he quickly latched onto that to help calm him down faster. He could literally feel all the eyes in the room on the back of his head right now but he couldn't focus on that right now. He could feel Chaos absorbing the negative energy coming off of him right now and he knew it was making her very sick. That was something he was going to correct right now.

"I'm sorry about that gramps. I didn't mean to do that." Naruto said in remorse as he bowed before Hiruzen. The old Hokage nodded in apology as he watched Naruto turn around to address his girls. "I'm sorry to girls. Daddy didn't mean to scare you like that." Naruto said in a very soft voice only meant for the twins. Iris had a frightened look on her face as she looked into Naruto's eyes while Chaos's perpetual smile had visibly waned this time. She was holding her head again letting Naruto know that the emotions she just absorbed from him was making her feel nauseous and sick. The others didn't see his facial features transformed but they could see the regret and sadness on Naruto's face as they saw him comfort the two little girls. While they couldn't see a true visible change in Chaos's demeanor they could obviously see that Iris was shaken up.

"Hiruzen we must take action now…" Koharu said as she turned to her old teammate with a firm gaze. "Now is not the time for that Koharu. We will discuss this all at length at another time. Kakashi please finish up quickly if you would." Hiruzen said as he urged Kakashi to continue. Nodding Kakashi continued before anyone could interrupt him. When he crossed over Naruto saving Haku's life Koharu and Homura did have something to say about that. "On what authority do you have that would make you decide to save your enemies life. You again put everyone in danger with your selfish actions." Koharu reprimanded harshly.

"I already have the blood of too many men on my hands…" Naruto started to say and it caused those who did not know of his past to look at him in shock. The councilors eyes narrowed in suspicion about this while Hiruzen tipped his Hokage hat forward to shadow his face. "…While I may be a shinobi I don't want the only thing I know how to do is to kill…" Naruto said passionately with a tired and heartfelt tone in his voice. The others in the room could feel how emotional saying that made Naruto feel. Hiruzen gave a small unnoticeable proud smile at what Naruto just said. "… Besides you should be thanking me. We now have a high ranking member of the Hidden Mist. A village that no one has had any contact with for the last decade. The Land of Water has been in a terrible state of civil war and any information about what's going on is scarce and sometimes unreliable with all the counter intelligence in place. You now have a perfect source of information to go over." Naruto explained as he calmed down.

"I agree. None of this happened perfectly and not everything went the way we would have wanted it too but at the end of the day we now have an incredible source of information and a country that is free. I think that is all that we could hope for." Hiruzen cut in while smoking from his pipe. With a signal from Hiruzen Kakashi quickly finished up summarizing the battle on the bridge but he stopped before mentioning Jūra. "That is all that needs to be explained Lord Hokage. The rest of the mission details I would like to go over with you in private." Kakashi said as he gave Hiruzen a discreet signal. Picking it up instantly Hiruzen nodded to Kakashi.

"You are quite the formidable shinobi young Uzumaki. Clearly you are no mere Genin if you were able to defeat a member of the Yuki Clan who had access to their secret techniques." Koharu stated tersely. "They were always a formidable bunch, not to mention tricky with their unique powers and techniques. Powers and Techniques that you share many similarities with." Homura said idly as he probed Naruto a bit.

"I guess I'm just full of surprises." Naruto said in a clipped tone. He really didn't like the two advisors but he was trying his hardest not to antagonize them and he knew he was failing at that spectacularly. "Indeed you are." Koharu said in a finishing tone as she rose from her seat. Homura did the same. "The more specific details of the mission will be reviewed tomorrow afternoon at the Jōnin meeting. I want you three to be there on time." Hiruzen commanded as he looked to Kurenai, Anko, and Kakashi as he said this while giving Kakashi an extra look about being on time.

"After that you three will have exactly one week off from any A – Rank missions. As for the Genin you all have the next two weeks off and you will not be allowed to do any missions. After those two weeks are up for the next month you will only be allowed D – Rank missions. Once that probationary period is over your teams will be allowed to take C – Rank missions again." Hiruzen instructed as he shuffled around some papers on his desk. "Is that understood?" Hiruzen asked as he looked at everyone lined up in front of him. "Yes Lord Hokage." Everyone chanted. Most of the Genin were out of sync with each other but as for Kakashi, Anko, and Kurenai they all said their line at the exact same time in perfect harmony.

"Excellent, you all are hereby dismissed. Naruto I wish to speak to you in private so please stay behind." Hiruzen commanded as he watched everyone begin to head towards the door. "Anko can you please watch over the girls for me please?" Naruto asked. He knew Anko would be heading straight to his apartment since she practically moved in a few years back. She rarely visits her own apartment anymore unless she wants some time to herself. "On it. Come on girls Aunty Anko has some embarrassing stories of when your father was younger." Anko said with a grin on her face as Chaos pretty much attached herself to Anko's back with a gleeful look in her eyes. She wanted to hear these stories. Iris also had an interested look on her face as she took Anko's hand and began to walk with her. Her ever present teddy bear John Paul was in her other hand.

Naruto had the decency to blush since he was afraid of whatever story Anko had in mind. He would rather his girls never find out about some of the embarrassing things Anko tricked him into doing over the years, and sadly knowing Anko half of the stories she would end up telling the girls would be highly inappropriate for little six year olds to hear. Before he could turn around and reprimand Anko for what he knew she was going to end up doing the snake loving woman Body Flickered out of the room eager to get away since she knew what Naruto was going to say. Hinata shook her head lightly with a small smile on her face as she made a mental note to stop by Naruto's apartment later just to make sure Anko didn't end up corrupting the poor little girl's heads. Well Iris at least. Chaos was an entirely different story all together. Even Hinata knew that to be fact. But she did spare Naruto a worried glance since she was nervous of what the old Hokage would want to speak to him about. The last thing she saw before the door closed was Naruto's slightly ashamed face as he looked up to the man he thought of as a grandfather.

* * *

Once the door closed and everyone was out of the room including the councilors and the ANBU Commander Naruto turned to look at Hiruzen with nothing but shame on his face. "Gramps I… I… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to act like that…" Naruto started to say as he was having trouble picking out the words to say. Hiruzen held up his hand signaling Naruto to stop. "I understand how you feel my boy. A lot has happened to you and I'm sorry for that." Hiruzen said as he studied Naruto's expression. "I shouldn't have spoken to your old teammates like that. I was wrong. That old lady did make a valid point. My actions put everyone at risk. I thought I could handle things my way but all I did was screw everything up." Naruto said as he looked down at his feet while shaking lightly. He was gritting his teeth as he mentally beat himself up.

"Naruto great leaders aren't born. They are made. They are forged and molded by the many overwhelming experiences and trials that are always unexpectedly thrusted upon them. Only those who don't crack under that immense pressure may be allowed to lead others…" Hiruzen stated in a soft voice as he gazed at the young blonde haired boy in front of him. "…It's the same with being a father. No one is born to be a father and no one can be prepared or taught. Once you become a parent you have to wing everything and think on your feet and let your instincts take over." Hiruzen continued in his soft voice. "Your performance was the furthest thing from perfect. Indeed, many things could have been handled better and some things didn't even need to happen in the first place. But the most important thing to take away from all of this is that you are willing to acknowledge your mistakes and own up to them. Those are also qualities of a great leader." Hiruzen said as he saw the gears turning in Naruto's head based on what he just finished saying.

"I… I still don't think I have a right to lead. I messed up. I even used the Nine Tails Chakra. I could have seriously hurt my friends or worst. Not to mention the biggest mistake was letting Iris and Chaos come with me and participate in all of this. They got hurt because of me old man! What type of father lets his kids fight in his own battles like that! What am I doing…?" Naruto started to rant as tears welled up in his eyes. He would have said more but a warmth enveloped him. Opening his eyes, he saw the Hiruzen had risen from his chair at some point and walked over towards him. The old Hokage had Naruto in a tight hug that made Naruto feel safe and secure.

"You are still very young Naruto and you have much to learn but the fact that you are willing to try speaks volumes to your character. You mustn't doubt yourself in these troubling times. You have two children who depend on you to be strong. Friends who care about you and a village who also needs you whether they know it or not to be strong. You have a heavy burden that not many could understand or ever hope to bare but the Fourth Hokage didn't seal the Nine Tails into you for no reason. He believed that you could be strong Naruto. That you could bear any weight on your shoulders and that you would never bend or break. I know we are all asking a lot of you but you must stay strong. You are not the same small frail child I use to visit in the orphanage all those years ago. You are now a proud shinobi of this village with powers and responsibilities that far exceed your rank and age yet you've held on for this long. All I'm asking you to do is to continue to endure this pain because it will only make you stronger in the end, but only if you allow it." Hiruzen said with a heartfelt tone and soon he felt Naruto trembling in his arms.

Tiny sobs could be heard before Hiruzen pulled back and saw something he hasn't seen in quite some time. Naruto was crying with copious amounts of tears flowing from his eyes. He was shaking uncontrollably and the old Hokage could feel and hear the pain flowing out of Naruto with each sob he gave off. Evangeline at some point flew out of Naruto's hair and was sitting on his shoulder. She was embracing him with all the strength her tiny body could muster but she was not letting go. She was whispering comforting words right into Naruto's ear but other than that she did nothing more.

"Let it out my boy. Let this pain out and turn it into a newfound strength." Hiruzen said softly as he rubbed Naruto's back. He could hear the pain slowly fading away from Naruto as time flew by. Soon Naruto stopped shaking and crying and before long he was wiping his eyes from the many tears that fell. "Thank you, gramps. I really needed that. I haven't cried like that since the time Shoko almost died." Naruto said in a small voice as he tearfully looked over to the aged Hokage. Because of Hiruzen's short stature he wasn't much taller than Naruto. Naruto estimated that in a few years he would be taller than the Hokage just like many people already were.

"Any time my boy. Sometimes we all just need to let go and have a good cry every once in a while. It's good for the soul." Hiruzen said as he placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders. Eva herself returned to Naruto's hair and was sticking out of it so that she could be seen. "Old man. Did you really mean all that? Do you believe in me that much?" Naruto asked in a very small insecure voice. His fears were brought to the surface now that his tears had washed away all of his protective layers he spent years building up.

"I did. You will become incredibly powerful in the future but you mustn't wavier. You must be steadfast and stubborn in all of your endeavors. You must believe in the Will of Fire and let it guide your actions." Hiruzen said as he gave Naruto's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you, grandpa. You always knew what to say to cheer me up." Naruto said as he wiped a stray tear near his eye away. "That is what I'm here for my boy." Hiruzen said with a warm smile. A smile that both Naruto and Eva returned. "Now I have one final question for you. Do you know what it means to be Hokage now?" Hiruzen said to the shock of both Naruto and Eva. "Old man why would you ask me that now. It's not even my birthday yet?" Naruto question in confusion. Ever since his fourth birthday when they both made that promise Hiruzen has asked Naruto that same question each year on his birthday. Each year he ended up giving the wrong answer but some years he would get a little closer to the answer then most.

"Well it doesn't need to be. Just go ahead and give me an answer." Hiruzen insisted with a smile. Taking a moment to mull it over in his mind Naruto looked back up to Eva who looked down into his eyes with a warm smile on her face. Turning to the waiting Hokage Naruto formed a sincere smile on his face. "To be Hokage…"

Hiruzen smiled a smile unlike anything Naruto or anyone has ever seen. "That's my boy. You may just take my hat yet." Hiruzen said in such a heartfelt tone that Naruto couldn't help himself as he felt tears come to his eyes. The sheer overwhelming look of pride on the old Hokage's face shot a warmth into Naruto's body that felt like a raging inferno or in Naruto's opinion a warmth that he would think the Will of Fire would possess. "I hope that I will one day. I promise that I'll be the greatest Hokage the village has ever had." Naruto said with a sincere smile on his face. "And you will be Naruto. You will be. Now I believe you have finally earned the right to study more than just Bōjutsu under me." Hiruzen said much to the shock of both blondes. "What do you mean…?" Naruto whispered. "I will be teaching you all about politics and the many requirements of what it takes to be Hokage. As well as a few Jutsu here and there if you manage to meet my standards and impress me. But don't think I'm just going to be handing these things to you on a silver platter. I will work you into the ground without mercy and I will show you not a shred of kindness or leniency." Hiruzen said with a stern voice but the warmth in his eyes couldn't be replaced.

Naruto's jaw was on the floor but slowly he managed to pick it up. "I… I… I won't let you down old man! Believe it!" Naruto said with barely contained enthusiasm and excitement. Emotions that befitted his age. "I know you won't my boy but other than that since you did mess up quite a bit during your mission as punishment for the next four months up until the day the Chūnin Exams start you will be my personal assistant and currier and you will get no breaks from me." Hiruzen said with a smile that did not belong on such a loving and kind old man like him.

Naruto turned deathly pale at this as a lump formed in his throat. "Uh… I just remembered that I have to go report to Mr. Dino now so… uh… yeah I have to go now… and… stuff…" Naruto stuttered out as he was dreading the next four months of torture because he refused to call it anything else than what it was. "On last thing Naruto before you go. Me and Dino have something urgent to discuss with you later so I will be joining you later on today." Hiruzen said with a serious glint in his eye, a look that Naruto caught which caused him to nod in compliance. "By old man. I guess I'll see you later." Naruto said as he closed the door to Hiruzen's office.

* * *

By this time Hiruzen had returned to his desk as he peered out at the village below him. The vast amount of morning light that flooded in from the large panoramic windows of his semi oval shaped office reached everywhere in his office except for one little corner that remained shrouded in pitch black darkness and out of that darkness emerged Hiruzen's oldest friend and rival Danzō Shimura.

"He has it old friend. The Will of Fire burns brighter in him than any other person we've ever met. Even more than us." Hiruzen said without even turning around in his chair. His eyes were glued to the beautiful morning and the picture that it painted his beloved village in. Hiruzen's eyes idly tracked Naruto's small orange form as it left the courtyard of the Administration building. He lost track of him after he disappeared over the twisting and winding forms of the rooftops as he made his way over to the massive casino that could be seen not too far in the distance.

"Perhaps he does but time will tell if that flame will remain burning. I bring you news from the Land of Waves. It would appear as if the citizens named the new bridge after young Naruto. Quite the accomplishment for him to accumulate." Danzō said as he took a seat in front of Hiruzen's desk. Hearing this a hearty laugh escaped Hiruzen's mouth as he turned around in his chair. "Indeed it is. Judging by the scroll in your hands I can only guess that this is a fully detailed report on everything that happened in wave gathered by your ever elusive contacts?" Hiruzen asked with a chuckle. "Yes just some old contacts from days gone by." Danzō rumbled as he eased himself more into the comfortable chair. "Well they certainly got to the root of the problem fast didn't they." Hiruzen probed in jest. "Indeed they did. They are the best after all." Danzō fired back not missing a beat.

Humming in thought Hiruzen took the scroll from Danzō and placed it in front of him. "Thank you for the speedy information as usual Danzō but you might as well cut to the chase and speak what's on your mind. We can have time to catch up later." Hiruzen said while exhaling a cloud of smoke from his tobacco pipe. "Those children are unknown threats Hiruzen. What do you plan on doing about them? It is quite obvious that they are supernatural entities." Danzō said with a firm tone as he gazed at his oldest friend and rival. "I'm quite concerned by the amount of supernatural beings that surrounds our villages most valuable asset. This marks 4 now. One a Seasonal Fairy, Two a Witch with Psychic powers, and now these two children with so far unknown powers. This is not good Hiruzen. Something must be done about this." Danzō fired off as he got straight to the point while tapping his cane on the polished tiled floor.

"For now nothing can be done. If any harm were to come to those girls, then I fear for us all. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Naruto would tap into the powers of the Nine Tails. We are not as young as we use to be Danzō . Just twelve years ago we still had immense difficulty driving the beast from the village walls. Age has not made that any easier today. They are no threat to Naruto. That much I can sense. But I do agree that they should be watched. That is the best I can do for now. Unless they show signs of being anything else other than Naruto's daughters then I refuse to do anything to them." Hiruzen stated calmly.

"Why don't you simply ask him to reveal what they are? I'm positive he knows." Danzō said with a look. "Yes I know Naruto is aware of what those girls truly are. But the boy is just as paranoid as you are my friend. It was a miracle that he even revealed them to be all those years ago. He is to untrusting of everyone and everything. He has had too much happen to him to make such a rookie mistake. Besides with unknown people ease dropping in on our conversations he wouldn't talk." Hiruzen said as he gave Danzō a look when he said unknown people.

"I see. We must continue to monitor them then. But Hiruzen if you don't take action soon then I will." Danzō said as he rose from his chair. "Don't do anything drastic Danzō. We are dealing with things we may know nothing about." Hiruzen warned in a stern tone of voice. "You needn't worry old friend. I'm well aware of what I'm doing." Danzō said as he disappeared from the room without a single trace.

* * *

Hiruzen sighed in weariness as he took another look out at his beloved village that he has fought for tirelessly for the last 6 decades. _'I think I better go visit Dino now. It is best that we prepare Naruto for what is to come.'_ Hiruzen said with another sigh as he rose from his incredibly comfy chair and grabbed the scroll Danzō gave him as well as the mission reports from the mission the three teams just came back from. Without any effort at all Hiruzen disappeared from his office without a single trace of him ever being there. Even in his old age his sheer speed with the Body Flicker was still nothing short of awe inspiring.

After another lengthy debriefing in Mr. Dino's office Naruto was feeling incredibly drained. His enthusiasm from the heartfelt pep talk the Hokage gave him earlier left his body in a hurry when all of Section 2 was present in the room and they wanted to hear his part of the mission. Naruto ended up arguing quite a bit with Jean during the meeting which was nothing new but with all that had happened today made it so that Naruto was beyond tired. After everything was said and done Naruto was slumped back in one of the chairs in front of Dino's chair while everyone else had already left the office.

Only Dino and Shoko was left with Shoko scooting her chair over so she could grab Naruto and bring him into her embrace. He didn't even say a word as he just sighed in contentment as he snuggled up closer to the woman who he secretly thought of as a mother. The crush he had on her when they first met subsided over the years and it was slowly replaced with thoughts and feelings of Shoko as his mother. Of course he never told her any of this since he was to embarrassed and nervous to have that conversation with her but for the time being he just enjoyed the close bond that they shared.

Soon a knock was heard at the door and after acknowledging it Dino watched as his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the room with a warm smile. "Hello old friend." Dino greeted while drinking from his ever present cup of expensive tea. "Hello to you as well Dino." Hiruzen greeted. His eyes softened when he saw Naruto snuggled up too Shoko's side. "He looks tired. So I guess we should just cut to the chase." Hiruzen suggested seeing the tired state Naruto was in. "I agree." Dino said.

"Naruto what we are about to tell you is very important and I want you to keep this to yourself. Please be discreet about this." Hiruzen instructed firmly. "I understand." Naruto said as he could see how serious the Hokage was being. "Now we need to explain some things to you. What do you know so far about a woman named Balalaika?" Hiruzen asked with a grim tone as his Hokage hat shadowed his face.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So guys I hope you enjoyed that chapter very much. Now I hope you guys are ok with my portrayal of Koharu Utatane. Out of the two I personally always felt she was a little bit more stiff and by the book even more so then Homura. I also needed a voice of opposition to counteract and question Naruto's off the book actions. Naruto can't be allowed to do as he pleases without someone even questioning him, its just not realistically possible in a society like the one they live in.

Some really questionable scenes happened in this chapter that are sure to raise some questions. Like that strange whispering Naruto keeps hearing in his and Eva's head as well as the fact that it didn't even take much to set the Nine Tail's off. Crazy things are afoot and dark times are ahead.

I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and if you could leave a review it would be really appreciated. I would love to know what my readers are thinking and feeling after each chapter is said and done. It really helps me get inside my readers heads and it also helps me improve and get even more motivated to work on the next chapter. So thank you all and stay safe.

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 _That's the end of Chapter 28 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 8/24/2016


	30. CH: 29 Kicking It!

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys sorry I took so long with this chapter. Updating slipped my mind as I got caught up with writing so many chapters as well as other real world things. But anyways I'm back again with a fun lighthearted chapter that is chocked full of character development and just general character building. It's just a laid back chapter meant to add layers to our characters and flush them and their personalities out a bit more as well as to add a tiny bit to the plot.

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Chapter 29

 _ **Kicking It!**_

"I've got you now!" A little girls voice screamed as the sounds of a fight were underway. "You'll need to do better than that Iris!" The voice of a male spoke up as he retaliated with a swing of his staff made out of ice. It was late in the morning almost noon and in the wide open dōjō like area of the ground floor to Naruto's apartment complex the Uzumaki family could be found in the heat of battle. Naruto was decked out in a white undershirt that had sweat dripping down it and a pair of gray sweatpants. His unkempt and spiky blonde hair was slightly damp do to the amount of sweating his body was doing for the last two hours. In his hand he had a thin 1 inch in diameter long staff made entirely out of a crystal clear ice that was just about his height in length. He was using his staff to great effect as he parried and dodged quick tight attacks from his six year old feisty daughter who was mixing up her assault as usually as she constantly switched between attacking him with quick slashes from her twin Metal War Fans and sneaking in a powerful yet quick jab of her fist that would launch a white hot fireball at her father who would have a difficult time deflecting and dispersing the attacks since the energy inside the fireballs naturally counteracts the energy his body is most used to using.

The sheer temperature of the fireballs being sent his way was actually the real reason why Naruto was sweating because since his body had no defense against the energy his daughter was using against him he was just as vulnerable to it as anyone else unless proper measures were taken beforehand. However, Iris wasn't the only one Naruto was dealing with at the moment. His second daughter and the fraternal twin to Iris was also getting in on the family action her name was Chaos and as unusual as the name is it suits her perfectly. She was also launching fireballs at her father which was causing problems for him as well but she also threw in her illusion based powers and her uncanny ability to simply appear and disappear faster than the blink of an eye. So it is safe to assume Naruto has his hands full.

Iris was in her element as she bobbed in and out as she ducked and swerved out of the way of her father's staff which gave him a range her six-year-old body couldn't compete with. She evened the odds with her war fans but it was just it. She was evening the odds. Not turning them in her favor. Because of that the two blondes were at a standstill in how to overcome the other.

Iris was working up a sweat as she wore a simple white undershirt that was nearly three sizes too big for her. But in reality it was one of Naruto's undershirts. She had insisted on wearing it and so she rolled it up and tied it in a knot so that it wouldn't get in the way. She had on a simple pair of black shorts that came to about mid-thigh. She didn't have any socks on as her bare feet thumped against the smooth hardwood floor of the dōjō. Her stomach and legs were exposed but if anyone was to see that not only would they most definitely get a fireball to the face but they would also be shocked to see that Iris's arms were toned and had budding muscles on them. Her arms didn't have much baby fat on them but you could see clear muscles. They were small and correctly proportioned to her age and body size but they were still very visible. Her legs were the same way. Her calf muscles were more developed than any other child her age and a little above and it would make sense. Iris does a lot of jumping and acrobatic moves in her fighting style and in order to do that she would need very strong and sturdy legs and arms to help support and shift her weight when need be. Her stomach was another surprise. It was completely tone and flat. Virtually no baby fat could be seen anywhere on her stomach as you would expect for a six-year-old to have a chubby belly proportionate to their body size due to a lot of baby fat but this was not the case. Very small but definitely noticeable abs were coming in. She had almost a four pack and they were very tightly compacted and toned.

What not many people knew was the fact that Iris was indeed insecure about her body. It was a trivial and useless thing for a six-year-old to worry about but since Iris technically isn't six and her mind his highly advanced these thoughts tend to plague her. She is self-conscious about the fact that she is so in shape that she has already developed quite a bit of muscle. While she doesn't interact with a lot of children her age she has seen enough girls her age to realize that her body is different compared to them. Where they have soft and smooth skin that kind of looks like butter she has toned skin that has budding muscles on them. To be fair the other girls her age won't have these muscles since not only are they human but none of their families would every make them work out anywhere close to what she does.

Of course her biology gives her a sight advantage. She doesn't need to consume as much vitamins and nutrients from food like normal people do and her body will still grow healthy like its suppose to. In hindsight she works out a lot during the day and it's mostly to blame for her increase of muscles but her biology also plays a part in the fact that no matter what she does even if she didn't work out a single day in her life she would still develop dense muscles that while they would never look bulky or unattractive they would still hide an immense amount of power and strength in them.

That is one of the reason why she normally wears dresses and other concealing clothes. That and just for the simple fact that she likes dresses because they make her look like the princess she has always been told she is. It was a little vain of her to think that way but she didn't really care.

For those that know her they would think it very strange that Iris of all people would wear such non elegant clothes but the truth is she actually likes to wear lazy causal clothes as she calls them when at home. She has a bunch of simple t shirts and shorts all to herself that she puts on whenever she just wants to laze around. Of course this kind of clothing was a little bit more up Chaos's avenue so instead of asking her father to buy her casual outfits for her own she instead just simply takes Iris's clothes for herself. They had an almost identical body shape so whatever could fit one of them could definitely fit the other.

Of course Iris would complain at first but she actually didn't mind. The only thing she hated was when Chaos was steal her underwear for her own entertainment. It was embarrassing and degrading even in the privacy of her own home and that is usually the normal argument the sisters would have. Iris is always ready and willing to share everything with her sister since she honestly doesn't mind but she will share everything but her underwear.

Chaos was wearing something almost the same as Iris. Chaos had on a pitch black T shirt that had a Jolly Roger on it and an identically pair of shorts to the one Iris was wearing. Of course Chaos never wore socks or shoes ever so she was expectedly barefooted right now. A Jolly Roger is the signature flag of a pirate ship. It's the absolute pinnacle of a pirate's ship's crews pride and Naruto has heard stories from Shoko and the others at the Casino that some pirates would go to any length to get theirs back if it was ever stolen from them. The strange thing about the picture on Chaos's shirt however was the fact that the Jolly Roger is a cartoonlike depiction of a traditional skull and cross-bone with the skull wearing a straw hat with a red ribbon around the base of it.

When Chaos first showed up one morning wearing it Naruto was wondering if she stole it from somewhere since he has never seen a shirt like that before. When he pointed it out to her Chaos let off her usual mischievous giggle that had an air of mystery around it. She definitely knew something the others didn't and when Naruto turned to look at Iris for an explanation the little princess had an extremely disapproving look and frown on her face as she crossed her arms and gave Chaos a stern glare. Iris's eyes were completely emerald green that morning so Naruto knew that Sōkyoku was in control. Chaos only gave Iris an innocent look… for about five seconds before falling out of her chair because of her laughter. The disapproving looks only grew more on Iris's face and Naruto never got an answer to the strange morning that occurred nearly 7 months ago.

Naruto didn't mind if the girls stole a little something or two as long as they stole from the right person. The prime example being pompous nobles or arrogant jerks who usually flaunted around their status just because they could. Naruto would be the biggest hypocrite in history if he told the girls not to steal and do some of the stuff he did for the simple fact that he does it himself all the time and he's even stolen and pickpocketed people right in front of them. He's actually taught them how to steal things and not get caught. For Iris he was a lot more reluctant to teach the princess such skills since he felt it would ruin her innocents but he knew that it was necessary and it may even come in handy one day. That and they lived in the heart of the strongest Ninja Village in the world. For Chaos on the other hand it just added one more thing she could do to cause more trouble. He wasn't too concerned about Chaos learning such a thing since he wasn't worried about tainting her innocence in that manner. It was more of him managing a fine line between right and wrong with the tiny terror.

It was a very twisted, warped, and hypocritical way of thinking and raising one's children but Naruto never claimed to be perfect or Dad of the year and he most certainly knew he was not the poster child of such an accolade either. He just always does the best he can and hope for the best. His girls have turned out fine so far. Well as fine as two high class beings being raised by a human can be, especially with their individual quirks and personalities but they turned out fine none the less.

Naruto did learn one thing after that day. Chaos absolutely loves that shirt. She wears it almost every day except for when she goes outside or it's being washed. At the moment she was locking on to her father's position with her internal scanners and with a beep inside of her head she launched a tainted fireball right at Naruto's back. Feeling the heat incoming Naruto twisted around and with a subtle amount of Wind Style Manipulation surrounding his staff he managed to disperse the fireball that would have surely exploded against his back.

"Haaaah!" Iris came in with an overhead slash attack which Naruto deflected after he spun his staff around his body and positioned it above his head. Flinging her over towards Chaos Naruto watched as Iris corrected herself before landing on her feet before twisting her body around so that her back was facing him. She leaned back and did a back flip but while in midair she launched a heavy blast of concussive wind from her two feet before landing on the ground. She immediately repeated this process as she launched more gust of wind as she closed the distance between her and her father. Naruto saw this but he was hard pressed to get out of the way so his only option was to block. Spinning his staff around to build the necessary momentum Naruto blocked each gust of wind with one of his own that he generated off his staff.

Retaliating with a larger gust of wind Naruto was hoping that it would be enough to disrupt Iris's momentum but he grunted in annoyance when his daughter as usual pulled off a highly advanced acrobatic maneuver by landing on her feet and pivoting into a horizontal circular spin all the while spinning out of the way of his attack. Iris had built of so much momentum from her spin that she unleashed it all at her father when she swung both her fans in his direction and a massive condensed ball of wind barreled into him sent him flying across the wide open room. His back slammed into the far wall with him giving off a pained grunt from the impact.

Chaos immediately appeared in front of her sister to give her cover as her purple blade like wings appeared floating behind her back. "Lock on. **Artemis** Fire!" Chaos chanted as she unleashed a barrage of small bullet shaped tainted fireballs at her father. They were traveling at high speeds and everything slowed down for him as his adrenaline skyrocketed. "Let's go Eva!" Naruto said as he synced up with his ever trusted partner. Naruto's reflexes shot up to superhuman levels as he deflected each fire bullet that came near him. He was nothing but a fast moving blur as he deflected and weaved out of the way of Chaos's barrage.

Chaos's assault came to an end as her wings folded down into a more standby position. Naruto and Chaos didn't even have time to breath before Iris did a perfect backflip over Chaos's head as she landed in front of her sister. Her eyes were turning green as she unleashed a massive tidal wave of fire and wind that barreled across the room in a crescent shape arc. Feeling the rush of excitement and pride in his daughters for pushing him so hard even in a simple family spar Naruto let his instincts take over as he devised a plan in a split second.

" **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"** Naruto yelled as he unleashed gallons upon gallons of water out of his mouth that surged across the room in the shape of a curved crescent shaped high wall. The two attacks met in the middle of the room with an explosion of hot steam blowing everyone back. **"Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu!"** Naruto's voice was heard as a wall made out of ice formed from the cloud of steam that used to be water. The room was going through a rapid change in temperatures and the severe distraction that is was causing was enough for Naruto to make his next move.

" **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Out of the thick steam cloud hundreds of shuriken came barreling at the two blondes who couldn't see very well with the mist in the way. Chaos's eyes changed to their scanners as she located each and every projectile in a split second. Iris didn't have such a handy device but she didn't need it. Due to what she is she could feel the slight disturbance in the air as the shuriken blasted right for them. **"Aegis."** Chaos announced as a hexagonal patterned dome appeared around her and Iris and all of the shuriken bounced off the powerful shield. Iris exploded into action as she whipped her arms about in an intricate motion and all the shuriken started to move to her will as the wind picked up in the room. Both girls sensed something descending towards them so Iris directed the hailstorm of sharp shuriken back into the air to intercept what was coming. Which was a big mistake.

An explosion from an **Exploding Shadow Clone** nearly blew the girls off their feet as the wayward shuriken were blown to the sides of the room. The real Naruto had skated up the ice wall and used it as a ramp to jump into the air with his Exploding Clone going first and being the decoy.

"I've got you!" Naruto yelled as he dropped out of the air with his staff in hand.

* * *

 _ **Market District**_

"I just have a few more things left and then I can go home." Aria said with a gentle smile as she strolled down the busy main street of the village. In both her hands were large bags filled with groceries and other such items. In her pocket was a grocery list filled with items that needed to be bought. 7 out of the 9 items on her list were checked off already and she just had two more stops to make and then she could finally go home. She left an hour ago right as Naruto started his spar with the girls so she knew that they would be quite hungry by the time they wore themselves out. _'They should be about done by now. I'm sure they would all like a nice early lunch.'_ Aria thought with a beautiful smile plastered on her face that was making heads turn and snap. Even guys with girlfriends and wives were having a hard time not looking in the beautiful and exotic looking girl's direction.

Naruto made sure to warn Aria not to wear her witches hat since not only would she stand out and look weird to people that past her by but she would also bring unwanted attention to herself if anyone with knowledge on witches and the supernatural in general was to spot her. It could be bad for everyone if that was to happen. Right now Aria was wearing an aqua green shirt with a simply blue jacket over it. A short skirt since it was summer time and the heat was beating down on everyone and a simple but stylish pair of shoes. Her silver hair was in its signature style with her long front tails being tied up with her talismans that she uses to focus her Psychic Powers through. The clothes she had on emphasized Aria's well-endowed chest and highlighted her toned and in shape legs as well as her wide hips. It also didn't help that the skirt while loose and comfortable was tight enough that it showed off the shape of her butt and the way it moved as she walked. Now that was gaining the attention of some men who were fortunate to walk behind her.

' _Ok only two things left. Master asked for an extra set of bandage tape and Lady Chaos asked for more lemons.'_ Aria thought to herself but she sweat dropped at the end since she knew exactly why Chaos would want more lemons in the house. Everyone was well aware of Iris's seemingly allergic reaction to whenever she smells a lemon. Aria was contemplating not buying another pack of lemons but she knew she couldn't disobey her mistress so she planned to pick some up. However, the bandage of tape was seen first by her eye so she decided to head over to a store that would sell them.

* * *

 _ **With Hinata**_

Hinata was enjoying her break off from missions. Their probationary period would be over the next day so since she also didn't have any clan related duties of her own to perform she was taking this chance to do some window shopping. She didn't really have anything she particularly wanted to buy but she did want to look around. _'Maybe if I see something nice I can come back with Naruto and buy it with him.'_ Hinata thought to herself as a blush came to her face at her little thought process. She planned to go visit her best friend today since she spent all of yesterday with her teammates and she was forced to endure several sly and cunning attempts by Kiba to flirt with her. He was a nice boy when he wanted to be but he just wasn't exactly her type. A deep dark secret that no one knows except for her inner circle of girlfriends is that Hinata despite her shy, gentle, and meek personality actually kind of liked the whole cliché bad boy vibe and look that a vast majority of the girls in her generation are after.

Sasuke fit the bill and his name was all she ever heard back in the academy due to the amount of gossiping her classmates would do as they would all try and fail miserably at getting the Uchiha's attention. Kiba also had that rugged bad boy vibe to him but he was a little bit too dominant and forceful in his approaches to her. She liked his courage and directness with her but she was turned off by the fact that he tries too hard to impress either her or the other no faced girls he would randomly flirt with. Naruto on the other hand despite how serious he acted a lot of the time is actually quite the goofball with his great sense of humor that could get her to laugh almost instantly and the fact that he always goes out of his way to do little things for her that would make her day. He was easy to talk to and she never had to worry about him trying to hit on her every 10 minutes.

Of course Naruto does slide in some perverted jokes, bad puns, and an occasional flirty statement here and their but it wasn't all the time. He would usually have a tiny blush on his face whenever he would wing it and try to flirt with her but it was the fact that he tired and quite often failed or came up short that flattered Hinata's heart more. Hinata was a romanticist at heart and she like all other girls her age were told stories from when they were young about their knight in shining armor and heroes who would sweep them off their feet. Hinata was the same way but there was one big difference between Hinata and most other girls her age. While everyone else would want their dream boy or knight to be flawless and sweep them off their feet Hinata instead wants her knight to have flaws. When he tries to sweep her off her feet she wants him not to be perfect with it. She wants him to be a bit of a klutz. She wants him to work hard and struggle to get her and mess up along the way.

Hinata blamed this underdog mentality on the way she was raised. Her father didn't believe in her strength and he would often either berate her or outright ignore her in favor of either teaching Hanabi or attending to other important matters. This upbringing made Hinata feel worthless and not good enough but when she met Naruto who often messed up or got way in over his head it brought a smile to her face since she realized that she wasn't the only one in the world that wasn't perfect. No one was and people will struggle through out all of their endeavors. Naruto inspired and created that part of her and that was when she knew that she had an innocent crush and a slight bit of hero worship for her very first friend and to this day best friend. Those feelings have only grown and evolved over time but they've never changed too drastically. At this point in time Hinata knows that she has a huge crush on her best friend who she's spent the last 6 years of her life with. They had so much in common yet so many differences that they all balanced out and made them click together perfectly. Naruto inspired that underdog mentality into Hinata and she has been forever grateful to him ever since.

It also helps that Naruto is very rough around the edges and does many illegal things without a second thought. He was often willing to go to extremes if necessary as well. When they were still in the academy he would rope her into playing pranks on some of the teachers that would discriminate against him. The act of doing those bad things did make her heart race and flutter. No one ever knew it was them and no one could ever catch them in the act. How could they? With Hinata's Byakugan she could see someone coming a mile away and she and Naruto would be long gone by the time anyone would see them. Of course she never told her teammates or classmates about this. She definitely never told her father any of this, she valued living too much for such a mistake.

But the thing she valued most of all about Naruto was the fact that he was very vulnerable and he opened up to her easier compared to others. While he was afraid to open up to her whenever he just learned or experienced something in his life she would always end up being one of the first to know whenever he was ready to reveal it. The level of trust he places in her hands concerning his problems and feelings are overwhelming to Hinata but knowing that and just how much he cares about her makes her care about him all the more.

Finally, Hinata both as a smart and perceptive girl as well as being born a Hyūga who are masters at a very young age at reading and understanding people all the way down to their body language and mannerisms knew for a fact that Naruto had a crush on her. It filled her to the brim with self confidence that he found her attractive and he liked her for her but she wasn't sure how far his feelings extended. Was it a simple crush that he could withstand hiding from her or was it something different that had the potential to evolve into something much stronger. Hinata didn't know but she wasn't going to risk it or take anything to chance. She grew confident over the years due to Naruto's help but she wasn't that confident to outright just ask him out. That was a little beyond her and she knew Naruto wasn't there yet either. Hinata was content to wait and see where things would go between her and her best friend. She secretly hoped she didn't get friend zoned as she wasn't' sure how to go on if that was the case. Luckily for her, she didn't have any threatening competition to deal with. Unlike the many fangirls of Sasuke's fan club.

Hinata fully supported Evangeline's feelings towards Naruto and she understood that things between Naruto and Evangeline were a lot different compared to anyone else and that the bond they share is something that no one else could ever have, not even her and it took her some time but Hinata came to grips with it. It's useless to be jealous and angry at your best friend simply because she likes they boy you like. They share a bond that is simply far too different to your own. Henrietta was a little bit of a competition but Hinata would never step on the other girl's toes or anything like that. If she was honest with herself whenever Hinata is around Henrietta she can't help but think that they are twins. They share a multitude of similarities toward each other. Hinata couldn't in good conscience hate Henrietta for that. Aria was a different matter. Not only was she four years older but she already told Naruto her feelings and they worked it out between them.

With that being said Hinata isn't a jealous girl but if someone who wasn't a part of her inner circle of girlfriends decided that they wanted to take an interest in Naruto then their might be some problems. She was not going to hand her Naruto over to some other girl who didn't even know him half as well as she did. _'Wait where did that come from?'_ It was at this very possessive thought process that Hinata latched onto and broke her out of her endless pondering. _'I'm in the market now?'_ Hinata questioned herself as she blinked in surprise. Her mind was a wondering mess as she finally regained her senses. She had walked all the way from her clan compound to the main market district and she didn't even remember a quarter of the travel.

' _I have to stop spacing out like that. It's not good to do that. But I didn't know I thought of Naruto so possessively before?'_ Hinata thought to herself with an embarrassed blush spreading across her face. She didn't know she had it in her to be possessive in that manner. It actually shocked her quite a bit.

"Hinata, is that you?" A voice said from behind Hinata getting the indigo haired girl to turn around. Standing behind her was Hinata's former classmate, current colleague, and Naruto's teammate Sakura Haruno who was in her normal attire. "Hello Sakura. It's nice to see you." Hinata greeted the bubble gum haired girl politely. "It's nice to see you too. What are you up to?" Sakura asked in a friendly manner. "Nothing much I just planned to look around for a bit." Hinata replied as the two girls slid up next to each other as they walked through the streets that was starting to pick up in traffic. It was early afternoon now and all the shops were now open for business. The two girls walked and talked aimlessly for about 15 minutes before Hinata brought up something that was bothering her.

"What's wrong Sakura? Did something happen?" Sakura was startled by this as she looked towards Hinata. "What do you mean?" The pinked haired girl asked in shock. "You've been rather subdued ever since I saw you. Did Sasuke turn you down?" Hinata correctly assumed. The conversation was going well enough between the two girls but Hinata could feel something was missing. Being a Hyūga even at her age she is already a master of reading body language and mannerisms. Judging by how Sakura was acting and based on what she has seen in the past Hinata naturally assumed it had something to do with Sasuke. "How did you know?" Sakura mumbled out as she looked at the dark indigo haired Genin besides her. "We Hyūga are trained form a very young age to read and understand a person's body language. Besides what kind of ninja would I be if I couldn't even tell when something was bothering a friend of mine." Hinata said with a charming smile and a little giggle. She didn't do it often but Hinata had a bit of a sense of humor and she liked to be a little witty from time to time.

"Yeah I just saw him a little while ago and I tried to ask him out but he blew me off." Sakura mumbled in sadness. "Why do you like him so much Sakura?" Hinata asked after a few moments of silence between the two girls. She wanted to know what Sakura saw in her teammate. Blame it on her natural instincts to help others but Hinata wanted to try and help Sakura even if she wasn't particularly close to the girl yet. The girl's feet were dragging them towards a small shop on the main strip but they didn't notice. "Why I like him so much…? Well what's not to like? He's…" Sakura began to say but she was cut off by a happy bell like call.

"Hinata!" A voice called out in surprise and happiness. Regaining focus on her surroundings Hinata looked ahead of her and saw her long time close friend Aria leaving out of the shop they were unknowingly headed towards. The witch had two heavy looking bags in her hands but a big smile was on her face. It was a little impractically for her to wave since the bags were a little heavy so Aria just settled on her smile doing the trick. Hinata's face lit up in joy at seeing her longtime friend as a big soft smile crossed Hinata's face as well. "Hello Aria. How are you?" Hinata greeted happily as the older girl walked up to them quickly.

' _Wow she is beautiful.'_ Sakura thought to herself in her mind. She's never seen this girl before and what was more Aria not only had a beautiful face and smile but she also had a killer body that quickly made Sakura feel very insecure about herself. Sakura didn't quite know what to think of this mysterious girl. Sakura's never seen Hinata light up quite like that before so it was obvious that they were very close friends.

"Nothing much. I'm just doing my errands for master. We are running low on certain supplies so I'm just picking them up." Aria said as she shook the bags in her hand to emphasis her point. Aria felt a little naked without her witch hat but she's gotten used to it over the years. At least she was allowed to wear it inside the house and at the casino. "Let me guess he ran out of ramen?" Hinata joked with a giggle which got Sakura's attention. _'Ramen? Isn't that Naruto's favorite food?'_ Sakura's sharp mind picked up right away.

Aria giggled sheepishly as she raised up her left hand and jingled the bag a bit. The bag was transparent enough that the girls could see at least 7 cups of instant ramen in the bag and at least 3 different flavors based on the coloring of the labels. The bag also had some other basic stuff in it as well. Hinata's smile grew as she giggled some more. "Aria I would like to introduce you to my friend Sakura Haruno." Hinata said politely with a wave of her hand in Sakura's direction. "Hello nice to meet you." Sakura mumbled as she looked up at the girl. Aria wasn't the tallest person around but because she was older than them she did have at least a good 3 to 4 inches on them. "Hello my name is Aria Indigo it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Sakura." Aria said with an elegant and polite bow.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment at the action since she's never had anyone bow to her before and especially not so politely. "I only have one last stop to make and then I'm heading home. Were you on your way there too?" Aria asked as she turned back to Hinata. "Yes I was actually. I just decided to look around a bit." Hinata replied as she clasped her own palms down by her waist. "Master will be very happy then. He gets both ramen and you at the same time." Aria replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she subtly teased her dear friend. Aria is sweet, kind, shy, and very submissive to a fault much like the rest of her close friends but by no means is she innocent. She is a witch after all. They have been known to be quite the pranksters and troublemakers. It's in their blood.

Hinata's face erupted into a boiling surface as it turned pinkish red. It looked like steam might come out of her ears at any moment. "Aria! Don't say things like that!" Hinata squeaked as she tried to calm her racing heart. She wouldn't admit it but her mind did start to go places a proper innocent girl like herself shouldn't go. "You know it's true." Aria chided with a giggle. "Excuse me but by any chance are you talking about Naruto?" Sakura asked as she butted in. "Oh yes sorry about that? He needed me to run some errands for him and I'm almost done." Aria stated. Either the witch didn't notice or she was just ignoring them but since more and more people were starting to appear in the street she was getting quite the amount of attention from the opposite sex.

"You called him master? What's that all about? How do you know him?" Sakura asked one question after another. Aria smiled at this as that twinkle in her eye was still there. "I've known him for the last 3 to 4 years now. He's my master." Aria explained with a smile. "Your master. How can Naruto be anybody's master? What does he teach you?" Sakura asked incredulously. She couldn't imagine Naruto having a student or teaching someone. "He teaches me a lot of things. I don't have a home or any family and I'm not native to your country. Through certain circumstances along the way we met each other and he allowed me to live with him. He gave me a roof over my head and three square meals a day and he didn't ask for anything in return." Aria said with a reminiscent smile on her face. Even to this day she still felt guilty about hurting Shoko and nearly getting her killed. When Naruto forgave her and offered her a roof over her head it was the happiest day of her life.

"Because of that I wanted to repay his kindness. I took over cleaning and doing chores around the house. I'm his…" Aria stated but she was cut off by Hinata interjecting. "Student." Aria pretending not to notice Hinata's little interjection as she continued. "… servant." Aria said with a smile. Hinata gave a cute pout as this. The three girls had entered a small market that sold food as they followed Aria on her last stop. Aria headed straight for the fruit section to find the lemons. She also saw delicious looking peaches and apples nearby in another crate so she decided to pick some up as well.

"There are so many questions that I have for you and him. He's never once mentioned you before." Sakura stated as she watched Aria pick up a pack of lemons. "Well… master is very reclusive and he doesn't like to talk about his personal life." Aria said with a smaller smile. "Aria are you picking up lemons again?" Hinata asked with a small exasperated frown since she knew exactly who asked for them. "Well these are for the little miss. You know I can't disobey her orders." Aria said with a small chuckle as she made sure to pick up extra. Hinata shook her head as she could imagine what Chaos was going to do with the lemons.

The girls left the store and made their way out of the market district as quickly as they could since the streets were starting to get very crowded. Sakura was busy asking Aria all sorts of questions about herself and what she and Naruto would often do. Aria was happy to answer most of those questions although she had to deflect a few of them that concerned anything supernatural related. "Hey Hinata so why do you like Naruto so much?" Sakura asked with a curious look in her eye. Hinata squeaked as a tinge of pink formed on her cheeks. "Yeah Hinata, why do you like master so much?" Aria said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It's not every day Aria could find any dirt to tease Hinata with. They young Hyūga is quite crafty and doesn't leave many openings for her friends to tease her with. Hinata knew that since she had asked Sakura the same question earlier she was just returning the favor. Even if Hinata didn't get a change to follow up or finish that conversation with her. However, Hinata would be patient and she knew that she would get the answer she wanted from Sakura soon enough.

The girls had entered what used to be the slums district. It has vastly improved over the years as much of the infrastructure was rebuilt and replaced after the night the Nine Tails attacked the village. The slums district was the epicenter of where the nine tails spawned and did the most damage to. Hundreds of people were killed with just the beast sitting in that one area. Of course it moved around and damaged other parts of the village but it didn't get very far because the Third Hokage managed to push the titanic beast out of the village all on his own. The old man wasn't called _The God of Shinobi_ for nothing. Now the new area looked even better than some of the preexisting parts of the village. Brand new buildings and new roads. Everything was crisp and clean. Only some buildings were still being rebuilt at this point.

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Hinata said with a blush as she poked her fingers together. Luckily Naruto's apartment came into view right at that convenient moment so that Hinata didn't have to answer that question. "This is Naruto's apartment?" Sakura questioned as they started walking up the stairs to the big red building. "Yes the entire complex is owned by him." Aria answered. "The entire complex?!" Sakura asked in shock. "Yes. The building was abandoned for a long time after the Nine Tails incident and so Naruto found the place when he was very young and renovated it and made it his home. The whole inside of the building has been redone." Hinata spoke up. She would know since she convinced Naruto to let her help on a few odd jobs over the years. He was stubborn and wanted to do the entire apartment by himself but she managed to persuade him to let her help him every once in a while. It was a valuable experience for her and she had a lot of fun working with him on it.

They reached the top floor to see that while there were many doors on the floor only one of them looked brand new and it was the unit with the balcony attached to it. Hinata reached into her pocket and pulled out a spear key she was given years ago. Aria would have done it herself but she had her hands full and didn't want to make her friends carry all of her load. _'Hinata has a spear key? Just how close is she to Naruto?'_ Sakura question in her mind.

Entering the home, the three girls were instantly in the kitchen from the front door. Setting the heavy bags down on the table Aria stretched her arms above her head with a happy sigh of contentment. If she could get away with it she would just levitate all of the bags but she knew the kind of trouble that would cause. "They aren't upstairs yet?" Hinata questioned with an eyebrow raised. It was about that time when the family would have an early afternoon snack. "They probably got carried away with their spar. Let's go see." Aria suggested.

Sakura's eyes were roving all over the small kitchen area as she saw little personal items all over the room. From little drawings pinned to the refrigerator to special tea cups. The kitchen felt very lived in, it felt alive and inviting. Turing around to follow the two girls Sakura found herself going back down the stairs to the first floor. Entering the main room through a small reception area Sakura was shocked to see a full on dōjō. The room was pretty big being at least 30 by 25 feet. On the wall they were coming from Sakura could see one more door and another opening that had rooms. What they where she didn't know. On the far opposite wall in front of her she could see a total of four doors evenly spaced out with a larger gap in between. On the far right side in front of her she could see a long thin hallway that was at least 5-foot-wide with two doors on the left side of the hallway and a single door at the end of the hallway that was currently closed. All the doors were closed so she couldn't see what was in those rooms but the size of the building shocked her quite a bit.

This dōjō room was used extensively by the family as well as their closest friends. Shoko, Anko, and Hinata would find themselves down here quite a bit with the actual family plus Aria using it on a daily basis. Shoko would often instruct Naruto in this very room about Kenjutsu and other related subjects. The walls and floors were all reinforced with seals so that no damage could come to them. In the middle of the room sat Naruto, Iris, and Chaos. They all looked exhausted and they were all breathing heavy. The remains of what looked like a wall of ice was against their backs as they rested against it to let the cool temperature help cool them down. The three girls immediately took notice of how hot it was in the room and they could visibly see steam filtering around the room and coming from the floor.

Iris and Chaos was using Naruto's shoulders to rest their heads against and Naruto himself had a comical exasperated expression on his face. Due to his nature he wasn't quite used to the heat but he was so exhausted that he couldn't even move. Tomorrow the Genin teams would be allowed to start back up mission since their two week extended leave was up. Even though they would only be allowed to take D – Rank missions for the next month Naruto still wanted to get some training in. Today he wanted to take it a little easy so he decided to make it a light spar between him and his girls which quickly escalated into a full out fight with them using all of their powers. It wasn't fair in Naruto's mind since he couldn't use his Acceleration Technique since the girls were blocking Naruto's used of their energies and not only that but their combined energies were putting a dampening effect on Naruto's chakra network making it harder for him to mold chakra.

His Ice Style was rendered almost completely ineffective. While it could hold its own and stop most of Chaos's Fire based attacks it did almost nothing defensive wise to stop Iris's literal white hot flames. Her fire was so hot that it would melt straight through his ice just like it did back in the Land of the Waves during his fight with Haku.

"Master I'm back and I brought company." Aria announced as she wore an exasperated smile on her face. The sight of the three exhausted and lethargic Uzumaki's was enough to make her want to laugh but she was holding herself back. "…water…" Naruto moaned pitifully. Shaking her head Aria quickly left the room only to return moments later with a few bottles of water tucked into her hand. After getting rehydrated Naruto was finally aware enough of his surroundings to notice that his teammate was in his house.

It was an immediate struggle within himself to become defensive and more withdrawn from the girl but Naruto promised to change and not do that. He promised to be more opened with his friends and teammates so with those thoughts in mind Naruto internally relaxed himself. "Hey Sakura, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked with a cheerful smile on his face but he sent a discrete look towards Aria and Hinata. When he saw them smile and nod back he further relaxed himself. "Oh I kind of just tagged along after I met up with Hinata and Aria. I hope that's ok. I did show up at your house uninvited." Sakura stated with a short bow. Showing up at a person's house uninvited was considered rude and impolite in their culture.

"It's ok. I'm not mad. Make yourself at…" Naruto said with a disarming smile but his sentence was cut off when Eva decided to make herself known. "Hey Girlfriend!" Eva said while stretching out her words as she flew from Naruto's hair to Hinata where she splattered herself against Hinata's cheek like a bug on a windshield. "Hey Eva. How are you?" Hinata said with a sweet smile on her face. As embarrassing as that was and as embarrassed as she felt each time it happened, Hinata couldn't help but love every time Eva would do that. She thought it was both sweet and adorable.

"Hummmnnn. Lavender shampoo. Trying to impress me or someone else in the room?" Eva questioned with a coy and mischievous smile as she quickly caught the elegant and sweet smell of lavender coming from Hinata's hair. It was pretty much Hinata's natural smell at this point. Eva had whispered it into Hinata's ear so no one else heard what was said. Hinata squeaked for the second time today as her face nearly exploded. "Eva, don't say things like that!" Hinata abolished her so called girlfriend as she plucked the little fairy out of the air and placed her inside the hood of her coat jacket.

"Hahahahaha!" Eva was having trouble breathing with the amount of laughing she was doing. "Uh, what's so funny?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face as he looked between his other half and his best friend and he knew Eva was teasing Hinata yet again. "Nothing…!" Hinata squeaked as she covered up Eva who looked like she was about to say something. Hinata looked like she wanted to disappear into her oversized creamed colored jacket and if not for how weird that would look she would do it in a heartbeat.

"Hello miss bubblegum." Chaos said from besides Sakura which caused the poor girl to nearly jump out of her skin. Sakura did scream and fall to the ground much to the amusement and satisfaction of Chaos who absorbed the fear Sakura just gave off. "Don't do that!" Sakura yelled with fear and weariness in her voice. Chaos just giggled into her hands as she collected the last of the energy Sakura gave off. Chaos could feel her energy returning to her since she spent quite a bit in her spar earlier. "Hello Sakura it's nice to see you again." Iris said politely as she bowed to the older girl. "It's nice to see you too Iris." Sakura managed to say as she got to her feet.

"This is so neat. Now that miss bubble gum is here we can celebrate by having a pillow fight." Chaos said with glee in her voice as she looked towards her father with a peculiar look in her eyes. Naruto caught this look and knew instantly that Chaos was losing control. That spar got out of hand and became too much for her. It stirred up her instincts too much.

"Chaos no. We still have stuff to do today sweetie so behave." Naruto said as he placed his hands on his hips. He was trying to intimidate the young blond so she would snap out of her instincts but it was not to be. "Hey Iris I have a present for you." Chaos said with a giggle as she disappeared from Naruto's view. Looking behind him he saw the tiny terror behind her sister with a bag of lemons in hand. "Chaos don't!" Naruto shouted as Iris turned around to address her sister. Chaos pushed the open bag of lemons into Iris's face before quickly backing up.

"Oh crap…!" Naruto said in a panic.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHCCCCCCHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!"

An explosion of red hot feathers unlike anything seen before went off in the middle of the room which covered the entire room from floor to ceiling in feathers ranging in colors between red, yellow, and orange. Iris was in the epicenter of this titanic explosion as she laid on her back knocked unconscious from the force of her own sneeze and everyone else in the room was pushed up against a wall due to the force of Iris's sneeze.

Groaning in pain Naruto and everyone else stood up and made their way back over to Iris while swatting away the hundreds of stray feathers in the air blocking their vision. "Chaos young lady you are in so much trouble! Come here right now!" Naruto called out since he couldn't see where Chaos was at the moment.

"Dada our sparing match isn't over yet…" Chaos's said in a sing song tone as her voice was heard from all around the room. "Cha…" Naruto began to say as he felt something behind him.

BAM!

* * *

 _ **10 Hours later**_

"Today was fun." Eva said cheerfully as she laid on the pillow facing Naruto who was facing her back. "If you call getting knocked unconscious for over an hour by a pillow only to wake up and see everything trashed by your six-year-old daughter fun then yes I would say that today was fun." Naruto deadpanned with a strained glare on his face as he looked over at Chaos who was snoring loudly and sprawled out on the bed besides them. The girls refused to sleep in their own bed and because of that Naruto still has to share a bed with them. Most of the time he would wake up with cramps and back pain since he doesn't have enough space on the bed to sleep properly but as he looked at Chaos's peaceful expression as she lazily cuddled up to Iris who was further cuddled up to Naruto's side the annoyed glare that was on Naruto's face soon evaporated with a tired sigh.

A bemused and just content smile came over Naruto's face as he watched both his children sleep peacefully. It was moments like these that he treasured the most. He just couldn't stay mad at either of his girls for longer than maybe 10 minutes at the most. Any time he would catch himself watching them he would just get this content and happy feeling wash over him. All his stress and tiredness would just wash away in those moments. Naruto's eyes misted over for a brief moment as he relished in the thought that he actually had a family who cared about him despite the fact he grew up an orphan. Any time that particular thought would enter his mind it would be enough for him to get emotional since it was his greatest dream to have a family to call his own.

"Eva you know it's been a very long time since we've been together." Naruto whispered out in a content voice. Eva blushed shyly at this since the tone Naruto used sent a shiver up her spine. She liked the tone he just used but before she could get lost in her thoughts she decided to hear her partner out.

"Yeah it really has been a long time. What are you getting at?" Eva said in a small shy voice as hope and anticipation was starting to creep up in the back of her throat. She wouldn't admit it but her thoughts were starting to wander to places she's only dreamed about or gossiped with her friends.

"I was thinking what if we go visit the shack we met in all those years ago. Since that night we've never once gone back." Naruto suggested hopefully. Evangeline deflated as disappointment filled her as her wandering mind came crashing down. She didn't let it show since she didn't want Naruto to catch on so she pushed her disappointed feelings to the side. However, excitement did fill her soul once again as she took a moment to think about what Naruto just suggested.

"You know your right. We've never gone back. We should definitely go and check the place out. Maybe we'll find something there." Eva agreed with happiness in her voice as the prospect of visiting the place where she met her other half filled her with excitement and joy.

"Then it's decided then. How about next weekend after we get done with the first batch of boring D – Rank missions?" Naruto suggested with a smile. "Sounds like a plan partner." Eva replied with a grin. "Hey do you think Sakura can be a good friend for us?" Naruto asked out of the blue. "Uh… yeah. She's changed a bit since the mission to wave. She's not quite there yet but she's improved. I think she will be a great friend." Evangeline answered.

"That's good to hear. I'm happy we're making more friends Eva." Naruto mumbled as a yawn escaped his mouth. He was extremely tired after the very long day he had. He had to entertain a diverse group of girls who ran him ragged the entire day. He was ready to drop by the time they had left.

"Me too Naru. Me too." Eva said with a small smile as she closed her eyes. "Goodnight Eva." Naruto whispered as he closed his eyes to let sleep finally take him away. "Night Naru… love you." Eva whispered barely above a whisper as she was already asleep. She was just as tired as her other half after the tiring day they had. Naruto's eyes snapped wide open in shock. Sure they tell each other they love each other every single day and sometimes several times a day but for some reason this time felt different compared to the others. Naruto just couldn't put his finger on it and he knew that it was going to bug him for a long time to come.

"… Love you to Eva…"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Artemis -** While her wings are manifested she can conjure her tainted flames and target multiple objects or enemies at the same time using her targeting systems. When they fire they are fast, traveling two to three times faster than the fire balls she shoots from her hands. They are smaller and in the shape of bullets. They have a lot of piercing power but a lower amount of explosive power. They are good at intercepting or bombarding targets.

2.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu -** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

3.) **Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu -** An Ice Style Jutsu that Naruto uses. He slams his hands onto the ground and pumps a sizeable amount of chakra into the ground beneath him. Out of the ground in front of him a large thick wall of ice will appear that is very thick and highly durable. Because of the fact that Naruto's chakra is in fact mixed in with his own Yōki that his body creates the Ice wall's durability is further enhanced. However, it can crack if hit with a high amount of pressure and velocity such as Eva's giant water wave.

4.) **Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The user creates a thousand shadow clones from one shuriken, striking down the enemy. This is a technique that combines ninja tools with Ninjutsu. Compared to normal shadow clones, clones of material objects are said to be on a far higher level. There is no need for preparations beforehand, like stocking up on shuriken, or kunai, yet since the shadow clones are real and not illusions, all the shadow blades that fly around are equally lethal. Because the clones form in just an instant, completely evading them is next too impossible. This technique can also be used on Fūma shuriken, increasing its lethality.

5.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

6.) **Exploding Shadow Clone -** An advanced version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu that allows the user to create shadow clones that will explode either upon death or through voluntary detonation. It is caused by destabilizing the chakra core of the clone and then packing it full of excess chakra that the normal Shadow Clone Jutsu doesn't need.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so I hope you enjoyed that chapter a lot because I enjoyed writing this one. It is currently one of my favorites. We add so many layers to our existing characters and flesh them out and bring them more to life. We flesh out Iris's character even more and we get to dive into her personality a bit more as well as her insecurities. Chaos well... we learn that she somehow has a very interesting shirt that no one in that universe should have. Don't ask me where she got it from because I'm just as shocked as you guys. ;)

We see a bit more of Aria and we get a lot of character insight into Hinata as well. Over all it was a great experience for me writing this chapter. It was a blast and a nice change of pace. So I hope you all enjoyed it very much.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 29 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 9/15/2016


	31. CH: 30 Memories of Old

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heavens Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with the next chapter and what a chapter it is. I'm sorry it took me so long to upload the next chapter. I've bee real busy in real life and I always forget to come back and upload. It is very important and in some ways my own attempt at forging a friendship between Naruto and Sasuke that I felt was lacking in many ways. Some may argue that their friendship was the unspoken type where they never had to verbally say it but in my personal opinion I never really felt that strong unbreakable bond that would force Naruto to go through all that he did in an attempt to get Sasuke back. I just personally never saw that connection that would make Naruto go to the ends of the earth and to hell and back for Sasuke. I just never felt or saw it. It could just be me in a minority and I'm ok with that but I felt that this was something I had to do. It's also for the stories sake as well.

I'm also a person that values continuity and a faithful and steady plot. That is why we are not only revisiting the shack in which Naruto met Eva but also the town of Firebend in which Naruto met Hitomi the girl he saved back in Chapter 11 The Raid which was in part one of the story. I want everything to be connected and flow together from one chapter and scene to another and always have characters call back to previous scenes to strengthen and flesh out the world the story is trying to create. I could never get into stories that have a scatter brain like plot or that have errors in its own continuity. The same goes for T.V. Shows, Movies, and Anime/Manga.

So with that mini rant out of the way _{Sorry about that, I just felt like that was something I wanted to say and get off my chest}_ let us get to the chapter. From this point onward Itachi and Kisame will be making more frequent appearances up until they actually make their true debut in the Anime/Manga. Our two otherworldly parties will also start to make more appearances as well when the plot demands it.

So without further delay lets get to the chapter because next chapter is the Chunin Exams Arc.

* * *

Chapter 30

 _ **Memories of Old**_

"Here it is Eva…" Naruto mumbled as he pushed a branch away. In a clearing a few dozen yards away stood an old abandoned shack that was in disrepair. It was early in the morning and the dew was still hanging off the grass and trees that they passed. The sounds of nature were the only thing that greeted the duo who stalked through the forest in dead silence. "Yeah… I can't believe it's been 8 years since we've last been here. It still looks the same." Eva said as she floated down to be by Naruto's face. "No point in standing around let's go." Naruto said as he walked up to the shack. _'I'm concerned. The entire area is covered by a complex high level sealing barrier. What worries me even more is the fact that I wasn't affected by it when I passed through.'_ Naruto thought as he placed his hand on the door.

"Ready?" Naruto asked. "Ready." Eva replied. Twisting the handle Naruto opened the door to the shack and a cloud of dust greeted his face. Coughing into his hand Naruto blew the dust away with a subtle amount of Wind Chakra. Hearing the floor boards creak below him Naruto frowned at the amount of dust that had collected around the wide opened room. "This place is a mess." Eva mumbled as the tiny sound her wings were making as she zipped around was the only sound Naruto heard.

"The seal…" Naruto whispered as he knelt to a knee and placed his hand on the seal formed on the floor. Naruto using his eyes traced over every inch of the seal. He did it a total of three times to make sure he didn't miss a single detail. He was hoping his photographic memory would hold up for this occasion. "Naru look at this." Eva said with a giant gasp. Looking up Naruto's eyes nearly felt out of his head. "Is this what I think it is…?" Naruto whispered out in total shock and awe. A beige colored large kunai with the most complex seal Naruto has ever seen in his entire life was etched onto the handle and the Kunai had three distinctive prongs on it with the two outer prongs curving up and off to the side of the middle one.

"No way… Naru… you know what this is don't you…?" Eva asked hesitantly as her eyes never left the infamous kunai hanging from the ceiling by a thread of ninja wire. She never thought she would live to see one in person and so up close. "It's a **Flying Thunder God Kunai** … this was the signature weapon of the Fourth Hokage." Naruto said in reverence as he didn't take his eyes of the beautifully crafted kunai either. _'Why does this shack have one of the 4_ _th_ _'s kunai in it. Was this a secret hideout for him. Or was this like a lab where he conducted his Fūinjutsu?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he strained his mind to figure out the mystery before them. Looking around Naruto saw dusty old books and scrolls placed on barely held together shelves at this point.

"Is this were the Fourth would come to practice his Jutsu. Look at all the scrolls and books." Eva wondered as she flew over to some of the shelves to get a better look at names of the books. "It might be Eva." Naruto replied as he picked up a book that wasn't on a shelf. It was a book on Taijutsu. It had a particular bar code and signature and looking up onto the shelf directly in front of him Naruto saw several scrolls that shared the same color, bar code, title, and signature.

"Naru you need to see this." Eva's voice rung out from the other side of the room. The tone in her voice was that of disbelieve. Quickly making his way over to his partner Naruto panned his eyes over what caught the little winter fairy's attention. "Is this a book on supernatural beings?" Naruto asked in shock as he picked up the dusty book and opened it up to one of the first pages. The paper was a little worn and faded but it was still very much readable. Getting an idea since it looked like the book was in alphabetically order Naruto flipped through the pages which turned out to be entire chapters dedicated to individual creature. "Eva look at this. Seasonal Fairies and here it is Winter Fairies." Naruto said with excitement underlying his voice. A chance to learn more about his other half was an opportunity he would never pass up.

"Really! It really is! Look at all this information about my species!" Eva said with excitement overflowing from her. Her eyes had a sparkle to them and so much joy could be seen in them. Naruto hasn't seen Eva this happy in quite some time. Naruto read through a few lines as he was very interested in what it had to say. "It says here that you are at your strongest during the winter. You can control water, ice and snow. You can manipulate clouds to make it rain, snow, or hail and when you reach full maturity you can bring the season of winter to any area that you go too regardless if that area can support that season or not." Naruto read out as he skimmed over highlighted details that caught his eye. "Ha! I always knew I was awesome. High one Naru!" Eva said cheerfully as she gave Naruto a high five to his index finger. "You bet your awesome Eva. With all this information lying around we can learn so much and make ourselves stronger." Naruto said with a smile on his face.

"There are quite a few books on the supernatural here. We should take them." Eva suggested as she could see the benefit of having this knowledge. Naruto did too as he shook his head in total agreement. "We'll seal everything up in a scroll and bring it back to the apartment to look over." Naruto stated with purpose but a stray thought came to him. Turning the pages in the book Naruto eventually rested on a page in the book that he was looking for. "Yuki Onna? Why did you look that up?" Eva questioned when she saw the page Naruto landed on.

"Haku said he was a Yuki Onna. I just wanted to see some of the specifics on it." Naruto answered since in a conversation he had with Haku he told them that he was a Yuki Onna. "Well what does it say?" Eva asked impatiently since she wanted to know more about Haku as well. Despite being a demon and supernatural being Eva was too young and traumatized to remember her life before she met Naruto. Any teachings and knowledge she may have had was lost to her so she was just like Naruto, very unfamiliar with other supernatural beings besides some of the basics and common species including her own.

"It says here that Yuki Onna means… means…" Naruto began to read before his eye started to twitch in annoyance. "It means what?" Eva questioned in confusion. She didn't see why Naruto stopped. She was just about to fly over to the book so that she could read it herself but Naruto's next words stopped her in her tracks. "Yuki Onna means Snow Woman… Haku is a girl." Naruto said with conflicting emotions raging inside of him. The moment he first laid eyes on Haku his heart skipped a beat. Her otherworldly beauty stunned him. He knew he gained an instant little crush on the girl who appeared to be around Aria's age but he decided to keep it to himself. Not that it worked out ok for him based on how Eva and Iris reacted. Naruto would freely admit that women were his weakness and if any beautiful or unique girl walked pass he would take a liking to them. It's happened too many times in the past to count.

But when Haku said she was actually a boy Naruto for the first time in his life questioned himself on many things which much to his embarrassment included his sexuality. The second those thoughts entered his mind that day he violently shook them away and never thought of them again. Because he knew that Haku was a boy it put his mind at ease around him. Haku was just an extremely attractive and feminine pretty boy. While it would be a stretch Naruto could deal with it, he learned to deal with it during the time they spent in Wave. But now based on what he just learned he came to the realization that not only was Haku actually a girl but she had completely played him the entire time in one big trick.

He honestly didn't know how to feel about that. Should he be mad and upset? Or should he be a good sport about it and let it slide and except the fact that she got him good? Naruto honestly didn't know at this point. These thoughts led him to think about what Zabuza and Haku were up to right now. The duo had been secretly granted amnesty in the Land of Fire and were now collaborating with the Third Hokage on matters concerning the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village. They wanted Yagura out of power so that the Bloodline Purges and the Civil War plaguing the land could finally come to an end. Zabuza and Haku were getting in contact with the rebels fighting against Yagura's forces and establishing a connection between them and the Third Hokage. It's been a very painfully slow process and they haven't managed to get in contact with the leader of this resistance. A woman by the name of Mei Terumi. But progress was progress and they were doing all that they could. Naruto hasn't seen much of the duo in the last two weeks since they've been so busy but he wished them all the best regardless.

"Oh…" Eva said with a bored tone in her voice. "Oh… that's all you have to say… wait you knew he was a girl?" Naruto questioned in suspicion. Eva knew she messed up but decided not to lie. "Yeah I knew. I didn't know what she was but I can tell a boy from a girl Naru. Call it girls intuition." Eva replied. Naruto's eyebrow was twitching. "Are you sure you had no ulterior motive in mind?" Naruto probed. Seeing the glare her other half was giving her Eva wilted. "Ok so I didn't want you thinking of yet another girl. It's bad enough she could play a convincing boy but the fact that she is such a beautiful girl hurt my pride. Besides you belong to me so I don't need your eyes wandering!" Eva ranted with an undertone of jealously and anger in her voice.

Naruto blinked for a moment as he thought over Eva's words. He's known from day one that as a demon Eva would naturally be prone to jealously and other such emotions. He's also known from day one that Eva is extremely possessive of him again because she is a demon and she would lash out in jealousy whenever he would spend more time with others. It's just a part of who she was and he was fine with that but as of lately he just couldn't shake the feeling that something else was accompanying her bouts of jealousy. Like another reason along with her usually jealousy. It was beginning to confuse him greatly if he were to be honest. The embarrassed and defensive blush staining her cheeks didn't help much either.

"Let's just get this stuff and go already." Eva mumbled as she flew back into Naruto's hair. "Ok let's just do that." Naruto conceded since he didn't want to upset Eva any more than she already was. Bringing out a large storage scroll Naruto started to seal up any and all valuables he could fine. Nothing escaped his gaze as he cleaned out the entire shack and checked it over for any and all hidden seals. He found quite a few but he wasn't at the level of experience required to even open any of them so he would have to wait. He even found a large seal hidden away that while not as huge as the one carved into the floor was still pretty big. He correctly deduced that it must be the seal powering the barrier around the shack. Naruto could do nothing about it now since again his lack of experience with that level of Fūinjutsu would make it impossible for him to replicate or decipher the barrier seal.

"Ok that's everything… oh wait the kunai." Naruto said as he was about to leave but the glint of light reflecting off of the Kunai hanging from the ceiling caught his attention. Carefully sealing it away in a separate scroll Naruto left the shack and closed the door back. _'I found out that using my Jutsu inside of this barrier doesn't really work. It's like my chakra disrupts the chakra of the seal. It's weird.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he walked to the edge of the barrier. _'It's a complex seal that cast a Genjutsu over the entire area surrounding the shack. Any who come in contact with the barrier will be subconsciously led away from the barrier and the shacks location with no recollection of ever changing directions.'_ Naruto deduced once he saw how it affected a deer.

"Ok now we can leave. **Acceleration.** " Naruto said as he took one last look at the shack that he could clearly see but knew that if anyone else was to look in the same direction he was looking all they would see would be endless trees. Naruto's body glowed a faint light blue as a transparent cloak of multicolored chakra covered his body like fire. He disappeared from the area in a burst of speed that rustled all the nearby trees and stirred up dust, dirt, and leaves on the ground.

What Naruto failed to notice was that hidden away outside the barrier nearby had been a concealed cloaked individual with a blank mask hiding his face. It was stark white with two little letters written on it. [Ne] The person disappeared without a single trace of ever being there in the first place.

* * *

 _ **1 Month Later**_

"…This will be a basic C – Rank mission that you should have no trouble completing. If you have no further questions, then you are dismissed. Naruto I would like for you to remain behind for a moment, I wish to speak to you." Hiruzen's voice rung out through the opened hall as he sat behind the long table overseeing the day to day operations of missions. As Hokage Hiruzen was actually only required and authorized to hand out A and S rank missions only. The A and S rank missions can only be assigned by the Kage of a village. The D, C, and B rank missions were typically handled by the administration to minimize the work the Kage has to do. Hiruzen however liked to interact with all of the shinobi under his command not just the Jōnin who are the only ones authorized to take A and S rank missions. If a Chūnin wanted to take such a mission, then the squad captain had to be a Jōnin.

"What do you need to speak to me about gramps?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Naruto, I understand that you have some particular history with this town. With that being said there has been a spike in supernatural activity near the town so I want you to be on your guard. As well as other interest groups sighted nearby. It should go without saying that you should be on guard at all times my boy." Hiruzen instructed his surrogate grandson. "Yes sir I understand." Naruto said with a nod of his head. He understood that Hiruzen was being serious and that something might be up. "Good, now get going my boy." Hiruzen dismissed with a chuckle. Waving goodbye Hiruzen watched as Naruto left the office hall. Hiruzen swiveled around in his chair while exhaling from his pipe. He looked out into the garden courtyard behind the opened office all the while seemingly ignoring the small little toad watching him from the garden.

* * *

 _ **[Welcome to Firebend Town]**_

' _This old place again… man it's been at least 4 years since I've been here.'_ Naruto thought with a melancholy look on his face. Team 7 was standing on a large hill overlooking a small town with a central downtown district and many small clusters of neighborhoods scattered around the outer perimeter of the central downtown area. The entire town was encased in a thick case of densely packed trees making it virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding forest on ground level. It was only thanks to the fact they were on a hill that they could see the town.

"Earth to Naruto… are you in there?" Sakura asked as she waved her hand in front of Naruto's face. "…huh, what?" Naruto mumbled as he shook his head. "You spaced out for a minute there… is everything ok? You were looking at the town weirdly." Sakura explained as she stepped back from Naruto's personal space. "I… sorry about that. Just remembering something that's all. Didn't mean to hold us up." Naruto said with an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched the back of his head in a force of habit.

"Do you know this place?" Sakura asked in curiosity. Based on the way he was looking at the town with melancholy in his eyes it led her down this path of reasoning. "Uh yeah, a few years back I came to this town." Naruto answered truthfully. "You did. What would an 8-year-old be doing outside the village?" Sasuke asked as he gave Naruto a searching look. "My friend Shoko had business to take care of in this town and she decided to make me tag along for the trip." Naruto answered back while still gazing at the town. "Well let's go it's best not to waste time." Naruto said as he started to move forward. Sasuke frowned a little at that since he got the feeling Naruto just lied to him.

Team 7 soon found themselves in the heart of the town looking for a local restaurant and tavern to sleep in for the night. The mission was a simple one. There have been a bunch of disappearances happening in the town lately and it was suspected to be a group of bandits. Find the bandits and eliminate them as well as save any hostages if there are any. A simple C – Rank. Or at least in theory.

Picking a restaurant at random the group entered the establishment and sat themselves down at an empty booth close to the entrance. "We'll begin snooping around after we leave this restaurant. Bars and restaurants are great places to here gossip and rumor mills. Remember guys there is always a little bit of truth in every rumor." Kakashi stated as he gave his team an eye smile.

"Hello, thanks for choosing to dine with us today may I take your… your…" A voice said. The group looked up to see a beautiful waitress standing by the table ready to take their order. She was very beautiful. She had mid back length black hair and expressive doe brown eyes. She was very curvaceous with a moderate size bust and great hips. She didn't look like she should be wasting her time on a simple job like this, if anything she should be a model. At the moment she was staring in absolute shock at the group but upon closer inspection she was actually staring at Naruto who was staring back with initial confusion which soon morphed into recognition in his eyes which started to widen a little bit.

"Naruto… is that really you?" The woman asked with temptation and hope in her voice. "Hitomi?" Naruto answered back while blinking his eyes a few times. "It's really you! You came back!" The woman who turned out to be Hitomi exclaimed in glee as she quickly scooped Naruto into a bone crushing hug. The others at the table were shocked and confused and a few patrons sitting at other tables were casting curious looks over at the scene taking place. Gently pushing the older woman off of him since his face ended up in her chest Naruto took a look at the former 16-year-old teen he had rescued from that Ogre demon by the name of Toiret. He almost didn't make it out of that fight. The demon was quite powerful and his 8-year-old self-did have some difficulty fighting him off especially since he was trying to bring the girl to safety.

But now standing before him was not a frail 16-year-old girl dressed in tattered clothes and visible bruises. Now a recent 20-year-old young woman who sprouted into a beauty stood before them with an elated smile at seeing her savior again after he had made a promise that they would eventually see each other again. "It's really great to see you again. I did promise that I would come back one day." Naruto said with a goofy grin on his face as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah and that was 4 years ago mister." Hitomi retorted with a cute pout. She had given up hope that she would see the young boy who saved and turned her life around. "Well in my defense I never said when…" Naruto trailed off with a sheepish guilty smile on his face. The pout on Hitomi's face turned to a glare which had Naruto shrinking into his chair.

"Excuse me but how do you too know each other miss?" Kakashi interrupted while eyeing the older woman. The others leaned in since they wanted to hear this as well. "Oh its quite the story. He saved my life back then." Hitomi said while smiling warmly at Naruto who blushed for being under the center of attention since the others were looking at him. "You saved her life? How?" Sasuke asked in surprise. He was skeptical yet shocked at this revelation. "Well…" A pensive look overcame Hitomi's face as she tried to come up with the best way to explain what had happened to her. She had never spoken a single word of what had happened to her that day to anyone. Which was her own choice. But it did also help that the Mafia agents that tended to her instructed her never to speak about what happened that night or their involvement. She had left her past behind her and was perfectly content to let it stay there. Luckily Naruto had a solution for her.

"She had a really terrible and abusive boyfriend who was into drugs and other stuff. He abused her a lot and one day he snapped and tried to kill her. I was nearby and rushed to help her." Naruto covered up. He wasn't technically lying. Just heavily embellishing and editing the truth. At least that was what he was telling himself. "Oh my gosh. That's awful." Sakura gasped in shock. She couldn't imagine going through such a situation. "How did you help; you were 8?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. "I did all that I could. The guy was a bumbling idiot with a lot of muscle and no brain. He could throw a punch and was too strong for his own good but like I said he was not that bright. I outsmarted him that's all." Naruto admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. While Naruto would admit he almost died and had a hard time with Toiret at the end of the day the Ogre was all muscle and no brain.

"Where was Ms. Shoko then?" Sakura asked since Naruto made no mention of her. "Oh you see the thing was I had kind of wandered off from her when I wasn't supposed to. She arrived after everything was over and she was really angry with me. I got quite the tongue lashing from her after that. I'll definitely never forget that day." Naruto said with a smile on his face. It was on that day that he found out just how much Shoko cared for him. It was also the first time he thought of the older woman as a mother like figure.

"That was quite careless Naruto you could have gotten hurt." Sakura admonished. Chucking Naruto scratched the back of his head. "You see the thing is I did get a few bruises, but it was worth it. Isn't that right Hitomi?" Naruto said while giving Hitomi a bright smile which she returned. "Yes it was. Because of you I was able to get my life back on track. I'm now a teacher at a local school here in the town. I do volunteer work at the local shelters and orphanages and I work part time here in this restaurant since a few of my friends work here. So as you can see I'm quite busy every day." Hitomi said with a small warm smile. "Wow, that's quite impressive." Kakashi said with a raised eyebrow. You could see a shine of respect in his single visible eye. "That's awesome Hitomi great job." Naruto said with happiness in his voice.

"Thank you. So can I take your orders?" Hitomi asked since she was trying to be professional once again. The second she had laid eyes on Naruto all of her composure and professionalism had went out the window and so she was trying to get back on track. She is on the clock after all. "Do you serve ramen here?" Naruto asked quickly with a hidden undertone of pleading in his voice. Teuchi and Ayame were both out sick for the last few days so their little shop had been closed down. Naruto hasn't had any great tasting ramen in a few days and Instant Ramen couldn't compare.

"Um… yeah would you like some?" Hitomi asked with a chuckle since she could see the clear desperation Naruto was trying to cover up. "Yes please…" Naruto said with a straight face. He was trying to control his not so hidden addiction. He was just grateful he left Iris and Chaos back home under the ever watchful eyes of Aria. If they were here, then it would only spell trouble since all three blonds are addicted to the food. Chaos more than Iris but still all the same. "And you… sir?" Hitomi asked as she turned towards Sasuke but she paused as a confused look overcame her. The others noticed this as well. "Have we met before?" Hitomi asked hesitantly. "No… I don't believe we have." Sasuke responded warily. He didn't know where this was going but for some strange reason a knot was forming in his stomach. "Are you sure, didn't you stop by a few days ago. You were with another tall gentleman but I never got his name." Hitomi elaborated as something was clicking in her head.

Sasuke definitely didn't like were this was going. Naruto looked from Sasuke to Kakashi then over to Hitomi as his mind started to become a whirlwind of activity. He could feel something was not right. "Oh wait never mind, the guy looked older and had pronounced tear troughs on his face…" Hitomi said as she shook her head. Before she could say more Sasuke shot out of his chair and his Sharingan activated on instinct. "WHERE IS HE!?" Sasuke exclaimed much to the shock of the others and many of the customers in the room. "That man… I don't know he left two days ago." Hitomi said as she took a startled step back. She was terrified once she looked into Sasuke's Sharingan. "Did he say anything?" Sasuke demanded with a glare. "He… he… asked about the disappearances around the town and then left. Things have been quiet around the area since then but just this morning another person was taken. About two hours before you guys got here to be exact." Hitomi stuttered since she was unused to such an attitude. She hasn't had to deal with something like this since her time with Toiret.

Before anyone could say anything Sasuke barged passed Hitomi and left the restaurant with customers whispering to themselves about what just happened. "Did I say something wrong?" Hitomi asked in a small voice as she turned to Naruto for guidance. "No you did nothing wrong Hitomi, this is something else entirely." Naruto said as he placed a comforting hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Kakashi sensei what was that about?" Sakura asked in a frightened tone. "It's not exactly my place to say Sakura." Kakashi said as he closed his eye. "Hey Hitomi we'll catch up later I have to go find my teammate." Naruto said as he stood up from the table and began walking towards the exit. "Be careful Naruto and keep an eye out. Find Sasuke and bring him with you to the local inn at the end of the street. That is where we will be staying for the night." Kakashi instructed. "Yes sensei." Naruto said as he left the restaurant.

' _Itachi was here in this very town and I just missed him! What was he here for? Why was he looking into these disappearances? And why would he travel out here so close to the village? What is going on?'_ Sasuke's mind was a storm of thoughts as he jumped from roof top to roof top at high speeds. He wanted to get out of the town as quickly as possible so that he could clear his head and think. To know his brother was that close ignited the flame of hatred inside of Sasuke's soul that has been relatively subdued for quite some time.

' _Itachi Uchiha was this close to the village. This town is only 2 miles south away from the village so what could he be thinking when he is an internationally wanted criminal. I can only imagine what's going through Sasuke's head right now. To know he was that close to seeing his brother. Two days may be a stretch but considering the fact no one has had a single sighting of Itachi since the night of the massacre is saying something. At least that confirms he is still in the Land of Fire. That helps narrow down the search instead of having to look in other countries around the world.'_ Naruto thought to himself as the early afternoon sun battered him with its rays as soon as he stepped out of the restaurant. He looked all over the street and down it but couldn't see or sense Sasuke anywhere. _'Did he take the roofs?'_ Naruto questioned. Jumping on top of the restaurant Naruto placed his hand above his eyes to block out the sun and help him see better.

' _Still nothing. Some of these buildings are too tall and there are so many trees in the way.'_ Naruto complained to himself. "Where do you think he went?" Eva asked as she made her presence known. "I'm not sure Eva, but I'm about to find out." Naruto said as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He let his senses expand and pulsate out from his body. It started to cover the area around down town before spreading outwards from there. He still couldn't find Sasuke but he did get a general idea of where he might be. "I think he left the town. Most likely to clear his head." Naruto said as he opened his eyes. His sensory abilities have increased over the years giving him a greater clarity but in exchange for range. _'This reminds me of the fact that I haven't seen Weasel since his team received the mission to track down Itachi. I hope he is alright.'_ Naruto thought to himself quickly.

"You're probably right. We should start looking." Eva responded as she took cover in Naruto's hair away from the bright sun. "Yeah let's go." Naruto said as he took off in a direction.

* * *

 _ **Two days Earlier**_

"Itachi is this the place?" A gruff voice asked as two individuals could be seen standing on a tall hill overlooking a quaint town surrounded by invasive forestry. "Firebend town eh. Never heard of it." The voice said as the two passed by a large sign stating the name of the town. "It is a town well known for its horticulture." Itachi replied back as his Sharingan eyes peered out below the brim of his straw hat. His pitch black cloak with red clouds on it made him and his extremely tall partner stand out.

"Hummmnnn. Not really my thing but eh. So Itachi you still haven't told me why we are stopping by this town. We've passed at least 6 patrols in the last day… and you didn't let me kill a single one of them." The taller of the two complained. "We are here to talk to a particular group of people Kisame and I don't need the Leaf Village alerted to our presence. You aren't the least bit subtle and quiet when you fight." Itachi explained to his partner whose name was Kisame Hoshigaki.

"I guess you're right." Kisame said with a throaty chuckle. The duo entered the small town and quickly found themselves a non-descript restaurant. Sitting at a table close to the entrance the two wanted men kept to themselves. "Hello, thanks for choosing to dine with us today may I take your order." Hitomi said as she walked up to the table with her new customers. She thought they were dressed weirdly with their matching black cloaks and red clouds as well as the straw hats they were using to cover their faces but she wasn't going to question it. "Do you have any poky here?" Itachi asked politely in his monotone voice. "Do you serve fish here?" Kisame asked neutrally. "Yes we do. Our poky is a free snack for all customers and the fish is an inexpensive side dish. Would that be all?" Hitomi asked as she jotted down a quick note on her note pad. "No ma'am, do you know of the disappearances plaguing this town?" Itachi questioned as he looked at the waitress serving him. His Sharingan eyes searched her instinctively for any deceit or truth.

"No sir I don't really know anything about what's been going on. All I know is that a bunch of people have disappeared recently and quite a few of them were children. Recently there has been a section of the forest that the townspeople have refused to go near. It was even restricted by our mayor." Hitomi answered truthfully. "Do you know which section of the forest has been quarantined?" Itachi questioned further. "It's a small section half a mile south east of the towns south entrance." Hitomi answered quickly. "Thank you ma'am." Itachi said with a slight bow of his head. "You're welcome sir. Did you need anything else with your order?" Hitomi asked just to make sure she did get their complete order. "No what was said will be our order." Itachi replied respectfully. "Ok sir your order will be here in a moment." Hitomi said as she bowed before walking off.

An hour later and the duo were standing in front of the area sectioned off in the forest. "So that waitress was right. This is the place… I can feel it." Kisame said with a razor sharp grin spreading across his face. The large bundle strapped to his back wiggled a tiny bit in anticipation. "They mayor of this town is in league with these individuals. That explains why so many have gone missing." Itachi said as he crossed the barrier into the forbidden area. "Yeah but you put him under a Genjutsu that would cause him to record everything that would happen to him. You said it's supposed to last a few days. Too bad he doesn't know who's in charge around here." Kisame said as he followed his partner.

10 minutes later the duo felt presences surrounding them so they knew they were on the right track. Stopping in their tracks the duo waited for the inevitable. Two dozen individuals fell from the trees to surround them and once they landed Itachi and Kisame got a good look at them. They all had grizzly faces with very long noses that extended well past their faces. They were all relatively tall and very lanky and they dressed in dark robes that hid their bodies. "Oh… well would you look at that. It was Tengu Demons this entire time. Now isn't that interesting eh Itachi." Kisame said with amusement clear in his voice and posture.

"Who are you humans?" The apparent leader spoke up since he was taller than the others. "We have come to solve the mystery of the missing people. It would seem we are on the right track." Itachi spoke up as he looked into the leader's eyes. "Is that so, well seeing as how you discovered us we can't let you two leave." The leader spoke as he spiked his Yōki. "Attack." The leader spoke as his subordinates all prepared to charge as bird like wings sprouted from the demon's backs. They were all dark colored wings pretty much black in color but they were not the same pitch black color that Fallen Angels are known to have. The most powerful of the Fallen Angels have wings so black that it's like looking into the abyss or a black hole.

' _ **Genjutsu: Crow Ephemera.'**_ Itachi silently thought to himself beforehand since he knew this was going to get out of hand quickly. All he did was point a single finger at the ready to pounce group and all of the members froze up. In their minds they were blasted by a deadly barrage of shuriken which brought unimaginable pain to them all. They then all felt the overpowering sensation to go to sleep. And sleep they did… as one all the Tengu demons except for the leader fell to the forest floor fast asleep.

"Impossible…" The leader muttered in morbid shock. "Now I'm already aware of the fact you aren't the mastermind so please make this easy on yourself." Itachi said as the leader froze up when he saw a ghostly image of the Sharingan in his vision. He was already caught in Itachi's Genjutsu from the moment they made eye contact. "No… I will not say anything." The leader resisted as he spiked his Yōki which sent a small shockwave out around him. The shockwave did nothing to faze either Itachi or Kisame, the only thing it did was ruffle their cloaks and hair. They hadn't been pushed back a single inch unlike the few Tengu closes to the leader and the leaves in the forest.

Itachi hadn't been trying with his Genjutsu so the fact the leader escaped his grasp didn't surprise the criminal one bit. "Allow me to handle this one Itachi." Kisame said as he grinned at the demon in front of them. "Do you want to know what it's like to be trapped at the bottom of the ocean and quickly suffocating?" Kisame questioned the Tengu who briefly had a confused look on his face. His confusion didn't leave him even after Kisame simply disappeared from his line of sight. The leader suddenly found himself in a sphere made out of water which was quickly constricting and crushing him.

The Tengu quickly grabbed at his throat since he was drowning at a rapid pace not to mention the crushing pressure of the water prison he found himself in. The leader tapped against the edge of the sphere as frantically as possible once he started to feel his bones creak and shutter in agony under the intense pressure. "It would appear that he's had enough." Itachi observed as he kept his eyes on the Tengu. Kisame grunted in annoyance as he released his hold on the **Water Prison Jutsu**. "Alright, I'll tell you please stop." The Tengu pleaded in between deep breaths and coughing out water from his lungs.

"Tell us all you know." Itachi said as his Sharingan started to spin in a hypnotic pattern.

6 hours later the entire group of Tengu woke up in the clearing with an extra person with them. The leader was propped up against a nearby tree trying to recover from his ordeal while the others groaned in discomfort. "What happened here?" A sultry voice rung out. Everyone snapped their eyes up to the extra guess with them and they were shocked to see that it was their leader Kyōra. After finding his composure the leader informed his master of what transpired hours before.

"So Itachi is now poking around in things that don't concern him quite yet. That will never do." Kyōra said as he turned to leave. "Continue operations as planned. I will personally deal with Itachi." Kyōra spoke as he disappeared from the clearing.

A few miles away in a dense section of forest hidden away from the world was Itachi and Kisame. "So Itachi you never did tell me why you are so interested in all these missing people cases. They happen all the time in this world we live in." Kisame said casually while propped up against a nearby log. "It's just a fleeting interest to pass the time Kisame." Itachi said in his usual monotone voice as his back was casted in the shadows of the night and four thin lines across his back was giving off a faint red sinister light.

* * *

 _ **Present Time**_

' _Why was he here?'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he walked in the forest alone with his hands in his pockets. He was still sulking after all this time and he had no intention of getting out of his bad mood. "Huh?" Sasuke mumbled as he saw a section of forest restricted off. Something was calling to Sasuke and against his better judgement he decided to enter.

' _Where could he be. I've checked everywhere.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he felt another of his Shadow Clones pop letting him know that the area it checked was clear. Naruto was walking down a path in the forest looking for Sasuke and he was starting to get worried. He didn't want anything to happen to his teammate and more than that the fact that his teammate was suffering through some long repressed trauma didn't sit well with Naruto even if he wasn't particularly close to Sasuke.

"What is this?" Naruto asked himself as he came upon a sectioned off area of the forest. Naruto could feel a pull in that direction. Stretching out his senses he could feel a large collection of Yōki in that direction. Naruto's eyes widened since he also felt Sasuke's chakra signature in that area as well but it was faint since it was being masked and overpowered by the larger amount of Yōki. Naruto quickly created a **Shadow Clone** which he immediately dispelled to update the other clones in the area as well as the clone he left with Kakashi to keep the Jōnin Sensei up to date on Naruto's search. After that Naruto took off into the forest without hesitation. Kakashi had decided to snoop around and his search eventually lead him to the Town's mayor. He could tell the man was guilty from the start and what was worse was the fact that Kakashi could tell someone had put the man under a Genjutsu recently. _'Itachi what are you up too?'_ Kakashi silently asked himself.

It only took Naruto a few minutes but he reached a clearing in the woods and he was not expecting to find a group of 20 individuals surrounding Sasuke who was down on one knee while holding his shoulder in pain. He had sweat coming down his forehead and his skin was turning very pale. _'Poison… I better intervene now before it's too late.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a frown on his face. "Are you ready Eva?" Naruto questioned as he circulated his hybrid energy of Chakra/Yōki in his system. "Always ready Naru." Eva replied as she did the same which allowed the partners to sync up and fight as one with both their energies circulating around Naruto's body equally.

Quickly doing a **Body Flicker** so that he could appear in the clearing Naruto found himself face to face with the many individuals which upon closer inspection had him surprised. _'Tengu Demons. I never would have guessed.'_ These were one of the common species of supernatural creatures Naruto learned about from the vast amount of knowledge he obtained from the shack a month prior. He's been taking his time learning all there was to learn from the many books and scrolls that are now in his basement floor office. _'Sasuke's been infected with their Yōki. I got to get it out.'_ Naruto thought as he channeled a minute amount of Iris's aura into his body. Naruto felt the typical burning sensation in his body for having his Yōki rich chakra network temporarily purified by Iris's Holy Aura. "Come on Sasuke get up now's not the time for you to be slacking." Naruto joked as he placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder where a scratch mark could be seen and immediately relief flooded Sasuke's body as the swelling in his shoulder started to go away.

"How did you know where I was? More than that how did you do that?" Sasuke questioned as his body felt rejuvenated, it felt familiar to him. "Trust me you are not easy to find, besides I just used Iris's chakra to heal you." Naruto explained since saying it was Holy Aura out loud to a bunch of demons would set them off in the worst way possible. "Who are these guys?" Sasuke questioned with a grunt as he pulled out several kunai and shuriken from his pouch. They had gotten the drop on his while he was still deep in thought about his brother. It was a lucky thing his Sharingan wasn't activated at the moment or Sasuke unknowingly would have suffered even more. "Not so friendly people with some really messed up faces." Naruto replied back as he created his twin swords out of ice.

"You children will make excellent editions to our cause. Don't resist too much. Our masters want you in somewhat of a good condition." The leader spoke as he spiked his Yōki to intimidate the children in his eyes. He was shocked when Naruto in return spiked his own Chakra/Yōki and it was even larger than his own by a fair amount. "What?" The leader gasped as he took a step back. "You may have the numbers but you are outclassed in every way and I already have ways with evening the numbers game. So surrender." Naruto spoke up since he didn't want to fight or potentially kill any of the demons before him even though it was looking like he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Get ready Sasuke, things are about to get ugly." Naruto whispered to Sasuke. Said Uchiha just grunted as he tightened his grip on the kunai in his hand. "How dare you talk down to us like that human. You will soon learn to respect your betters! Attack!" The leader said in an arrogant tone as he ordered his flock to attack. The group of crow demons immediately took to the air around the clearing as they were attempting to dive bomb their prey. Sasuke immediately disappeared from Naruto's side as he reappeared in midair upside down with his kunai in hand. He tossed each kunai out in an intricate pattern where some kunai would bounce off of each other and change directions and because of that 8 low thuds were heard as those demons fell to the ground with kunai in their heads.

' _Here we go again.'_ Naruto thought to himself sourly as he sprang into action. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as three Shadow Clones formed around him in which made the four of them combined look like a square or diamond. All the Naruto's surged their chakra as they prepared a barrage to defend themselves with.

" **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as he channeled his wind element through his body. A massive gust of wind whipped across the clearing buffeting everybody back except for Sasuke who landed near Naruto just in time to escape the effects of his Jutsu.

" **Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu!"**

The three shadow clones all preformed their own technique that created a hailstorm of ice projectiles that ripped another 10 Tengu Demons from the air. Their lifeless bodies were littered with icicle projectiles that were laced with Naruto's potent Chakra/Yōki. Their natural stronger bodies compared to humans stood no chance at all and as for the ones that Sasuke dropped getting a kunai to the skull was an instant kill especially since Tengu Demons are on the bottom of the food chain and they aren't known for developing tough skin that is impervious to human metals.

All that was left after that onslaught was the leader and one other crow demon who was lucky enough to survive the assault. "Impossible." The leader mumbled out pitifully as he gazed out at his flock who were all dead on the ground without so much as laying a finger on the two kids in front of him. As a species he knew that he was biologically frail, didn't contain that much Yōki, and overall was not that powerful not to mention the fact that he was still very, very young compared to the extremely long life span his species is known to have. He was about 21 in human years. That is very young compared to the thousands of years his species could live for. He was practically still a baby compared to others of his kind. But he was not expecting to be outclassed this badly twice in the short span of two days. At the very least he counted himself lucky that he and his flock walked away relatively unharmed the other day but now they were all dead.

"Please surrender. It's over." Naruto said sadly since he could see the pain and despair on the demons face at loosing what's pretty much his whole family. The leader looked up but his eyes widened to the size of saucers once he gazed at Sasuke's eyes which had his Sharingan activated in them. "Those eyes again! I should have seen it sooner! You look just like him!" The leader spoke up as he trembled in rage with small unnoticeable traces of fear seeping in. "My eyes? You've met Itachi? Where is he? What did he say to you?" Sasuke demanded as he immediately caught on to what the demon in front of him was saying. He could see the rage and despair on the creatures face so he knew he wasn't lying. _'So Itachi was here recently.'_ Both Naruto and Sasuke thought at the same time.

"Go to hell! I'LL KILL YOU!" The leader shouted as he took off from his corner of the clearing at breakneck speeds. Sasuke was able to see some of this with his Sharingan but his body was still too slow to react. He saw a second almost unnoticeable bright blur move past him before a loud bang went off in the clearing. Naruto had managed to intercept the leaders charge by using his **Acceleration**. Naruto was cloaked in a translucent aura of chakra with his body glowing light blue. To Sasuke's Sharingan it was quite possibly the weirdest thing he's ever looked at, not to mention it was very bright. Almost blindingly so. "I don't think so." Naruto retorted as he held off the tall and lanky demon with his swords. "Boss!" The other demon cried out as he charged at Naruto's blind spot. He didn't get really far though unfortunately.

" **Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"**

A large fireball engulfed the very young demon and killed him instantly before he could even react. Sasuke was not in the forgiving mood to even contemplate the fact that he had just killed nine people but it would come to him in time. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"** Naruto called out as being in contact with his swords made out of ice the leader soon found his entire body encased in a thick layer of ice that he couldn't break free off. The Yōki inside the ice was far more potent than his own and he didn't have much to begin with. Just enough to allow him to match a Chūnin at best.

"Please just listen to us and I promise you that you'll live." Naruto said as he held one of his swords to the demon's neck which was exposed. "Never. I will kill that boy. I hate him!" The leader responded as he glared at Sasuke although he tried his best not to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Tell me where Itachi is?" Sasuke demanded with a smoldering glare which made the demon flinch. "Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. I'm going to kill the both of you and everyone you love you little rats!" The leader roared as he struggled to break free. "Tell me where Itachi is!" Sasuke roared right back as he was quickly losing what little patience he had left.

"Hold on Sasuke I have ways of making people talk." Naruto said as his eyes changed over from their normal crystal clear sky blue color which was a darker shade at the current moment since Naruto just finished fighting into a deep dark navy blue color as his whole demeanor changed. Spending most of his life growing up in the mafia as well as having Anko of all people who was a member of the Torture and Interrogation Unit of the ANBU Black Ops as a role model and big sister figure made it so that Naruto was unfortunately well versed on the subject he was about to inflict on the defenseless demon.

Eva felt a shiver of pleasure go up her tiny spine since as a demon she did instinctively enjoy not only this side of Naruto but also what he was about to do and what he was capable of when he got like this. "You might want to leave for a few minutes Sasuke." Naruto said in a cold tone before he got to work.

5 minutes later the leader had finished spilling his guts of everything that he knew and it put a serious frown on both Naruto and Sasuke's face. Without a single word Naruto sealed up the still alive leader into a scroll to be transported back to the village. Naruto leaned against a nearby tree and slid down it.

"That's a lot to think about. Your brother was just here…" Naruto said as he looked up to see Sasuke's face paler than usual. Without any warning Sasuke bent over and emptied his stomach onto the ground as the fact he had killed several people finally registered in his mind now that his adrenaline had left him.

Getting up Naruto walked over to Sasuke before gently rubbing him on the back with a sympathetic look of understanding etched onto his face. "It never goes away this feeling that you now have. Trust me on that. There is no justification for killing and taking a life. No excuses and no reasons. You just have to suck it up and hold your head high and except the fact that you did it. I had to learn that the hard way over the years. Simply believing that you were doing the right thing won't be enough since everyone has their own believes on what right and wrong means. Just except that part of yourself and it will get easier." Naruto said as he continued to rub Sasuke's back as the young Uchiha emptied the last of his food onto the ground.

"Did someone tell you that?" Sasuke said after a few minutes of silence. "Unfortunately no. I had to learn that all by myself over the years. Being a father to Iris and Chaos helped me understand that better. I would have thought that Shoko would have been the one to tell me but I would always shut her down before she could talk to me about it. I was always ashamed and still am today of the fact that I've killed before. But I've learned to deal with it and so can you. I know you can." Naruto said as he leads Sasuke back over to a nearby tree. Once the two had sat down a silence overcame them for a few minutes.

"I want to kill my brother for what he has done." Sasuke said out of the blue as he stared out into the forest. "Killing off an entire clan of people is unforgivable… but what will you do after you kill him?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. He wasn't trying to talk Sasuke out of pursing Itachi since not only did he know that would be absolutely pointless but if someone had killed his girls and got away with it he would track that person down to the end of the world to find them. Sasuke was born into a family that was later on taken from him and Naruto was born without a family only to gain one later on in life. They are both orphans so in his mind Naruto could sympathize with what Sasuke was going through even if he didn't lose his family he still does know that hollow feeling of not having one.

"I will rebuild my clan and finally bring peace to my family." Sasuke answered almost immediately. "I hope you can bring your family peace." Naruto said as he looked out into the swaying trees. "Sasuke I want you to know that you still have family out there." Naruto said as he looked towards his teammate who looked back at him in shock. "None of us are related to you by blood and we could never replace what you lost but we could be your family. All of our classmates and the other villagers have always been here for you. To be honest I was always a tad bit jealous of how you received that comfort and special treatment from everybody." Naruto said to the Uchiha who was listening with all of his attention.

"But I would usually push that jealously aside since I had my own small group of friends and newly gained family to take my hidden pain away. I remember I tried to reach out to you during our academy days to try to be your friend but you always pushed me away. Soon I just stopped actively trying and instead choose to just silently watch out for you. I know even you had a few little bullies back then that wanted to come after you for one reason or another and I would usually take care of them with a few little pranks here and there." Naruto admitted with a chuckle towards the end. "That was you all those times?" Sasuke questioned with curiosity and a little bit of shock. "Yeah, guilty is charged. Of course the only time I helped you out with you knowing was the time those guys tried to jump you." Naruto said offhandedly. "Humnn." Sasuke grunted in his usual one syllable response.

"I felt terrified that night." Naruto said after a brief pause in the conversation. Sasuke hearing this turned to Naruto with a bewildered and confused face. "Iris and Chaos sensed the massacre happening and they woke up crying. They could feel the loss of life that night and since I share a connection with them I was able to also feel what they were feeling to an extent. On my own I could just tell something was very wrong. I could feel it in my very soul." Naruto explained in a low tone of voice. "It was right after that happened that an unknown man broke into my home to kidnap me and the girls. I fought him off the best I could while running, he's responsible for those scars on my back. I don't know what they want with me but they came back at the bridge and I have no doubt they will come back in the future. I only escaped that night because he allowed me too. I knew I wouldn't be so fortunate the next time." Naruto explained in a small voice.

"They sensed it?" Sasuke asked in disbelieve. "How is that even possible?" Naruto just chuckled while leaning back into the tree. "I found myself asking that same question many times over the years. There are a lot of things that they can do that shock me and defies logic. But the scary thing is I've only scratched the surface on the number of things they are capable of." Naruto admitted.

"Why are you telling me this? Why now?" Sasuke questioned as he looked towards the blond sitting next to him with many questions trying to roll off his tongue. "Like I said I tried to reach out to you in the academy but you didn't want any friends at the time since you were still silently grieving. But now I have another chance to reach out to be your friend and I never waste my chances on things. I don't have any other ulterior motive or hidden agenda if that's what you're thinking. A person doesn't always need a legitimate reason to do something good." Naruto said to Sasuke who gained a contemplative look on his face. He turned away from Naruto to gaze out at the trees around them.

Naruto watched as Sasuke thought over his words as his eyes moved back and forth in contemplation. "Thank you…" Sasuke said after a few minutes of silence between the two. Naruto was momentarily caught off guard since Sasuke doesn't really verbally thank people with those words very often. "You're welcome." Naruto said as he adjusted himself against the tree. "You're not half bad… I never trusted you since you always lied and kept secrets from others, even back in the academy you did that. But you're like a mystery. Not many people know who you really are. Except Hinata." Sasuke admitted with a small smirk while propping himself up against the tree as well.

Naruto blushed at the end when Sasuke mentioning Hinata. He didn't particularly know why he blushed but he did it anyways. "I'll freely admit that I have trust issues. I don't open myself up completely to every person I meet. It's in my very nature to hide things and keep them to myself but I've been learning to not do that. If you want to be trusted, then you have to trust others." Naruto said as he looked back to Sasuke. "I don't want people to get hurt because of me, that's happened in the past before. It's even costed a person their life and because of that its traumatized me and made me very jaded and distrusting of others." Naruto said as his voice tapered off as he thought about his friend Kenichi who died way too young. "But my desire for friends and family has gotten in the way of that distrusting nature many times in the past." Naruto finished off with a small smile as he thought of all the friends and family he has now.

"So want to give being friends a try?" Naruto asked as he extended his hand towards Sasuke. The lone Uchiha looked at the hand extended towards him for a brief moment before extending his own and shaking Naruto's. "Alright I guess we could give it a try but on the condition that you come clean to me. There are a lot of secrets that you are keeping from everyone. Let's start with what exactly that little friend of yours is?" Sasuke questioned as he looked up into Naruto's hair and watched as Eva decided to show herself.

"Eva is a Winter Fairy or to be more specific she is a demon." Naruto admitted while watching Sasuke's reaction. "A demon? But they aren't real. Those are just stories Naruto." Sasuke dismissed with a shake of his head. "No you're wrong about that. Supernatural creatures are real. The stuff in those books are very real." Naruto insisted as he slowly raised his power of his Yōki so that Sasuke could sense it. "Your chakra… it feels kind of similar to those guys we just fought and that guy back on the bridge a while back." Sasuke said in bewilderment. "That's because what yours sensing isn't Chakra. Its Yōki. Yōki is pretty much a demon's form of chakra." Naruto explained simply.

"Then are you a demon?" Sasuke asked warily. A pained and hurt look flashed across Naruto's face at Sasuke's words as Naruto recoiled. "No, I'm not a demon. Eva and I have been bonded together for so long over the years that my body has had to adjust to help sustain her. My chakra network now naturally produced Yōki on its own. But a more accurate thing to say is that the chakra that my body produces actually takes on the characteristics of Yōki." Naruto explained in a subdued tone of voice.

Seeing the state Naruto was in now Sasuke looked away for a moment as he struggled to decide on what to do. Finally, he sighed and turned back to his teammate. "Look Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you." Sasuke apologized in a rare show of empathy. Naruto was shocked and didn't say anything for a full minute but he regained his composure soon afterwards. "It's ok, you didn't know." Naruto accepted as he nodded to Sasuke. "So what about your daughters? Are they not human either?" Sasuke questioned.

"No they aren't human but I can't tell you or anyone else for that matter what they truly are." Naruto stated as he took on a serious look. "And why is that? Judging by what you are saying that means they aren't demons so what are they? What else could they possibly be?" Sasuke questioned as he tried to piece together things in his mind. "I can't say. They are different compared to Eva." Naruto admitted. "So wait… if demons are really then does that mean other things like gods and stuff are real? What about… wait… don't tell me…" Sasuke rambled on but paused as a stray thought passed his mind which caused the gears in his head to start turning.

"Sasuke don't continue that line of thinking. It's best just to forget about it." Naruto said in a warning tone. He had a serious look in his eye as he gazed at his teammate who was starting to get the picture. "If people knew what my girls are they would stop at nothing to get them. You'd have to be an idiot not to want to capture them. I don't know if those demons that came after me know about the girls are or not but I pray that they don't because I can't beat them as I am now. Nor do I want to fight off hundreds of people who are all interested in them." Naruto said with a frown on his face.

"I understand… so what now?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards his new friend and teammate. "I don't know. But I do know that I have a lot to catch you up on." Naruto said with a chuckle. Sasuke just grunted in response. Unknown to the two Genin they had two sets of eyes watching them. Their sensei Kakashi who had arrived a while back right after Naruto started interrogating the leader. He decided to remain hidden and he was glad he did. He was happy to see his student develop a new friendship between each other.

The other set of eyes belonged to a lone black crow that was hidden away from the view of everyone. It soon flew away after watching everything that had happened in that clearing from start to finish. It's eyes briefly flashed the design of the Sharingan before flying away.

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Acceleration -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high speed movements.

2.) **Genjutsu: Crow Ephemera -** This technique allows Itachi to put his opponent within a Genjutsu by using his finger as a medium. This induces the Genjutsu. When the technique is used crows flocked from Itachi and turned into shuriken after he performed the ram seal which bombards his enemies. Itachi then releases a signal that attempts to put his target to sleep. If the target resists the sleep command then they experience their bodies turning into any number of things. Most of the time it is of a person that the victim knows who then begins to torture the victim relentlessly and psychologically.

3.) **Water Prison Jutsu -** This technique is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. This technique requires a sufficient amount of water, which can be provided by expelling it from one's mouth. Once trapped the target is unable to move or breathe while within it due to the heaviness of the water. Because of the density of the water it can be used, to a limited extent, for defensive purposes if performed on oneself. It can also be stored in scrolls as traps. Water clones can be used in preparation for the technique, which block an opponent's attack and trap the attacker in the prison using the clone's own water.

4.) **Body Flicker -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

5.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the number of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

6.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu -** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

7.) **Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu -** A Jutsu that allows Naruto to create dozens of ice kunai in midair and telekinetically control them and launch them at a target.

8.) **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.

9.) **Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu -** A move that Naruto created that allows him to form thin icicles that he can launch at incredible speeds that most people can't track. It has a massive amount of penetration power since it was able to shoot straight through Mizuki's shoulder blade despite the fact that he had on his flak jacket. It pierced through the bones in his shoulder.

10.) **Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

11.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

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 **Flying Thunder God Kunai -** They are custom made kunai and the signature tools of Minato Namikaze, who uses it in conjunction with his **_Space–Time Ninjutsu: The Flying Thunder God Technique_**. They differ from a standard kunai in that they have three blades instead of one and on the handle (which is thicker than normal) is the "marker" for Minato's teleportation ability; Minato also said that these blades are a bit heavier than a normal kunai. The prongs on them also makes it more deadly in melee fighting.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so with all that said this chapter is now complete. A lot has happened including Naruto learning that Haku really was a girl the entire time. Naruto and Eva have picked up a treasure trove of information regarding the 4th Hokage. What secrets are they going to discover hidden away within all of the Hokage's things? Naruto and Hitomi have their long awaited reunion with each other and Sasuke comes to the startling revelation that Itachi is very close by and that he just missed him. Itachi seems to be on the trail of the Demons that attacked not just him but Naruto and Shoko as well. Finally Naruto and Sasuke forged a strong friendship based on a mutual respect and understanding for one another. Now all that's left to see is where that new friendship will carry them?

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 _That's the end of Chapter 30 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 10/1/2016


	32. CH: 31 The Chūnin Exams

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with another chapter and what a chapter it is. I'm so freaking happy to be getting on to the Chūnin Exams. This is the Arc that started it all and its an honor to be doing it my way. I can't wait to write future chapters since so much is going to be happening and I'm going to be adding some of my own personal twist to it. I'll stop rambling now but I'm so freaking hyped right now!

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Chapter 31

 _ **The Chūnin Exams**_

3 months. It's been three months since the Genin Teams were allowed back on C – Rank missions and in that time they have all vastly improved. Particularly Team 7. For starters the friendship between the three teammates has progressed by leaps and bounds. Starting with the recently formed friendship between Naruto and Sasuke. The two in the three-month span of time have become almost joined at the hip. They have become good friends after their talk in the forest. Sasuke during this time has opened up to Naruto a lot more even if he still prefers to keep his words to his ever famous one syllable grunts. Naruto decided to open up his home to not only his two teammates but his other friends as well.

He hasn't seen Shikamaru or Choji in a very long time ever since they all graduated. Their sensei Asuma Sarutobi formed the team to be an information and capture team and despite his laid back personality he's run the team ragged with drills, procedures, protocols, and missions all in an effort to make their teamwork better. Say what you want but Asuma is very much like his father the Third Hokage in the aspect that they are both slave drivers and they are both extremely thorough and diligent with their teachings.

He was only able to see the two of them a total of three times since he's graduated. However much to Naruto's secret satisfaction and happiness the long absence away from each other did nothing to dampen their friendship or change their personalities much. They are still the same two boys that Naruto would hang out with every day during the Academy and when school was over. Naruto made it his decision to tell both Shikamaru and Choji about Evangeline, Iris, and Chaos. He was secretly hoping that they wouldn't be mad at him for keeping this a secret but their response shouldn't have shocked him as much as it did. Shikamaru revealed that he already knew about Eva for a long time and that while it took him quite a bit longer he eventually discovered the existence of both Iris and Chaos as well.

From the numerous birds that would always be watching Naruto wherever he went; to the mysterious freak accidents that would befall people around them, particularly people that have wronged Naruto in some form or fashion. Many other clues factored into Shikamaru eventually stumbling on to the truth. Shikamaru explained that it was just too much of a drag to confront Naruto about all of the evidence he collected especially after he witnessed the lengths the blond went through to keep his daughters a secret. Choji pretty much bluntly said that he didn't care just as long as he didn't do it again. Choji was a simple boy so that was no surprise there.

Naruto offered to let Shikamaru read over some of the scrolls that he had found in the shack to which the Nara agreed. Together the two would spend hours reading up on the treasure trove of information that the books and scrolls provided. Every time Naruto would mention the books it would be one of the few times he would actually see Shikamaru motivated to do anything. Words didn't need to be spoken for Naruto to understand that Shikamaru was greatly interested in all the information set before him. But beyond that Naruto learned just how trustworthy and loyal both Shikamaru and Choji were.

A great example of this being one-day Chaos needed maintenance done on her left foot after she somehow managed to electrocute herself after stepping in some water. Naruto didn't know how she did it but she came limping into the room while Naruto and Shikamaru was reading and she then took off her foot right before the two boys. Shikamaru had a shocked look on his face for a few moments before his super genius like mind came to terms with what had just happened and he was able to piece together more of the mystery surrounding the Uzumaki family. Shikamaru showed so much interest that he even helped Naruto fix Chaos's foot.

As for Naruto and Sasuke they are seen together a lot by the villagers. In particular they spar in Naruto's training hall on a regular basis and they have vastly improved. With that so did their friendship as well. The same with Sakura. Naruto is now more open with Sakura and they get a long greatly. He invites her over on a consistent basis as well to which the pink haired girl is all too grateful for especially since Sasuke is their most of the time as well. It also allows her to hang out with Hinata and Aria who are quickly becoming her best friends.

When Shoko found out that Naruto went to go visit the abandon shack she froze in her tracks. A certain look was in her eye that let Naruto know that she knew things that he didn't know. He tried to ask her about it but she wouldn't have any of it. He eventually stopped asking but it has gotten his mind thinking.

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At the moment Naruto was out with his two daughters and Sakura. Sasuke was off doing his own thing and Hinata was stuck in her home because her father and clan had important matters to discuss with her. Aria was with Shoko who had just came back from a short mission today. So Aria's been gone for the last two days. Anko was around as usual but for the last few weeks her schedule has been pretty erratic and heavy since the Chūnin Exams are right around the corner.

The Uzumaki family plus one was making their way down main street. It wasn't easy to navigate the streets anymore. For the last two weeks since the villages gates have been open to all countries, shinobi form all over the continent have been showing up to participate in this circuits Chūnin Exams which is being hosted by the Leaf Village this time around. Streamers and other decorations as well as new shops have sprung up over the course of the last few weeks in preparation for the event and because of that hundreds of extra people were crammed into the over crowded streets. Since meeting up with Sakura an hour before Naruto has seen at least 9 other Genin teams from the Village Hidden in the Sand, 4 teams from the Village Hidden in the Mist, 5 Teams from the Village Hidden in the Grass, at least 2 squads from the Village Hidden in the Rain, 3 squads from the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls, and one squad from an unknown village with a headband he's never seen before. The headband had a music note on it but as quickly as he saw those three they were gone.

But what shocked Naruto the most was the fact that he saw a few Genin squads from both the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Cloud. That shocked him greatly since he didn't think those two villages especially the hidden Stone would ever set foot in the Land of Fire… let alone the Leaf Village itself. Naruto made a mental note to keep an eye on them if he ever finds himself in the same area as them. He didn't even know the Hidden Stone excepted the invitation to send their Genin to this Chūnin Exams.

The Chūnin Exams are not mandatory for all the villages to accept. Far from it in fact. It's happened on a few occasions but entire Chūnin Exams have occurred where only participants from their own native village has participated. With the thousands of Shinobi employed to each village it's mathematically impossible for only 10 or so Chūnin hopefuls to get promoted for their village every six months. Since the third rounds of each Chūnin Exam only consist of at the very most 10 matches in front of a huge crowd it is just not possible for only those handpicked individuals to be the only ones allowed to be considered for promotion.

In all actuality the vast majority of the Genin from each village are given either honorary promotions or field promotions based on their skills or if a certain quota for a specific department needs to be filled and extra man power is needed. Only the best of the best Genin with special and unique skills that puts them in a league of their own are sent to a Chūnin Exam and the only reason why is so that they can represent their generation and village and attract clients and prestige for their village. It is also a substitute for war as it gives the villages a neutral ground in which their forces can fight each other and see who is stronger and which individuals they have to watch out for in the future regarding their potential.

It's basically a lot of politics and showing off between the villages. At the moment the family was trying to squeeze their way through the crowd. They had just come from Ichiraku Ramen for their daily afternoon lunch and now they were headed to the park to allow the girls some fresh air and a place where they can have fun. "We should have gone to the park up the street from my house. This is just ridiculous." Naruto growled out in annoyance. This was about the twentieth time someone has roughly bumped into him. None of them even said sorry either.

"Let's find a side alley so that we can rest for a moment." Sakura suggested since it was also a hot day out. The sun was relentless as it burned everyone indiscriminately. Naruto was holding onto both Iris and Chaos's hands to make sure that they were not separated from him. With the amount of times he's been bumped into and pushed for the last hour he had made sure to hold on to them extra tight. Finding an opening the small group ducked into a side alley were the buildings blocked the sun from them. "Oh shade how I've missed you so." Iris said with a sigh as she leaned against the wall. She of course had her signature bow in but due to how hot it was outside she chose to forgo her usual dress and overlapping clothes.

Iris had on a thin spaghetti strap blue undershirt on with red stylized stars on it. Over that she had on a thin white spaghetti strap tank top with two buttons on the center of the chest area. For bottoms she was wearing a short orange skirt with a red stripe about an inch form the end of it much to Naruto's approval as far as color choices are concerned that had large loops for a belt to fit into. Iris had on a thick and large blue colored belt with a huge yellow heart shaped belt buckle in the center. Underneath that she had on a pair of simple biker short shorts. She didn't need to get into a fight and end up flashing anyone. Besides Chaos had tried to steal her underwear this morning while they were getting dress and she was not trying to give her sister any openings for the rest of the day. Of course John Paul was in her hands as well as her teddy bear shaped purse with a few items inside as well as her battle fans.

Chaos on the other hand went with something a little bit similar. She had on a simple black spaghetti strap undershirt with a blue and white striped tank top over it that reached to her waist. She had on a pair of khaki colored short shorts and a pair of flip flops. In contrast to her sister Chaos had on a straw hat with a red stripe at the base of it. It was a gag for her when her sister saw her with it that morning. Iris was about ready to explode on her sister if it wasn't for their father stepping in. Naruto doesn't really understand what the significance of the hat is but he did note it looked exactly like the hat on Chaos's favorite T-Shirt.

Sakura had on her normal attire and so did Naruto but Naruto was being affected by the sun more than the others. He isn't exactly the biggest fan of the intense heat since he is most symbolically close to Eva and the season of Winter due to their connection to it. Colder temperatures feel more natural to him. However, with the fact that Iris is with him it does grant him some forms of heat resistance. It's just that he doesn't prefer it. Naruto had on his usual black shirt with chainmail mesh undershirt armor underneath it but instead of wearing his orange sweater he instead had it tied around his waist with the sleeves. His headband was proudly worn across his forehead as well. He makes sure to clean and polish the metal plate on a regular basis. Eva herself was inside Naruto's hair as usual remaining undetected by all due to the simple Genjutsu over her but she had on a simple white strapless sundress that reached her knees. The knitting that Hinata did for her was superb since Eva now has a full custom wardrobe all thanks to her girlfriend. Suffice to say Hinata got a lot of kisses that day.

"Hey I know a short cut to the park let's just go that way instead of heading back out onto main street." Naruto suggested since being in that congested mess was making him Closter phobic. "Lead the way." Sakura said with a simple wave of her hand. The group started to move but then Naruto felt a big shift in his chakra network as well as inside of him. Turning back, he saw Iris in a trance with her eyes a glowing emerald green. She was staring off in a specific direction and taking a second to mentally map out the direction she was seemingly looking at the only logical place in that direction is the Main Gate.

"Iris what's wrong?" Naruto said as he kneeled down in front of his daughter. Iris didn't respond. "What's going on? Is she alright?" Sakura asked in concern. She's never seen this before. "I don't know. I think she senses something?" Naruto replied as he snapped his fingers in front of Iris's face. "Iris, Iris, are you ok?" Naruto asked. Iris seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in since focus seemed to return to her eyes. She looked at Naruto with clear confusion all over her face.

"Iris what happened?" Naruto asked since Iris seemed to have come back to him. "I don't know… Daddy how are you in two places at once?" Iris questioned with confusion outlining her eyes. "Two places at once? What are you talking about sweetie? I've been right here with you all day. I've not used any shadow clones either." Naruto replied as confusion was appearing on his face as well. Chaos looked off in the direction Iris had been looking in and she quickly scanned the area with her scanners and her face lit up into a dark smile before it was wiped off just as quickly as it came. "Chaos do you know what Iris is talking about?" Naruto asked as he looked up at his other daughter. "No, I think Iris has gone koo-koo for coco puffs." Chaos lied with a sarcastic smile on her face. Naruto didn't seem to notice the lie since he was more focus on Iris who was holding her head.

"What are coco puffs?" Sakura asked in curiosity and confusion. She's never heard of that term before. Her response was a round of Chaos's eerie spine tingling laughter. That answer got Sakura to drop that line of thought and questioning quite quickly. "Come on let's go sweetie. You need to relax." Naruto suggested. The park they were going to had a bunch of vending machines and water fountains at every corner. It would be perfect. They could find Iris something to each and drink. _'I don't know what she meant by that. Two of me? How can there be two of me when I never used my Shadow Clones? Besides she's never confused my Shadow Clones with me before. She can tell me apart from them instantly. It also couldn't be someone transformed into me since they wouldn't have Sōkyoku, Chaos, or Eva bonded to me. I just don't get it.'_ Naruto racked his brain for a suitable answer but none came. He just didn't get it.

* * *

Within a few minutes the park was in sight and all they had to do was cross a few back alleys to get there. With that in mind the group would have made it in under two minutes if not for them all collectively sweat dropping at a poorly disguised trio of children who were trying and failing to hide from their idol. "Konohamaru you can come out now. I know you're there." Naruto said with an exasperated sigh escaping his lips. A smaller smile was on his face though since he hasn't seen the trio of children in quite some time. It's been close to a month since he's last saw them and the last time the whole family of friends were all together was on Iris and Chaos's birthday and that was about half a year ago. With how busy Naruto's been between his C-Rank missions and the intense labor the Third has put him through he hasn't had time to play with the three kids and that was a point of disappointment for Naruto.

For whatever possible reason Konohamaru and his friends decided that it would be a good idea to get a hold of some smoke bombs. So when they dropped the tarp that had the pattern of a fence drawn on it to match the design of the fence boarding the alleyway several smoke bombs hit the ground and exploded covering the entire alleyway in a cloud of thick foggy smoke. Naruto started to cough since he was not expecting such a trick and Sakura was right along with him in that regard. Iris's eye twitched in annoyance as she wiggled her small delicate pointer finger around and a gentle breeze picked up in the alleyway and the smoke was quickly funneled out.

"Awesome as always big bro. You saw through our great disguises!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he coughed out the last bit of smoke from his lungs. "Thanks, but don't worry you'll get better in time." Naruto praised with a chuckle while rubbing the top of Konohamaru's head much to the silent pleasure of the boy. Getting praised by his role model and elder brother figure was always a plus in his little book. "Hey toothless." Chaos said with a cheerful smile on her face as she wrapped her arm around the scarf wearing boys shoulder. The Third's Grandson grunted in annoyance as he tried to swat Chaos away. "Stop calling me that! You… psycho girl!" Konohamaru yelled as he pushed Chaos off of him.

Chaos physically shivered for all to see as she placed her hands on her cheeks and squirmed from side to side. "Oh, toothless you know how to flatter a girl. You're making me blush." Chaos teased and taunted as her cheeks were stained red with a blush. It was fake of course and everyone knew it but she didn't care. "Yuck! I'd never flatter you." Konohamaru said in disgust as he turned his head away from his dear friend. He twitched in surprise when he felt a draft around his neck. Looking back at Chaos he saw that she had his favorite blue scarf wrapped around her neck and she was sniffing it with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Humm. It smells like bananas. I always knew you were a monkey… your just like grandpa." Chaos said with a giggle as her eyes taunted her favorite friend and victim. "Hey give me back my scarf you thief!" Konohamaru yelled as he lunged for his scarf only to miss and smack his face into the fence behind Chaos.

Iris rolled her eyes at this since this was nothing new to her. Chaos needed victims to pray upon so she could get her very much needed source of negative energy and for Konohamaru she pretends to have an obsessive crush on him since it freaks him out and is the easiest way to get under his skin. That and it's just a lot of fun for the psychotic girl who enjoys messing with people. The reason why Chaos calls Konohamaru toothless is because he is missing one of his front teeth and there is a big gap in his mouth whenever he smiles.

The most logically explanation would be that Chaos was the one to knock out his tooth since that is right up her alley but the truth is Iris was the one to actually knock out the boy's tooth. It happened just a few weeks after her recent birthday and Konohamaru had been playing with the princess but ever the clumsy one Konohamaru accidentally knocked John Paul out of Iris's hand. The teddy bear hit the ground which was covered in mud since it had just rained earlier that day. The poor boy didn't even have time to run before Iris's punched his tooth clean out.

Of course she got in trouble for it by her father but that particular lecture went in one ear and out the other as her only concern was making sure her precious teddy bear was safe and clean. It was one of the very few rare times Iris ever got in trouble for anything but it was also the one time she completely ignored her father as well.

"Hey guys." Iris said in a quiet tone. She was very distracted by something nudging her at the very corner of her senses so she wasn't all there at the moment. "Hey Iris, you look very pretty today." Konohamaru said with a slight tint of nervousness and panic in his voice. The last time they were together Iris asked Konohamaru's opinion on what she was wearing and if she looked pretty or not. Iris didn't have many options when it comes to the opinions of other boys her age so she naturally turned to her dear friend for his input. Konohamaru as a boy made the unfortunate mistake of saying she looked plain and boring as well as several other statements before he found himself head first in a nearby trashcan courtesy of Iris's control over wind.

A very soft smile came on Iris's face as small tint of pink formed on her cheeks in appreciation for the compliment. Her friend's opinions mattered to her greatly and she always values their opinions. When Konohamaru is being his normal ignorant 8-year-old self it hurts her feelings and somewhat fragile self-esteem. "Thank you. You're learning that's very good." Iris complimented back offhandedly as she wasn't completely focusing on those around her. Konohamaru scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. He sighed in relief. "Dodged a bullet their huh toothless." Chaos said offhandedly with a giggle. Konohamaru could only chuckle in return to such a statement.

"Hey boss you're supposed to play with us? You promised and it's been over a month." Moegi spoke up with a wine and pout. "Yeah your supposed to play ninja with us the next time you had a free day." Udon agreed as he wiped his runny nose.

"Play ninja?" Sakura questioned with a tilt of her head. "Yeah I did promise you guys that didn't I." Naruto agreed with a small smile on his face. The chance to spend some time with the trio of kids he secretly considers his younger siblings was a chance Naruto never wanted to pass up. "Well it just so happens I was on my way to the park with the girls so that we could relax and have some fun. You guys are more than welcome to join us." Naruto invited with a smile while gesturing over in the direction the community park is located. "Alright! That's Awesome! Yeah let's go!" The three kids cheered respectively with Chaos jumping up and down in the background for her own entertainment.

"Hey boss who is this girl? I've never seen her before?" Moegi asked once she finally realized Naruto wasn't alone. She was rather distracted by Konohamaru and Chaos's usual antics. "Oooh, bro is she your girlfriend?" Konohamaru asked with a suggestive wiggle of his little eyebrows.

"WHAT?!"

"Wait what?"

"Where did you get that from?"

Iris, Sakura, and Naruto all cried out respectively. Iris had a glare on her face as her hands flew to her hips. Sakura had a shocked look on her face as she looked to between Konohamaru and Naruto. And Naruto had a bewildered and embarrassed look on his face.

"Daddy doesn't have or need a girlfriend Konohamaru! He has me." Iris said with a scowl on her face. For the moment the young boys statement took her away from whatever it was that was distracting her. Iris didn't like the thought of her father dating a girl. She already feels like she has to compete for his attention due to the number of girls that are already in his life with a few of them already living with him. It's too much for her to handle especially since in Iris's eyes the other girls are very pretty and beautiful and she knows just how easy it is for her father to get distracted by a pretty girl. It's a weakness of his and a weakness that irks her to no end.

"Konohamaru how many times do I have to tell you, I don't have a girlfriend…" Naruto said with an exasperated sigh. He massaged his temples in annoyance since this was a common theme the young boy loved to bring up to his idol. "Girlfriend." Sakura asked with a confused look on her face. To her credit she didn't freak out or respond negatively to the comment but she was more or less confused. "Guys this is my teammate." Naruto explained. "High my name is Sakura Haruno it's a pleasure to meet you." Sakura said as she introduced herself. Moegi and Udon were quick to do the same as all children do and so did Konohamaru but the boy wasn't done just yet.

"I see, I see. That's ok then, besides this girl is so flat and I know you like curvy girls like Hinata." Konohamaru said with a confident shake of his head. He was so assured of himself that the only thing that broke him out of his inner thoughts was the sudden spike of killing intent. Looking up Konohamaru saw an extremely pissed off look on Sakura's face and Iris herself had a glare on her face that could burn a person alive. Eva herself was peeking out of Naruto's hair and she was glaring at Konohamaru as well. She didn't take too kindly to the whole flat comment. Eva was pretty self-conscious about her body since she was starting puberty and although she knows realistically she can't really grow a real curvy figure due to her small stature it still stung a bit.

Naruto's face was beat red since his mind started to wander to other places when Konohamaru mentioned how curvy Hinata is. Unknown to many is the fact that Hinata started to develop first out of her class due to the fact that puberty started earlier for her. Her body is further ahead compared to the other girls her age and while it's not too much in the grand scheme of things she still hides it underneath her big bulky jacket that she loves and the other conservative baggy clothes she tends to wear.

Bringing his roving mind back under control Naruto had enough foresight and awareness to warn Konohamaru of his impending doom. Naruto's learned the hard way over the years on how you treat girls and what's appropriate and inappropriate to say to them. Especially when Anko was the one teaching him these things.

"Konohamaru you might want to run now." Naruto said with a sweat drop once he felt his chakra stir due to Eva and Iris building up their powers. Chaos was off to his side looking like she just won the lottery since the look on her face was that of pure bliss. She looked like she just stuffed her face full of candy. Naruto knew that Chaos was getting quite the feast of negative energy from what was going on around her.

Konohamaru didn't even wait before he took off away from the angry girls with Sakura hot on his heels. Just because Sakura has mellowed out some after spending some time with Naruto doesn't mean she doesn't have a temper. She wanted to teach this boy a lesson for calling her flat. It was a great insult to both her pride and self-esteem and she was going to make sure he knew it. Iris wanted to beat some sense into the clueless boy who always shot his mouth off before he thinks. Eva well she was half and half in her reasons.

"After him Naru!" Eva demanded as she yanked on Naruto's hair. She didn't want to be spotted so she confined herself to her other half's hair. Naruto knew he had no choice in the matter so he started running after the retreating form of Konohamaru with Moegi, Udon, and Chaos who was laughing her head off following right behind him.

Naruto could easily catch up with the others if he wanted too but he didn't want to leave Moegi and Udon behind so he slowed his pace down just enough so that they could keep up with him. Konohamaru on the other hand was running way faster than any 8-year-old should, ninja in training regardless. He was a boy running for his life because he knew if he was caught it would be the end of his short life because if Sakura didn't whack him upside the head for his disrespectful comment towards her then he knew Iris would surely kill him. A princess she may be but she does have quite the fiery temper when others make her mad enough.

It was because of this that he ran as fast as his short little legs could carry him and he periodically looked back just to make sure the girls hadn't caught up with him yet. It was during one of these times of looking back that would cost him dearly. Konohamaru went around a corner to fast without looking where he was going and he ran straight into someone really hard.

* * *

He heard a yelp of surprised pain coming from whoever he had ran into and they sounded a lot older than he was. Konohamaru was far too dizzy to get back to his feet but he wouldn't have to worry about that for too long. The young Sarutobi felt himself hoisted up from the ground in a strong grip around his collar. Opening his eyes Konohamaru resisted the urge to flinch when he saw an older boy who looked to be about 13 to 14 years old staring him back in the face.

The boy had on a magenta colored face paint that was outlined all across his face in a certain design. For clothes the boy had on a one-piece baggy suit that was pitch black with a large circle that took up most of the stomach and chest area. The circle was colored half red and half yellow. On his head he had a pitch black headdress like hood that had two pointed peaks that looked very much like cat ears. On the center of the headdress was a metal plate with the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Sand. It acted as the boy's headband identifying him as a shinobi. On the boys back was a very strange object. It was a very large cylindrical object wrapped completely in beige colored bandages and it had a mop of shaggy unkempt brown hair sticking out the top of it. Whatever it was it was very big. It was the same size as the boy who was carrying it.

"That really hurt you little punk." The older boy growled out while tightening his grip which caused Konohamaru to flinch back in fear. "Kankurō that's enough. It was just an accident." Another voice spoke up. It was the voice of a girl. Standing off to the right side of the boy whose name is Kankurō was a beautiful girl who looked to be about a year older than the boy. She had sandy blond hair tied up in for fluffy buns on the back of her head as well as two bangs that hung over her forehead. She had beautiful teal colored eyes that had a cunning and intellect to them that is quite unnerving. For clothes she had on a single light purple-colored, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, specifically on her right calf and her left thigh, she also wore her black forehead protector around her neck. In some aspects it almost looked more like a scarf than a headband. On her back attached to her scarlet sash was a pitch black high gloss metal object that based on the way it looked made it out to be a war fan just like Iris's but on a much larger scale. It was about 2/3rds of her total height making it a large weapon.

Just then the first to make it around the corner was Iris who skidded to a stop once she saw her friend in the grip of an older boy. Sakura was the next to come around the corner and she too stopped in her tracks. "What's going on? Why are you holding my friend like that?" Iris spoke up with a weary tone to her voice. Both Kankurō and the girl almost did a double take at Iris's accent. It was extremely rich sounding to them and something they would expect only nobles to have. Looking at the little girl before them they took in her features, particularly her facial features and Iris had an aristocratic face that was very beautiful even for her age and they could clearly see a vast amount of intelligence and maturity mixed in with a more childlike wonder pooling in her eyes. But the intelligence shined through more in this moment and it made both teenagers feel like they were in the presence of a princess or a noble daughter of high birth.

Iris's advanced mind was hard at work as she put together as much of the scene unfolding in front of her as she possibly could. The anger she felt towards Konohamaru was pushed off towards the side in the face of the fact that he was now in potential danger. _'Who are they? I think I saw that symbol in one of daddy's text books before. The Hidden Sand perhaps?'_ Iris thought to herself quickly as she looked at the two teenager's headbands and the hour glass symbol on them.

"This little runt ran into my knee with his big forehead and now it really hurts. So now he's going to be taught a lesson." Kankurō said as glared at Konohamaru who was shaking at this point. "I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding and I know he is sorry for it. Please put him down." Sakura said as she tried to defuse the situation. Iris would have added more to the conversation but the mysterious distraction she was sensing earlier was back again and closer than ever. The presence bore a resemblance to her father but she knew it wasn't him now that it was closer. Iris took a discreet look around the back alley road they were on but she didn't see anything out of place. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Put me down I'm sorry." Konohamaru said as he started to struggle in Kankurō's grip.

"Oh I don't think so little punk. You aren't getting off that easy." Kankurō said as he raised his fist to strike Konohamaru. "Put him down now!" Iris commanded as she was seconds away from acting in defense of her friend. Her eyes flashed green as her voice boomed out across the alley and Kankurō was seconds away from complying with her demand as he felt his body move against his will but it stopped when the others came around the corner. The girl next to Kankurō was shocked herself as she felt a tingle go up her spine although she did a good job of hiding it on her face.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi and Udon cried out in shock and worry as they saw their best friend in what appeared to be danger. "What's going on?" Naruto asked as he too quickly took in the scene unfolding before him. _'Who is this guy? There is something different about him. His eyes were a very light shade of blue when he came around the corner but as soon as he saw what was happening they darkened. Not to mention his posture is much more coiled and defensive compared to that pink haired girl.'_ The blond haired girl thought as her very sharp mind took in everything about Naruto in an instant.

"Naruto, Konohamaru ran into these guys and now it's getting out of hand." Sakura explained quickly to her teammate who she was secretly glad to see. She was kind of scared right now and she knew she was nowhere fast or skilled enough to rescue Konohamaru form Kankurō's grip if he decided to hurt the boy. Knowing her teammate was here filled her with reassurance.

' _The Hidden Sand. So these guys are also here for the Chūnin Exams. But where is their third teammate?'_ Naruto thought silently as he walked over to stand in front of Iris. Chaos herself slid up next to her twin and grabbed Iris's hand that was not holding onto John Paul. Chaos gave her sister a particular grin that confirmed to Iris that Chaos also sensed what was distracting her. "Look there is no need for violence, put the boy down ok. I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding." Naruto mediated in an attempt to resolve the issue. "Kankurō that's enough already just but the brat down. We've caused enough trouble." The girl spoke up in annoyance as she sent Kankurō a glare. "But Temari the stupid kid needs to be taught a lesson." Kankurō pestered to the girl whose name is Temari.

Temari rolled her eyes as a tired sigh escaped her lips. "Just put the kid down." Temari said in a disinterested tone of voice. Kankurō growled out in frustration as he was about to do just that but Konohamaru had to mess it up. "Yeah, listen to your girlfriend! You… makeup wearing freak!"

Kankurō turned a baleful glare towards the young boy who immediately freaked since he knew he just messed up. Kankurō raised his hand to strike the child but a hefty stone impacted against Kankurō's wrist causing him to drop Konohamaru on his bottom. Seeing his chance, the young boy immediately shot to his feet and ran over to his friends where he was safe. "Who did that?" Kankurō growled out with annoyance lacing every word. He was massaging his wrist which had a red spot forming on it.

"Picking on children does not make you strong." Sasuke's voice spoke up and everyone drew their attention to a nearby tree where Sasuke himself was sitting up on a branch while tossing a stone up and down in his open palm. "Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed happily with a giddy expression on her face. Naruto who had sensed Sasuke arriving gave him a nod which was returned by the black haired preteen. _'He's another one, he's no ordinary Genin. Just like this blond boy over here.'_ Temari thought to herself as she took a discreet glance at Sasuke.

"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face." Kankurō said with a sneer while glaring up at Sasuke. "I think this is quite enough. Having disputes and fights before the Chūnin Exams even start will only make you look bad and reflect poorly on your village. Let's just let bygones be bygones. The situation is over so just squash it already." Naruto said in a firm tone as to defuse the situation. He did not fancy a potential fight breaking out over something so minor especially with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon right here with them. The only saving grace is the fact that no one was around since they were on a back street alley road far away from the main roads of the village.

"Well aren't you a peace loving activist. If you think you two can intimidate me then you're wrong. I'll take you both right here right now." Kankurō said as he reached for the bandage straps on his shoulder holding the mysterious object to his back. Both Sasuke and Naruto tensed at this while Sakura backed up to stand more in front of the kids. Iris and Chaos looked on in interest with Iris narrowing her eyes and Chaos's eyes widening with excitement. She was still riding her negative energy filled high from a few minutes earlier.

"Kankurō stop messing around. You are an embarrassment to our village." A dead monotone voice spoke up. Kankurō and Temari froze in place as their skins paled and a nervous look plasters itself on both their faces. Naruto and Sasuke both silently jump out of their skin since they never sensed another person near them. In the same tree Sasuke was in a short figure could be seen hanging upside down by their feet on the branch that was on the opposite side of the tree to Sasuke.

A short boy with unkempt shaggy red hair and pupil less green eyes were staring back at everyone. The boy had no eyebrows but instead had thick black lines outlining his eyes almost like makeup or eye shadow but these rings around his eyes don't look like makeup. A red tattoo of with the kanji for love was on the boy's forehead off to the left side with his bangs parted to keep this tattoo visible to others. For clothes the young boy who appeared to be the same age as Naruto and his teammates was wearing a black body suit with an open neck, t-shirt-like sleeves, and almost full-length leggings. With this, he wears a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips. He has a wide leather band from his left shoulder to his right hip with which he carries a massive bulky sand colored gourd around and with which he wraps his headband around.

His eyes were dead and lifeless and it appeared as if he was staring into your very soul. "Gaara… where did you run off too? How long have you been here?" Kankurō stammered out with a tremor in his voice as he looked up into the tree at the boy now named Gaara. Gaara's answer was to disappear in a swirl of sand only to reappear a second later in between Kankurō and Temari. _'I never even sensed him. How is that possible. But now that he is in front of me I can sense something off about him.'_ Naruto thought to himself as a frown crossed his face.

' _He was in the same tree as me and I never knew he was there. That's not right.'_ Sasuke thought as he narrowed his eyes at this new comer. Something interesting was happening back on the ground however as Iris's eyes widened in recognition. _'It's him. He feels similar to daddy. Their chakra's are so similar even their souls bare a resemblance.'_ Iris thought as she took a step forward. A blush was on her face as she looked at Gaara who she would admit was handsome in her mind. Even though she was 6 and a half her mind wasn't. It was far from it in fact. So she didn't care if her thoughts didn't really match her age.

Iris's eyes flashed between Blue and Green as she stepped forward. "Who are you? Why do you seem so similar too…?" Iris asked as she looked between Gaara and her father. A slightly dazed look was in her eyes as she looked between the two boys. The others notice this color change and hearing Iris's words made Naruto not only worry but finally put together the pieces from earlier. _'So this is the guy that Iris was sensing and said felt like me. I too feel something off about this guy… maybe that is what I'm sensing as well.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he grabbed Iris's shoulder.

' _They are scared of him… the look in his eyes. It's so dead.'_ Naruto observed as he looked into Gaara's lifeless green eyes. "I assume you guys are here for the Chūnin Exams." Naruto said as he placed Iris behind him. "Yes we'll be representing the Hidden Sand Village. Are you guys participating too?" Temari spoke up. "Of course we are. I hope we get to compete against you guys as well." Naruto said politely. "Do you blink?" Chaos asked from in front of Gaara as she looked up at the red head with a curious tilt of her head. It was very cute and adorable but the question the sand shinobi were wonder is when did she get so close to Gaara. None of them saw her move. "Chaos apologize. That's not a nice thing to ask." Naruto reprimanded since that wasn't a nice thing to ask a person right off the bat. Especially since she didn't even introduce herself first.

' _How did she move so fast. She was just over by the boy a second ago.'_ Temari wondered with narrowed eyes. Temari is a very smart and analytical person much like Shikamaru in that regard. Chaos giggled into her hands while Naruto frowned at her which caused her to giggle some more. "Sorry Mr. Sand Man." Chaos said while eyeing Gaara for a response. She had a bashful and innocent look on her face with a fountain of playfulness pouring out of her eyes but Naruto could sense something was wrong with Chaos. She knew something that he didn't know, that much he knew.

Gaara panned his eyes down to look at Chaos who was almost in his personal space. "Hey I think it would be in your best interest to back up kid. You don't want to get hurt." Kankurō warned but he didn't really make a move towards Gaara and Chaos. Naruto was sensing a mild amount of killing intent wafting off of Gaara and it was putting his nerves on edge. Ever since he showed up he could sense it in the air but when Chaos approached the red head his killing intent started to rise.

"Hey kid what's your name?" Temari asked as she looked at Chaos wearily. "Oh me…?" Chaos pointed at herself with a gullible smile on her face. "Yeah you." Temari insisted with a frown. "My name is Chaos Uzumaki and I like to cause trouble." Chaos said with a grin on her face that threatened to split it in half. "And I'm her twin sister my name is Iris Uzumaki, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Iris said with her customary elegant curtsy. Naruto sighed while scratching the back of his head in exasperation. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said since his girls introduced themselves.

"So are you their brother or something." Kankurō asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or something…" Naruto replied. The sun was still beating down on all that was present and Naruto wanted to find some shade quickly. The thought of going to the park was wiped from his mind as the sun was at its highest point now. The others went about introducing themselves as well with the three sand shinobi doing the same formally.

' _I don't understand but something is not right with this Gaara person. His chakra reserves are immense. He's hiding most of it below the surface like it's sleeping but from what I can sense I can tell it's a lot. I can already sense about Jōnin Level reserves of chakra emanating from him but I can tell there is a lot more hidden below the surface.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he spaced out just a bit. _'Not to mention the feel of this chakra. It's not quite like my own since mine is extremely unique with the girls bonded to me but there are similarities there. I just can't pinpoint it exactly. Is this what Iris is sensing?'_ Naruto thought but he was broken from his inner analysis by something happening in the real world.

"You smell like blood. Did you kill someone recently?" Chaos asked while sitting on Gaara's shoulders. Silence. Complete and utter silence. Temari and Kankurō looked like they just witnessed a mass genocide and saw the ghost of all the victims haunting them. The look of sheer horror and terror not to mention disbelief on the two teenagers faces sent warning bells off in Naruto and Sasuke's minds.

Gaara himself was as still as a statue. He didn't move, didn't blink, it didn't even look like he was breathing. His eyes were wide open in sheer disbelief. "What are you? You two aren't human?" Gaara said in a shocked tone. Chaos's eyes briefly lit up with her scanners and Iris's eyes flashed green but this went unnoticed by the others. Sasuke sent a discreet look towards Naruto who looked back in weariness since he didn't like the direction this interaction was going. Gaara started to lightly tremble in place while Chaos calmly' sat on his shoulders like nothing was happening. The cork on the gourd that rested on Gaara's back started to wiggle and come loose.

' _How come Gaara's ultimate defense didn't kick in the second that girl got close. Now she's sitting on his shoulders. She's actually physically touching him and his defense still isn't responding. What is going on?'_ Temari thought to herself in sheer disbelief that someone actually made physically contact with Gaara and did not immediately die.

"That's not a nice thing to ask somebody? I just want to be your friend that's all." Chaos said with a giggle as she quoted her father's words from earlier. "…oh and my sister and I both think your pretty handsome." Chaos said with even louder giggles while sending a victorious look to her twin who had a mortified look on her face. "CHAOS! Don't say things like that!" Iris shouted with a blush burning her face off. "You didn't deny it though." Chaos smartly pointed out which caused the blush on Iris's face to turn a whole new shade of red. Iris hid her face behind John Paul and then further backed up so she was behind Naruto's back so no one could see her. Chaos gave off a victorious round of giggles at her victory.

The shaking of the cork was becoming worst as the look on Gaara's face was slowly starting to change. What no one except Naruto knew was that Chaos was suppressing Gaara's chakra. Naruto could feel Chaos's aura activity circulating around inside of his body pushing his and Eva's chakra/Yōki to the side. Naruto could feel Gaara's absolutely murderous killing intent and chakra bubbling below the surface and trying to escape but Chaos's aura was bottling it up. "Get off me." Gaara said in his raspy voice as emotion was starting to come to his face. The cork on his gourd was staring to wiggle dangerously as the others could feel the tension reaching a fever pitch.

Like putting a cap on a bottle Chaos placed her hand on the cork right before it flew off completely stopping its erratic movements all the while having a grin on her face. "Now, now. I can't play with you right now Mr. Sand Man. Maybe later." Chaos chastised in a patronizing tone as she patted Gaara on the head and abruptly disappeared only to reappear next to her father. _'What in the world is she? How did she do that?'_ Kankurō asked himself with beads of sweat running down his face. He was absolutely terrified of the scene that just transpired. _'How did she manage to touch Gaara without his ultimate defense activating or even get close for that matter? She somehow did something too him. I don't know what… but I know she did something that the rest of us couldn't see. Not only that but she moved so fast. I never saw her get on Gaara's shoulders or leave it. This little girl is beyond dangerous.'_ Temari analyzed while trying her absolute hardest to suppress the shiver that was going up and down her spine.

Gaara looked like he was seconds away from exploding as the look on his face was far from pleasant. Naruto could feel a confrontation coming and with the kids here it would be the worst possible situation. "Sakura get the kids and go." Naruto murmured to Sakura who heard him. She was just about to comply when Gaara's chakra spiked to new levels. "I'm going to kill you all." Gaara said in a raspy dead voice. The look in his eyes was absolutely murderous as the cork on his gourd was seconds away from flying off. Seeing this Naruto knew he had to stop the confrontation that was too come.

Naruto took one step forward and the entire area was filled with his chakra. He flared his chakra higher than Gaara's which shocked not just Temari and Kankurō who didn't even know that someone could have so much chakra like Gaara other than maybe Kage's and powerful S-Rank Ninja but it also shocked his teammates who didn't know his powers have increased so much. "That's enough ok. Let's not escalate the situation any further than it already apparently has. We just got off on the wrong foot so let's just agree to squash it and go our separate ways." Naruto negotiated firmly.

While the words he spoke was kind and neutral his facial expression wasn't. He had a stern look on his face with his mouth in a permanent frown and his eyebrows creased downwards in focus. His eyes went from a piercing crystal sky blue to a dark murky blue that was cold and uninviting. While Naruto wanted to resolve this peacefully so no one got hurt there was that part of him. That part of him that has been seen many times in the past that wanted to fight. That part of him that was also tied up with Eva, to charge into the unknown and go against a powerful opponent. Naruto's instincts as well as his more demonically influenced instincts were calling to him. It was telling him to let this fight come but Naruto knew that he couldn't give in.

Three unknown shinobi from the sand with unknown abilities would be facing off against him and all three of them had a visible large weapon of some kind. Out of the three, one of them was blatantly powerful and dangerous with an unknown powerful weapon on his back and the chakra to use it. But the deciding factor of the whole problem was the kids were here. Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi were right here behind him. One if any of the children got hurt during this altercation it would cause serious international problems that could easily escalate further. If he and his team were to fight Gaara and his own right here, then not only would they be preemptively disqualified from taking the Chūnin Exam's but it would also possibly lead to very severe international disputes that might even lead to war. But if Konohamaru or the children were harmed in any way it would definitely lead to war. With Konohamaru being the grandson of the Third Hokage it was an almost guaranteed factor that the village would go to war.

Naruto didn't want to be held responsible or be the catalyst for why his home went to war with another village so he instead chooses the peaceful route. The killing intent between the two was very potent and it was rising. Naruto's chakra was very thick and potent. With a combination of the fact that Naruto's chakra was very much a hybrid of Chakra/Yōki all of the time made it so that his chakra was very dense and potent. Add on Iris's and Chaos's power which flows in his chakra networks all the time whether it be by little amounts or a lot and you have a very unique chakra signature that no one else has. Not to mention its very volatile and potent.

Sensing the impending trouble Iris had expanded her aura to surround Konohamaru and the others so that they wouldn't feel the murderous killing intent permeating the air. What they were feeling right now was a sense of safety and reassurance. It helped them to not be scared right now. Chaos herself was having a feast as all the negative emotions and killing intent hanging in the air was smothering and overpowering with its rich taste to her. Naruto knew he would be dealing with her later on for sure.

After a tense standoff that seemed to go on for hours but in reality only lasted a minute Gaara backed down as his chakra started to bottle itself back up inside of him. Once Naruto was sure the boy wouldn't retaliate he too started to calm his chakra circulation down a bit but he would be ready to go in a moment's notice.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you all very soon. I will be coming for you Uzumaki's… your days are numbered." Gaara threatened menacingly with his raspy voice as his dead green eyes bored into the skull of the Uzumaki family. With that he turned around and started to walk away with his two teammates lingering for a few moments before taking off with him. They were shooting glances back at everyone particularly the three Uzumaki's and Chaos was enthusiastically waving goodbye to the retreating forms of the sand shinobi.

"Well that could have gone better." Naruto said in a deadpan tone once the sand shinobi were out of sight.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So guys how was that? I'm freaking excited to be using Gaara and it's something I've been looking forward too for the longest time. Gaara will very much be a threat to the family and someone not to cross in this. I always wondered why Konohamaru had a missing tooth and I just chalked it up to him being a kid and it naturally falling out but that's boring so I just put a little bit of a fun spin on things. Iris isn't as gentle and nice as she makes herself out to be. The princess has dangerous hidden claws on her.

Fun and exciting times are ahead in future chapters as I'm going to be flipping the script and changing some things up a bit. Some changes are going to be minor, some wont really affect the story, some wont come into play for quite some time, but their are a few things that are going to be new and very different. My creative juices are flowing and I'm going to be pouring it all into this fantastic Arc.

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 _That's the end of Chapter 31 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 10/1/2016


	33. CH: 32 First Stage: Written Exams

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter and it's time for the Written Exam. Things are slightly different here compared to cannon but I had to in order to fit the theme of the story. Keep your eyes peeled because I'm going to be dropping little subtle hints here and their that will play their own parts later on down the road.

So without further a due sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 32

 _ **First Stage: Written Exams**_

"So it's that time of year again huh?" Shoko said as she and Naruto was sitting on stools at one of the casino's many bars. It's been six days since Naruto's encounter with the Sand Genin. Things have only gotten more interesting since then. Two other signatures popped up within the Uzumaki families shared senses and it's had Naruto on edge ever since. Out of the two presences one of them felt very similar to Gaara and far more powerful in terms of chakra except way less evil and the other presence just outright felt extremely similar to Naruto in many ways. It was downright creepy how similar that person felt.

Naruto wanted to seek these individuals out but he wasn't prepared for another encounter like what he had with Gaara days prior; and the fact that they have stayed far away from his general location during their stay did ease Naruto's mind a bit. He was sure he would be meeting them at the Exam's anyway so he decided to wait patiently until then. The same day he met Gaara and his teammates he was approached by his sensei who gave him and his team permission forms to enter the Chūnin Exams like he had already expected and with little hesitation he filled his out. Coincidentally enough later on that day while playing with the Konohamaru Squad in the park Moegi was kidnapped by a mysterious shinobi who claimed to be from the Hidden Rain. Naruto had quickly caught up with the assailant and nearly killed him by accident until he turned out to be Iruka testing him to see if he was ready for the exams.

Naruto was relieved that it was just his old sensei and not an actual threat but he did make his displeasure about the older man's stunt known. Seeing Moegi scared and frighten like that pulled on Naruto's heartstrings and almost made him kill the suspected assailant by accident. Iruka expressed his worry about Naruto and the other rookies not being ready to handle the Chūnin Exams but Naruto quickly reminded the scar baring Chūnin of the night he graduated and his victorious defeat of a high level Chūnin in Mizuki. Iruka sheepishly summited to that response since that memory was in the back of his mind. Iruka however did express how proud he was of Naruto's performance that night and how proud he was of him and his development since then.

Hearing Iruka praising him and saying he was proud of him did warm Naruto's heart greatly. Iruka sweetened the deal by taking the group out to eat at Ichiraku's for a late day lunch. Even though they had already had lunch their earlier in the day the Uzumaki family was not going to pass up such an offer. Both Naruto and Chaos ate 5 deluxe sized bowls each to celebrate the fact they were entering the Chūnin Exams. Iris had 3 deluxe sized bowls shocking the others that the princess could eat so much and not gain a single pound of fat but Iris just batted her eye lashes with a coy smile. She said the only reason why she didn't eat another bowl was because the sodium inside the ramen was starting to get to her. Everybody else just had one normal sized bowl. Iruka almost had to give up every cent that was in his wallet just to cover just half the cost of the meal. It was bad enough that he wasn't making nearly as much money as other Chūnin do to him not taking any missions away from the village. Naruto offered to cover the bill just to be fair which after some convincing Iruka conceded to.

"Yeah I guess it is? Things have been so hectic around here lately. I haven't even had time to hang out with you." Naruto said as he gazed up at his longtime partner and mentor. "I know and I've been quite lonely without your company." Shoko said with a sad smile on her face. The partners have been working so much these last few months that they haven't had any time to hang out. Shoko has been off on a lot of missions given to her by Dino and she's been doing them either solo or with other high ranking members of the mafia. There's been no place for him at her side in all of this.

"And I've missed you too." Naruto said with a small smile. It was late and business was extremely booming at the moment. With the Chūnin Exams officially starting tomorrow hundreds of extra patrons have come to the most famous casino in the country to waste the night away. Naruto was dressed in his special uniform and so was Shoko. The partners were given a five-minute break since the staff wasn't aloud their normal thirty-minute break. There were too many extra patrons in the casino so there would be no rest for the employees. "I've missed not having my prince charming around to ward off all the men trying to flirt with me. Did you know on the mission I just came back from at least 4 guys tried to hit on me? I really could have used your help there." Shoko said with a teasing smile as she lightly pinched Naruto's cheek.

Naruto had a light blush on his face since he was embarrassed by what his partner had to say but he made no move to stop her. They haven't had any time to themselves in the last few weeks so he would let Shoko have her fun. "I guess I should just sneak on board the next mission you take so that I can protect you." Naruto said with a chuckle as he sipped some orange juice. "I guess so…" Shoko said as she gazed at Naruto with an unreadable expression. It was full of love but so much more. It was a really loaded expression the older woman was wearing and it cause a sigh to escape Naruto's lips.

"Somethings been bothering you for a long time now Shoko. No… Since the day we met. It's me isn't it. Is there something about me that bothers you so much? Is it the fox?" Naruto questioned as he glanced at his partner. He whispered the last question so only they could be heard. "No of course not. I could care less about K- the fox… it's something else." Shoko rectified. Naruto noticed her slip up but before he could question it Shoko pressed on. "I'm sorry that I'm constantly making you worry. There are so many things I want to tell you. But I can never find the right words to say, and I get so scared and clam up. You deserve to know…" Shoko said as she placed her face in her palms. She looked miserable in this moment.

"Hey we don't have to talk about it now. Maybe later ok." Naruto said in worry. He knew that whatever was constantly on Shoko's mind was nagging at her and haunting her but he would give her space if that is what she really needed. "I'm sorry…" Shoko said while quickly wiping away a stray tear that attempted to fall. "It's ok. I'll be patient and wait ok. When you're ready to talk I promise I'll be ready to listen." Naruto said as he rubbed the older woman's back. "Thank you sweetie. You're always to kind to me." Shoko said with a soft gentle smile on her face that was full of gratitude and love.

Naruto blushed in embarrassment since he imagined the look Shoko was giving him was the look of a mother. "Don't mention it." Naruto said while scratching the back of his head.

"Be careful out there tomorrow. The Chūnin Exams are very dangerous even to those that are skilled and prepared. So watch out for yourself and your teammates ok. This year's exam is especially dangerous." Shoko advised with a cautious look in her eyes. "Because of the Hidden Stone and Cloud Genin participating?" Naruto quickly deduced. _'Among other things.'_ Shoko quietly thought to herself. Her thoughts drifted off to a few dangerous individuals that she knew of that have become very active lately. "Yeah, we don't need them causing us any trouble so I want you to keep an eye on them if possible." Shoko stated. "I agree. We don't need any trouble from them…" Naruto agreed with a shake of his head. He was a little weary of the stone and cloud Genin. He hasn't met any of them yet but he didn't want them causing him and his friends any trouble during the exams.

"Either way things go just promise me you'll stay safe and won't get hurt ok." Shoko asked as she gently grabbed Naruto's head and leaned it against her side. "I will. I promise." Naruto relented with a content sigh since it's not every day he and Shoko get to just spend time with each other. "Thank you." Shoko said as she leaned down and placed a gentle soft kiss on Naruto's forehead. It was quick and full of love and Naruto's only response was to smile a gentle smile and immerse himself further in his partners embrace.

* * *

 _ **Chūnin Exam's First Stage: Academy**_

"So this is it huh? Are you guys ready?" Naruto asked as he looked at his two teammates by his side. They were in the Academy's courtyard and they were looking up at their old school building that they haven't stepped foot in for months. "Yeah let's do this." Sasuke said with a nonchalant tone of voice. His hands were in his pockets as he stared down the academy with a cool gaze. He was completely ready for the challenges ahead. "I'm ready as well." Sakura agreed as well. She had a confident look in her eye but Naruto could clearly see she was feeling intimidated and nervous about the trials ahead. "Sakura it's going to be alright. We can handle this." Naruto said with a reassuring smile on his face.

Sakura was surprised that Naruto could read her so easily but after a moment the noticeable tension in her shoulders left her as her whole body loosened up. "Thanks Naruto." Sakura said in gratitude. With that Team 7 was off as they entered the academy building. From the participation forms they had to fill out that Kakashi gave to them it stated that the first stage of the exam was going to take place in room 301. From their time in the academy they not only remembered where that was but they also knew it was a lecture hall for multiple classes to all sit in and participate at. It was often used for big lectures between multiple classes or for large scale joint class projects or exercises.

With that in mind the three went straight for the stairs which took them to the second floor. They were going to go on to the next floor if not for the fact they saw a huge crowded gathered at what was obviously room 201. Which was actually just a classroom for beginners. The Academy had 7 Floors. On the first floor was faculty rooms as well as the classrooms for the first years. The second floor hosted rooms for the second years. The curriculum for the academy was that at the age of six you enter and the first two years you learn all about the basics such as math, science, history, language arts and many more things. It was mandatory for all civilians to go through this course, unless you come from a clan or a shinobi family who could teach you all of this stuff and more in which case those children immediately start the Shinobi course at the age of 8 without attending the first two years. After that the students at age 8 enter the shinobi course where they spend the next four years learning all they need to know about being a shinobi. Each year is separated by floor. The third floor houses many large lecture halls as well as the another set of faculty rooms and the classrooms for the first years of the shinobi course. With that being said the third floor is very massive.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors house the classrooms for the ages of 9, 10, 11, with you graduating by the time you reach 12 years old. The seventh floor is a floor dedicated to massive lecture halls like the one on the third floor, massive dojo's for Taijutsu practice, testing rooms for evaluating the student's skills, and even more faculty rooms. Above the seventh floor was the roof which was a recreational area for the students to gather and relax and hangout in. It hosts many tables and benches so that they could eat lunch as well as other small amenities to make the place feel comfortable to the students.

' _Does that sign really say 301?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he could see the huge crowed being blocked by two taller teenage looking Genin. Naruto squinted his eyes a little as he got a better look at the two Genin. _'Wait isn't that Izumo and Kotetsu?'_ Naruto thought to himself with a sweat drop forming on his head. Those two were actually high ranking Chūnin who are exceptionally strong for their tag team style of combat and perfect teamwork in battles but they are most famous for always being seen manning the customs and check-in station by the main gate. They guard the gate and manage the relentless traffic that funnels in and out of the village. They even got the nickname Eternal Gate Guardians since they've had that job for such a long time. Of course the whole security and customs of the main gate was a lot more complex but those two were only meant to be the faces that everyone sees.

' _Man they didn't even try with their transformation. Oh well. They are obviously trying to weed out the weak competition. Whoever would fall for such a simple Genjutsu could never make it as a Chūnin let alone make it through the exam.'_ Naruto thought to himself critically. He knew that there was going to be a lot of thinning the heard tactics being employed during the exam so that only the best remains at the end. It reassured him that most of the weak competition would be weeded out and it would also save their lives for when the exams turn deadly.

"Genjutsu huh?" Sasuke commented as he took one look at the scene before him. Coming from the Uchiha Clan who are masters of Genjutsu made it so that Sasuke has an intimate knowledge on many Genjutsu and the general subject itself. So spotting one like this was absolutely no trouble for him. "Yeah, let's just keep going. There is no need for us to get mixed up in that." Naruto encouraged since it was pointless to involve themselves with such a scene. As they prepared to move on Naruto noticed Izumo and Kotetsu trash talking the Genin and they even struck a girl that tried to get close. The girl was very dark skin with long spiky burgundy red hair and sharp amber eyes. She seemed to be quite vocal since she didn't take such treatment lightly.

With that Team 7 went up the steps. Reaching the third floor Naruto immediately frowned once he caught sight of a person he absolutely did not like. Neji Hyūga, Hinata's cousin. Neji had fair skin and long brown hair. He had the signature Dōjutsu of his clan. The Byakugan. His was pale and almost featureless. It had a slight lavender tint to it. Hinata's was much more vibrant as far as the lavender color is concerned. Neji wore a khaki shirt, a dull blue shirt beneath that, and mesh armor beneath that. He wore dark brown shorts, blue shinobi sandals, and wrapped bandages around his right arm, chest, and right leg. He tied his hair back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end. He wore a black headband with the Leaf symbol proudly displayed for all to see, under which was a smaller headband with two straps that frame the sides of his face.

Next to him was his two teammates. A girl by the name of Tenten and a boy whose name was Rock Lee. Naruto knew who they were. Rock Lee was the dead last of his class last year only because he couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. He was born with a defect that messed with his Chakra Network. He was the talk of the Academy back when Naruto and the others were there. He was relentlessly bullied by his classmates and it honestly sickened Naruto to no end how his classmates treated him. Naruto wanted to reach out to the boy and be his friend but due to the fact they were in different years and they never shared a single class made it almost impossible to approach the boy. Not only that but Lee would not sit still in one place for long. He never stayed after school. He was always off somewhere practicing for hours on end and Naruto could never find him. All the same Naruto wished the boy the best of luck. This was actually his first time seeing Lee at all since the Academy.

The girl's family ran a weapons shop from what Naruto remembered. It was the most successful commercial weapons shop in the entire village. Not only that but the store itself was really massive and it was on main street, closer to the Administration District. It was about four stories tall and it took up half a block. Naruto went in there a few times and he was blown away by everything inside. It was a paradise for any weapons nut especially since everything was extremely crisp and clean. Nothing was dirty and everything was properly packed on the shelves. Even a germophobe would find that place clean by their unrealistically high standards. Naruto personally liked the polished hardwood floors and the rustic feeling the entire building had. Especially since the building actually had a tree growing in the center of it. The building was actually built around the tree to be more precise. That beautiful and natural aesthetic probably helped with the establishments critically acclaimed high success.

"Well would you look who it is. I never would have expected you to show up." Neji spoke up once he saw Naruto. Room 301 was down the hall right behind Neji and his teammates. "Surprised… I thought your destiny crap would have predicted me showing up." Naruto said with a chimp on his shoulder. Sakura and Sasuke shared a quick glance with each other since the only person Naruto really talks to like that was Kiba but even then the two boys have been on decent terms for the last few months. A muscle jumped in Neji's jaw as his calm demeanor took a slight hit. "Trying to advance in rank is pointless for a person like you. You should just go home now." Neji replied with a glare towards Naruto who returned the glare twice as hard.

"You have no idea of what I'm capable of Neji so just stuff it. I don't want to deal with you and your destiny issues today." Naruto said with a sneer. Naruto didn't like Neji for several reasons. One of the major ones being how he treats Hinata who Naruto cares about deeply. Neji treats her like the dirt beneath his shoe for the simple fact that she was the heiress and born into the main family. Naruto didn't know the full story and Hinata never told him since she herself was ashamed of whatever had happened but Naruto couldn't let Neji use whatever it was as an excuse to treat his own cousin that way. He belittles her at every turn and ridicules her for her soft and gentle demeanor. Anything he could think of he would use as ammo to insult Hinata and it honestly made Naruto furious. Especially since Hinata would never retaliate. She never showed her true strength to those in her family. She kept the vast majority of her skills to herself.

The clan elders wanted one of the sisters to receive the cage bird seal while the other will be the heiress. Hinata's the heiress by default due to the fact she is the first born of the family, but due to the fact she performs so poorly in the eyes of her clan they want to place the seal on her. However due to the fact that Hanabi is also shy, soft and gentle like her sister its left the elders in a bind despite the fact that Hanabi shows a lot of skill. Mostly due to her secret spars and lessons with Iris and Chaos but her clan elders don't know that. If Hinata was to show all of her skills and show that she is more than competent to be the clan heir, then they would place the seal on Hanabi which is something Hinata doesn't want so that is why she hides her strength and keeps it at barely above minimum.

Neji's glare rose in intensity while Naruto returned the favor. Today was going great for him until now and now his entire mood soured at seeing Neji before him. "Hey guys let's not fight now ok. Come on Naruto let's just go." Sakura said as she tried to defuse the situation. Her nerves were acting up and her anxiety from earlier was coming back now. She just wanted to get to the room so she could calm down. "You must be the lovely Sakura Haruno yes?" Rock Lee asked as he approached the girl with hearts in his eyes. Sakura was weirded out by this and Naruto had an amused look on his face as his anger was pushed to the side in the face of this new development.

"Yeah that's me…" Sakura said slowly since she didn't know where this was going. "Please go out with me!" Rock Lee declared as he dropped to a knee in front of Sakura. The look on her face was priceless and Naruto almost lost it right then and there. He could here Chaos in the back of his mind losing it as her laughter was bouncing off the walls of his mind. Hearing her childish laughter which was contagious to his ears was making it extremely difficult for Naruto not to join in. Sasuke had a raised brow at this but otherwise remained pretty neutral.

"Absolutely not!" Sakura exclaimed as she turned him down harshly. She was weirded out by his sudden proposal and she didn't know how to respond. Rock Lee had a depressed look on his face as he leaned against the wall in shame. "It's ok. It happens to the best of us." Naruto said in sympathy as he patted Rock Lee's back. He didn't know how rejection felt since he never asked a girl out before, but he knew that it must feel bad. Lee bounced back really quickly since he was already standing in front of Sasuke. "And you must be Sasuke Uchiha. The rookie of this year." Lee probed as he gave a nod of respect to Sasuke who returned it to be polite. "Yes that's me. What of it?"

"I want us to have a quick spar right here right now. I want to see if a Genius of Hard work can beat a natural prodigy." Rock Lee proposed with a serious gaze in his large round eyes. "A challenge huh, I'm in." Sasuke agreed with a shrug of his shoulders.

The group found themselves in a large hall that separated the classrooms from the lecture classrooms and faculty rooms. "Hey Sasuke do you mind if I take a quick crack at him first?" Naruto asked since he always wanted to fight Rock Lee after hearing all the stories about him back in the academy. "Sure knock yourself out." Sasuke said with his hands in his pockets. "You don't mind do you Lee?" Naruto asked to be sure. "That is no problem at all Naruto. Come at me when you're ready." Lee said in reassurance. Neji and Tenten were off to the side away from everyone else and Sakura did the same.

Rolling his shoulders Naruto got into his preferred stance. It was very loose and flexible which was influenced by Anko's Taijutsu style. Kicking off the ground Naruto launched himself at Lee who stayed right where he was. Starting things off with a simple punch Naruto watched as Lee deflected it with a simple motion of his hand. Going in with a barrage of punches Naruto felt each one of them be deflected with ease. Chaining in a kick Naruto saw Lee move his hand and push his ankle off course which caused Naruto to lose his balance. Letting his instincts take over Naruto lifted up his other leg to come in with a roundhouse kick while his first leg touched down on the floor so that he could pivot and spin of the spot. In the brief moment in which Naruto lost sight of Lee because he was preforming his roundhouse spin Lee made his move. It all happened in a split second.

" **Leaf Whirlwind."**

Naruto felt his legs get taking out from under him as he fell on his back in a spinning motion and he generated so much momentum that he actually spun on the floor like a spinning top. Naruto spun across the floor on his back until he slammed right into the wall behind him. _'What the hell was that?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he dizzily looked up to see Lee in the exact same spot as before. "No way…" Sakura whispered to herself as both she and Sasuke had visibly stunned looks on their faces.

Naruto felt his blood pumping and his adrenaline kicking in since he never expected such a thing to happen. He wasn't putting any effort into his attacks at all. It was just a mini spar but he never expected to be taken out like that and in such a smooth manner. It made his respect for Lee skyrocket.

"Now it's my turn." Sasuke said with a smirk since he was now a hundred percent interested in seeing what Lee could do. It was no easy feat to outclass Naruto in combat, Sasuke knew that from experience since said blond ran circles around him in their spars that they would have almost every day. The interested and intrigued smirk on Naruto's face right now proved to Sasuke that Lee was no ordinary Genin.

Coming in fast Sasuke wasted no time in chaining in both punches and kicks to his attack sequence. He wasn't putting deadly intent behind his blows since he knew this was just a friendly challenge and they had to be in the classroom in a few minutes but Sasuke was actually trying to hit Lee who was running circles around him by blocking and reversing every attack that came his way. Lee would throw a punch or kick in himself but he kept his attacks very barren and sparse. By this time Naruto had moved back over to stand by Sakura and he moved his ankle around a bit since that was were Lee hit when he made his move.

"Is that all you've got?" Sasuke asked as his thrust kick was countered by a grab attack by Lee which he then followed up with by tossing Sasuke over his shoulder leg first. "Not even a little. I want to know if hard work can beat natural talent." Rock Lee responded as a serious glint entered his eye. "Show me your natural talent Sasuke Uchiha." Lee demanded as he simply disappeared from view. Up until now Naruto was carefully watching the match but the second Lee disappeared his eyes widened in shock as he fully became invested in the fight. He couldn't even shout a warning out before Lee made his move. Lee appeared crouched down in front of Sasuke who was slowly panning his head down to look in Lee's direction.

Lee rocked Sasuke's entire world by delivering a powerful high rising thrust kick to Sasuke's chin that actually lifted the Uchiha off the ground and sent him flying high into the air. Lee simply disappeared from his spot on the floor and appeared right beneath Sasuke in his blind spot. Taking a second to look at the wall Naruto's eyes widened in shock and disbelieve as Lee's shadow was gone. It was overlapping with Sasuke's so instead of two shadows on the wall it was only one large one. _**'Dancing Leaf Shadow**_ _. He can actually perform that technique. Shoko told me it took a long time to master such a skill. Especially since it leads into other powerful techniques.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he looked back up to the action to see Lee's bandages unraveling and circling around Sasuke's vulnerable form.

Right as Lee's bandages was about to ensnare Sasuke a kunai came out of nowhere and pinned Lee's bandages to the nearby wall. This action broke the synergy between the two and caused Lee to violently fall out of the air and slam into the wall by the floor. Sasuke now free to move around landed on his feet roughly since his head was still pounding from being kicked so hard in the chin. Everyone looked over to see a man standing on a turtle and he looked exactly like Lee.

' _Is that his daddy?'_ Iris questioned in Naruto's mind and Naruto could mentally imagine her cutely tilting her head off to the side. _'That's Might Guy. He along with Kakashi are the top two Jōnin of the village with Asuma coming in right behind them. He's exceptionally powerful and famous and its even been said that he could one day very soon become an S – Rank Shinobi along with Kakashi.'_ Naruto answered back to Iris. _'Huh… they look like father and son if you ask me.'_ She replied blandly.

The next few minutes were a blur to Naruto who watched on as Might Guy verbally and physically punished Lee for using a supposed forbidden technique. Guy introduced himself to Team 7 with his eyes lingering on Naruto for a moment longer than the others. He was a very loud and passionate man just like Lee and he spoke really loudly. After sending his students to the classroom he himself disappeared after telling Team 7 to pass a message on to Kakashi about a bet the two of them were having. Naruto and the others made it to room 301 without difficulty after that in which Kakashi stopped by and gave them a pep talk and a good luck. They in return thanked their sensei and mentioned Might Guy too which Kakashi visibly shuddered and soon afterwards disappeared in a Body Flicker.

* * *

"Ok guys this is it. You ready?" Naruto said as he placed his hands on the door handle. He could feel nearly 200 other chakra signatures inside the classroom ranging from all different sizes in terms of capacity and potency. Some were exceptionally strong, the vast majority were average and slightly above average and some were flat out weak. It was a mess and it was very hard for Naruto to differentiate between everyone inside but he did notice a few stand out, most noticeable Gaara and his signature eclipsing almost everyone else in the entire building. There were a few other signatures that had Naruto extremely worried. Another signature very much like Gaara's was also in the room and it outstripped Gaara's chakra by a mile and a half. It was monstrous but for some reason didn't feel evil at all. It confused Naruto but he would find out soon enough. The other signature felt very similar to his own. It felt familiar somehow but he didn't quite understand how.

The total amount of chakra emanating from the room was overpowering and suffocating. It was giving Naruto a major headache just being this close so he shut off his sensory abilities to save himself the trouble. "Yeah let's go." Sasuke said with a nod. With that said Naruto pushed open the door and immediately he was assaulted by the voices of over a hundred people. Genin ranging from all different sizes, ethnicities, villages, and ages were in the room and most stuck to themselves but many were conversing with each other to pass the time among other things. Since the Leaf was hosting this circuits exams it was to be expected that more than a quarter of the participants in the room came from the village. Naruto didn't recognize more than half of the other leaf Genin squads, only a portion of them he recognizes and even then out of that portion he only knew a quarter of them. Only a few of those teams he actually knew by name and that was only on the account that his team has teamed up with many of theirs on joint missions over the last few months.

"Naruto. How are you?" Hinata spoke up as she approached her longtime friend and crush. Kiba and Shino were right behind her with Kiba having an annoyed look on his face. "Hey Hinata I'm doing fine. Well up until the point where I ran into Neji." Naruto responded with a happy smile at seeing his best friend but he did frown at mentioning Neji. Speaking of which was already inside the room and down the aisle away from the other rookies. The sideways glare Neji was sending him didn't help his mood at all.

"Don't worry about him ok. You have to focus so that you can pass." Hinata said in reassurance with a small smile on her face. Naruto loved to see Hinata smile and it always managed to correct his mood. Naruto smiled back in return. "Right." Naruto agreed. Naruto greeted Shino and Kiba with the bug user returning the greeting politely and Kiba with a bit of indifference but he remained polite. Team 10 upon seeing the others in the room also joined in with Shikamaru and Chōji greeting their longtime friend and other classmates. It wasn't every day that the nine of them could meet up so they valued the time they could spend together. "Hey Sasuke, did you miss me?" Ino asked as she slid up to Sasuke with a flirtatious coy smile on her face. The Yamanaka Clan Heiress hasn't changed much at all since their time in the academy and Naruto has had the least amount of exposure and contact with the girl so they weren't really friends at all. More or less associates in the grand scheme of things.

Both Naruto and Hinata frowned at her behavior since it wasn't befitting of a Kunoichi to act that way. Hinata thought it made girls look bad and Naruto just simply didn't like Ino's behavior and how she acted in front of Sasuke especially when he was around since Iris and Chaos can see what he sees and he doesn't want them exposed to such behavior. Sakura herself was conflicted since she didn't want Ino to get close to Sasuke and she wanted to lash out like she used to but at the same time she didn't want to look bad in front of her friends. It was a confusing feeling she was having and she didn't know where it was coming from. Sasuke did his best to ignore Ino who was pestering him for dates and other such things. While Sakura has calmed down quite a bit over the last few months since the mission to wave she still did ask him out for dates quite frequently which still annoyed the last Uchiha. Sasuke would normally hide out at Naruto's apartment whenever she got persistent.

Their group chat was attracting the attention of some groups and individuals in the room and one of them decided to come over to introduce themselves. "Looks like you guys are having quite the time over here." A voice spoke up. Everyone turned to see a young man about 19 years old standing before them. "Hello who are you?" Sakura asked in curiosity. _'He's a leaf Genin? I've never seen him around before.'_ Naruto noted until his head started to pound him. He made a slight wince but otherwise kept his outwards composure. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kabuto Yakushi and I'm a fellow competitor. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Kabuto spoke up with a semi deepened voice due to being older than the others but it was still soft and sounded like a teenager.

Kabuto has onyx eyes and ash-grey hair, which he keeps in a ponytail. His most consistent feature are his black rimmed circular glasses. Kabuto is wearing a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, and dark purple pants with a white cloth waistband. He is also wearing a set of dark purple finger less gloves with armored plates on the back of the hand and a blue headband around his forehead.

' _Girls what's wrong? Is something the matter?'_ Naruto subconsciously asked. He could feel them both become very agitated all of a sudden. _'Daddy this man he smells like a snake. Be wary of him.'_ Iris warned in a deeper voice which indicated to Naruto that Sōkyoku's influence was upon Iris. _'Snake? What do you mean by that?'_ Naruto questioned as his senses kicked on out of instinct. _'Just be careful.'_ Iris said forcefully with her deeper voice which shocked Naruto since he knew that it wasn't completely Iris talking to him. Lady Sōkyoku never used any force in her voice when addressing him so hearing it now set Naruto on high alert.

Naruto tuned back in just in time to see Kabuto with some orange cards in his hand which earn him a point in Naruto's book but also earned Naruto a mental slap from Iris who he could tell was frowning at him since she was being distrustful of the gray haired boy in front of them. "With these cards I can display a person's information like this." Kabuto instructed as he channeled chakra into the card and Rock Lee's information popped up on the card. All of his stats and basic information was displayed on the card as well as his mission history and statistics, such as his pass and fail ratio and his shinobi stats like his Taijutsu level. It was a lot and it was shifting from each piece of information to the next in order.

' _No mere Genin should have that information. That is only for those that work in the administrative district and Genin level shinobi aren't cleared for that level of access. Of course I know some of that stuff but that's because the old man gives me some special leeway. What's going on?'_ Naruto questioned to himself as things were starting to smell fishy. _'I thought Iris said it smelled more like snakes Dada?'_ Chaos mentally questioned with an adorable tilt of her head. Naruto resisted the urge to sweat drop since only Chaos would ask something like that.

"That's very cool? You have information of everybody?" Kiba asked as he looked interested in the cards. "If that is the case do you have information on Naruto Uzumaki?" Neji spoke up while looking at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Neji and his team made their way over after Kabuto had started his demonstration. Naruto immediately visibly frowned at this as his natural distrustful instincts kicked in. He didn't want his information shown to a room full of competing individuals who would use this information liberally to take them out.

"Yes I do. I must say he is quite interesting. I was just looking at his not too long ago and I must say I'm very impressed with his track record." Kabuto said with praise as he shuffled around the cards in the deck before picking out a certain one that Naruto's keen eye noticed had a notch in the corner indicating that Kabuto must have marked it as important. "Naruto Uzumaki. Genin of the Hidden Leaf and assigned to Team 7. He is listed as a B – Rank Shinobi in the Bingo Book and it is rumored that he has multiple types of…" Kabuto narrated as he read of the information on the card for all to hear. He was cut off when Naruto grabbed the card in his hand and covered it up so no one could see anything further. Based on the stuff he already saw displayed on the card it set Naruto in a bad mood since that information could be used by any competent shinobi in the room to get a head start on him and how to defeat him.

"Kabuto I'd really appreciate it if you didn't speak of me like I'm not standing right here. I don't like people spouting off my personal info so can you please stop." Naruto said as politely as possible. It irked him that some random stranger with lots of Intel was just going around speaking it out loud. They were ninja… information and knowledge were their ultimate weapons. You don't expose your information for all to here. You keep it secret. It also didn't help that Naruto could see quite a few people looking at him in a new light now. A curious glimmer was in their eyes now as they took discreet glances at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to information and resources. I'll be sure to be more respectful in the future." Kabuto said with an apologetic smile on his face as he adjusted his glasses. Before anymore conversation could be had the classroom doors slid open and a bear of a man standing over 6 feet tall came into the room with at least 20 Chūnin dressed in a grey uniform following behind. The grey jumpsuit uniforms are the standard uniform for the I&T Department. Naruto could also see Izumo and Kotetsu in uniform as well which reminded Naruto of the fact that they also work in that department. The leader was none other than Ibiki Morino. The director for the Interrogation and Torture Department of the ANBU Black Ops. The abbreviated name of the department also stands for Information/ Intelligence and Tactics Department which is its other half. This huge ANBU department is split into two with one being Interrogation and Torture and the other being Intelligence and Tactics. Jōnin Commander Shikaku Nara who is Shikamaru's father is the director for the Intelligence branch.

The first time he's ever seen the man was the night of his Graduation and the whole mess with Mizuki. Since then Naruto has seen the man occasionally since Anko works for him as one of his lead Interrogators. He is legendary for his psychological warfare tactics and his brilliant mind. And from what he's heard from Anko he is no slouch when it comes to Shinobi combat either. Naruto also knew that he and Aspen are old drinking buddies and that Aspen once worked in the I&T Department for a few years. It was a small world Naruto thought to himself with a chuckle.

Ibiki quickly introduced himself to the gathered Chūnin hopefuls before diving right into explaining the rules for this year's Chūnin Exams. His rules quickly brought a wave of confusion and agitation to the participants in the room since the rules themselves were quite contradictory and confusing. _'Something isn't right here. Why give us all those chances to cheat if we are supposed to be taking a test. Back in the Academy if you got caught once you would get detention after school.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a frown on his face. He sent a discreet look over to Shikamaru who nodded back with a glance. _'Unless… the object is to cheat… yes that's it. This is an information gathering exercise. It's Ibiki himself being the proctor for this exam. He would of course make a test like this. So we have to cheat and not get caught.'_ Naruto speculated with narrowed eyes. He could see Shikamaru out of the corner of his eyes. The genius of a boy got the point of this exam way before he did.

Soon test papers were handed out to all the participants in the room and the Chūnin Specialist from the I&T Department took seats all around the room with clipboards in their hands. They are meant to catch any potential cheaters who are not skilled enough to evade detection. All the teams were split up as the members were sent to different desks in different corners of the room to "prevent" teammates from helping each other out.

Naruto was sitting next to Hinata of all people which secretly made him really happy. He just chocked it up to her being his best friend but the fact that he felt a tiny tingle go up his spine when she sat down next to him did confuse him a bit. Soon Ibiki told everyone to start and the room went completely dead silent except for the sound of pencils writing on paper. _'These questions are super hard. The object of this test really is to cheat.'_ Naruto thought to himself offhandedly. Naruto could feel his chakra start to stir against his will and after a second later he immediately knew it was Chaos. The tiny terror was starting to get both bored and agitated. He was holding a silent conversation with her to keep her entertained because he knew that if she started trouble here it could be disastrous. Iris herself was very silent. Naruto could sense that the little princess was heavily distracted by something. She was focusing more of her attention on whatever it was than on him. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to cater to both his girls and focus on the test.

' _How can I cheat? Hinata is discreetly using her Byakugan; Sakura is just straight up answering questions left and right; Shikamaru is too lazy to do this but I know these questions are child's play for him, in fact he's using his_ _ **Shadow Possession Jutsu**_ _to write the answers for Chōji; Kiba is having Akamaru scout out others from on top of his head; Shino is just using his bugs to get the answers he himself can't answer. Sasuke is going to use his Sharingan; and I think Ino is setting up her Mind Transfer Jutsu to just steal the answers from Sakura once she is finished. Everyone has their own method they are using to cheat so what should I do?'_ Naruto thought to himself with a frown. He was so caught up in his inner monologue that he never noticed that Chaos was no longer attached to his neck in the form of her choker. Instead a small illusion was in place around his neck to make it look like she was still there.

He was brought out of his inner debate when a Kunai whizzed wright passed his face and impacted the desk behind him. "You fail. That was the fifth time we caught you cheating kid. You and your squad have been eliminated." Ibiki called out with his gruff voice as he pointed to the door with his thumb. "What but that's impossible. I didn't even do anything!" The kid yelled in outrage. "GET OUT! I don't care for your whining kid. You got caught now own up to it like a man. A Chūnin doesn't cry and make excuses like a baby!" Ibiki berated the young boy with a shout. The whole classroom watched as the boy behind Naruto got up from his seat with a glare and headed straight for the classroom door. His other two teammates had frustrated and confused looks on their faces as they themselves left the room to catch up with their teammate. "Candidates 23, 27 and 43 Fail." Kotetsu announced for all to hear as the classroom door closed on the team that just left.

Naruto heard Chaos's signature giggle in his head and he could feel her energy fluctuating. _'Sweetie what did you do?'_ Naruto asked in suspicion since he now just noticed Chaos wasn't attached to his neck underneath her transformation. _'Who me? I didn't do anything Dada.'_ Chaos said with another round of giggles. Naruto frowned at this since he didn't like where this was going. Iris and Chaos haven't been idle in the four months since the Land of Waves mission, they've been improving on their skills a lot and they've made a lot of progress. For Chaos she could hide herself under complex illusions to make herself completely invisible to the naked eye as well as completely silent. The only downside to this is the time limit in which she could keep herself invisible. It was approximately 1 minute. It also takes her 5 minutes to recharge before she could do it again. Naruto felt Chaos grab his hand and start writing down the answers to the first question.

' _So this is what she wants to do. She's sabotaging the rest of the candidates and getting them eliminated. She's thinning the heard and picking off the weak teams that wouldn't last long to begin with, and with an added bonus of giving me the answers to the test. But why isn't she going after some of the strong candidates in the room like Gaara? She's past his desk three times now.'_ Naruto contemplated to himself as the 1-hour time limit to the test ticked away. Chaos was busy going around the classroom sabotaging other people's test in any way shape or form. Most of the time she would do it while invisible but she would also cast out her illusions and project her sphere of bad luck to encompass those around her.

Chaos didn't have to touch a person or do anything to them to actually affect them. Just being in close proximity to them is all that she needs to affect them. Being within a certain radius of Chaos when she cast her sphere of influence can cause all those near her to experience bad luck and misfortune. She can affect them negatively in many different ways.

Many of the candidates in the room were experiencing weird things throughout the testing hour that none of them could explain. One person had water dripping down from the emergency sprinkler system onto their paper smudging up all their answers and questions even though the pipes in the ceiling are all properly maintained. Another person felt an itch in their pants and they were discreetly trying to alleviated their discomfort with their unused hand which looks highly suspicious. It also caused them to lose points since to the other sentinels around the room the action was too obvious and it made it look like they were cheating in some way even if they weren't.

Many things like this and more were happening to the candidates and one by one teams were being picked off all throughout the hour. With each elimination Naruto could sense Chaos becoming more and more engrossed in the negative energy she was absorbing. Just doing something bad was enough for Chaos to produce small quantities of negative energy in which she could feed off of if there was none in the area for her. Luckily the very tense atmosphere and spikes of negative energy being produced every time someone got caught and eliminated was feeding Chaos quite nicely. He could feel the tiny terror enjoying herself immensely right now and he didn't have the heart to tell her to stop since her actions were benefiting a lot of them.

"Alright maggots listen up. It's time for the 10th and final question." Ibiki announced after the one-hour testing period came to an end. About 30% of the participants had already been eliminated due to Chaos's interference and everyone was beyond nervous and on edge. "Ok the 10th question has its own set of rules. You can choose to take it or you can choose not to. Now if you don't take this final question you and your team will immediately fail regardless of your current score." Ibiki started to explain which caused an uproar in the classroom. Many participants were announcing that of course they would take the final question. "Now hold on you didn't let me finish. If you do take this final question and get it wrong, you will be banned from participating in another Chūnin Exam and you will remain a Genin forever." Ibiki said with a sadistic grin on his face.

' _Yep… definitely Anko's boss.'_ Naruto thought with a sweat drop. He wasn't concerned about being banned from taking the exam again. He knew the rules perfectly well and you couldn't forbid a Genin especially one that's not from your own village from taking the exam ever again. It completely undermines the true secret purpose of the Exam.

Again another outcry of disbelieve and complaints filled the classroom as the Genin were up in arms over the cruelty of the ultimatum. Chaos wasn't the only one soaking up the despair being generated around the room as Ibiki himself had a satisfied look on his face as he leaned against the chalk board with his arms folded and just listened to everyone scream and complain. Soon however he silenced everyone in the room and delivered a cruel speech to get those without a backbone to quit. One by one more and more teams started to quit in front of everyone present. Some had looks of shame on their face while others had looks of pure frustration marring their faces but all the same they all left the room crushed and mentally defeated.

' _Amazing, now about 45% of the participants are gone. If he was doing this all throughout the test period I don't think any of us would be here right now. Maybe 20% and even that's stretching it more like only 15 or 10% of us would still be here right now and even then most of us would be hanging on by a thread. The stories about this guy are all true. He is amazing at his job.'_ Naruto thought with amazement in his mind. Ibiki with just his words alone was making people get up and flat out quit.

' _If he keeps this up there won't be to many cannon fodder teams left for us to extort. I think I should stop him.'_ Naruto observed as he noticed that almost all of the weak teams had been eliminated either through Chaos's interference or through Ibiki's mind games. Naruto hated the thought process he was having right now but he was thinking not just like a Shinobi but like a Mafia agent too. He was calculating the people he and his team could take advantage of and who could be used or just thrown away. Who was useful and who wasn't? What could be gained from these people and what couldn't? That is how a person in the mafia thinks. It's all about using others and gaining a profit from them. At the end of the day the Mafia organization are at the heart of the criminal underworld. They are the highest chain of authority and command in the criminal underworld so it made sense that they do things that are shady or considered crossing the line. To be fair that thought process could also be applied to Shinobi as well but it didn't make Naruto feel any better about himself.

"Mr. Ibiki I don't mean to rain on your parade but I think you've had enough fun for one day. You don't have the authority to ban a participant from taking the exams over, especially participants from other lands. So cut the mind games already. But with that being said don't fall for his tricks guys. You're here to become Chūnin, don't let yourselves be used and tricked like that. Stand up for yourselves and think. Besides Mr. Ibiki do you honestly think you trying to ban me from taking the exams ever again is going to stop me from advancing or becoming Hokage? Because if so your starting to lose your touch." Naruto said as he slammed his hand on the desk and drew attention to himself.

To many people were starting to throw in the towel and while Ibiki was fine with that Naruto wasn't. If that kept up, then the only ones' left would be the exceptionally powerful and dangerous teams like Gaara and the other strange individuals that have shown up this year. Facing off against them would only make their chances in the exam a whole lot harder and dangerous; and Naruto didn't want his teammates or friends to get seriously hurt. In the back of his mind Naruto was thinking back to the day his team came back from the Land of Waves and the talk he had with the Third in his office after everyone else left. Hiruzen expressed how proud he was of him and how he finally now had a shot at becoming Hokage.

Naruto wants to become Hokage to use his incredible powers for good and to lead by example. He's faced prejudice and hate growing up because he is the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. Not only that but he's an orphan who was mistreated and suffered heavily growing up and Naruto's witnessed what being an orphan and living in poverty can be like. He's witnessed how it affects people and the backgrounds in which people come from. At the end of the day it was just a life full of misery and suffering. If he was Hokage he would have the authority to change all that. He could start by showing the people of his home that he was more than just the Nine Tails vessel. He could then work on easing the lives of those less fortunate than others and the lives of orphans who have suffered. Then he could expand his influence to help others from other lands. Being Hokage would allow him to help millions of people and that's all he's ever wanted to do. Not to mention he would have the power to protect the people he loved and cared about.

"I see. Well I could say the same about you Naruto. You were having a field day during the exam. There sure are a lot of empty seats in here now. I wonder how that happened?" Ibiki shot back with a sarcastic grin on his face. _'Son of a… well I guess I do deserve that for opening my mouth. So he knew about Chaos causing trouble the entire time and now all eyes are on me. Everyone now suspects I have something to do with people getting eliminated. Well played Mr. Ibiki… well played.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he beat himself up over what was said but he couldn't help but feel excited over the fact Ibiki got him back. The guy was too good.

Everyone was sending looks of suspicion at Naruto now with the Uzumaki doing his best to ignore those glares. "Come on now I had nothing to do with that, you know that." Naruto said with a sheepish grin on his face. "Of course, but as a Shinobi you really excel at using every opportunity to your advantage. That's what makes you so dangerous… isn't that right young man." Ibiki said in a parting shot as he turned to address the rest of the class. _'Well I just painted a huge target on my back. It was extremely risky and its now made things even more difficult for my team but it was worth it. At the very least it will take some of the attention off of the others if anything. All in all, I did the best I could.'_ Naruto thought to himself with a sigh. He didn't want the spot light on him but if it would help the others advance then so be it. He was confident he could handle the other teams if worse came too worse. Probably not beat every one of them but that was neither here nor there.

"For those of you who are left and decided to stay all that I have left to say to you is that… you all pass." Ibiki announced with a smirk on his face as it took a few seconds for it to register in most people's minds. The classroom was in an uproar as people were confused as to how they passed. Ibiki then went into a morbid yet awe inspiring speech about what it really means to not just be a Chūnin but to be a true Shinobi. He explained what the true purpose of the test was and how those that are left passed.

' _He truly is a great Shinobi.'_ Naruto thought as he could feel his high respect for Ibiki shoot through the roof. He already respected Ibiki a lot especially since Anko held him in high regard as a great boss who cared for his subordinates but to see him in action was an entirely different thing. Ibiki is a legend in his circle of expertise as a master of torture, interrogation, and information gathering. He has completed some of the most dangerous high profile information gathering missions in all of recorded shinobi history and his loyalty to the village was completely absolute. The risks he's taken and the things he's had to endure for the sake of the village made him a great role model for Naruto and he was someone Naruto held nothing but respect for.

Naruto was looking around the classroom and spotting his other teammates and friends and they were sending him a questioning look since it was pretty risky what he did. He gave them a small smirk and a look that said "I'll explain later."

Looking at the other participants that were left Naruto saw a girl with vivid bright red hair that was straight on one end and very spiky on the other looking directly at him. She had the exact same red color for eyes and they were currently looking into his aqua blue ones. Red vs Blue. Her eyes were behind a pair of red glasses and based on her headband she was from the hidden grass. _'That girl. She's the one I've been feeling this strange familiarity with. She feels just so familiar to me. Like we should know each other, why is that? What is it about her that makes me think that?'_ Naruto thought to himself in frustration, he's been feeling her presence all week since she's come to the village and now that he was in the same room as her he could finally pinpoint who it was that he was sensing all this time.

Naruto adverted his eyes from the mysterious girl and set his sights on a girl near the back of the room. She had dark skin which was an uncommon trait in the Land of Fire. She had mint green hair and orange eyes which earned her major points in his book. Naruto could feel another mental slap from Iris and some emotions of annoyance from the little princess. The girl had on a short white crop top that exposed her muscular stomach that was very toned with defined abs and she appeared to have some type of red backpack sitting in the chair with her. It looked more like a cylindrical canister based on its shape but he couldn't be sure exactly what it was. But there was one thing he did know about her. She was the source of the incredibly powerful chakra signature he's been sensing for the last few days. It was absolutely monstrous and many times greater than Gaara's which was a feat in and of itself since Gaara's was incredible but the difference between the two was hers was calm, gentle, almost playful in nature. She felt good compared to how dangerous and evil Gaara's chakra felt.

Other than that Naruto couldn't really comment much on her. She was extremely attractive and she had a very cute face. She was as flat as a board in the breast department so much so that you could mistake that part about her to be a boy but Naruto didn't really care at all about that. To each their own and he didn't really care if the girl had breast or not. As he thought this a mental image of Hinata in one of the few times when she didn't have her baggy jacket on came to mind and Naruto blushed.

Naruto saw the girl look in his direction and an innocent smile came across her face as some form of recognition entered her eyes. She sent him a playful wink and Naruto felt his entire body heat up. Naruto immediately turned around in his chair as he felt a large blush was on his face. The wink was playful and innocent but coming from such an attractive and cute girl really got under Naruto's skin. Naruto could feel Iris's annoyance skyrocket as she caused him to have a headache. Hinata noticed that a massive blush was on Naruto's face and that he swiftly turned around in his seat. Hinata glanced back and noticed the girl still looking in Naruto's direction. Hinata looked between Naruto and the girl and a rare frown came onto her face and it was full of restrained jealously.

' _This is going to be a long day.'_ Naruto thought to himself as sweat poured down from his forehead. He could feel the look Hinata was giving him and he didn't know why but not only was it making him feel guilty and nervous but he didn't really like it.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Leaf Whirlwind -** This technique is a good example of how even simple taijutsu can become a pre-eminently destructive, lethal technique. The attack is a simple rear spinning low kick, but a strong user can send the victim spinning away. The goal is to throw the enemy off balance, and deal damage to the lower half of their body, slowing them down and giving the user time for any other taijutsu finishers

2.) **Dancing Leaf Shadow -** A technique where a shinobi follows the opponent, closely matching his or her body's movement, just like a leaf that dances in the air is followed by its shadow. The technique is usually preceded by a swift upper kick that will launch the target into the air. It is mainly used to position an opponent into a vulnerable aerial position. This move by itself is harmless, but it is usable as a stepping stone for many powerful techniques like the Front Lotus and the Lion Combo. That being said, it also has a rather high degree of difficulty.

3.) **Shadow Possession Jutsu -** The signature technique of the Nara Clan which allows the user to manipulate their shadow. The user extends their shadow on any surface (even water) and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? I personally like the way this chapter came out but it wasn't intentional to make it so long. I had no choice however since I wanted to wrap up everything I had planned in this one chapter so that it doesn't bleed to much into the next one so I just crammed everything in here. I hope you don't mind. Anyways several things in here are way different compared to canon like Chaos's blatant interference in the exam which I personally think is very funny and something I've thought about for quite some time before getting to write this chapter.

As far as Team Guys debut I kept it mostly the same with just minor tweaks but I wanted them to feel a little more alive. I wanted them to have a little bit more of a fleshed out backstory coming in as their debut. Like giving Tenten a little bit of a backstory to bring more life to her character on introduction.

I won't be naming any names or anything like that but their are several extra individuals here at the exams that definitely were never their in canon. Some of their mentioning and references are way more subtle than others but lets just say its really crowded in this exam and it's full of some interesting known characters.

I won't mention anything else as I would love for you all to talk about it in a review so I'll just end this Author's Note here.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 32 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 10/30/2016


	34. CH: 33 The Sandman

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ I'm back guys and with a chapter that no one is expecting. It's packed full of comedic moments and some heart pumping action so strap yourselves in.

 _ **[Happy Halloween to any who celebrate it. This chapter is for you all. Stay safe everyone.]**_

* * *

Chapter 33

 _ **The Sandman**_

The classroom was returning too normal after the revelation that everyone still in the room had passed. The Chūnin hopefuls were both happy and excited to be moving on to the next stage. _'I wonder where the second stage is going to be held? I was never told by anyone. Anko was tight lipped about it and so was the old man when I asked about it. I guess it is fair. Don't want to be too ahead of the competition.'_ Naruto thought to himself with indifference. It was fine to him if he didn't know. Going in blind to a situation was pretty fun and challenging.

Naruto could feel that Hinata's mood had changed a bit and he knew that he was in trouble. This time he also knew it had something to do with the fact he was looking at that girl sitting a few rows back. He was about to open his mouth and say something to the heiress when he sensed a particular chakra signature fast approaching. _'Oh no.'_

 **CRASH!**

A loud crash drew everyone's attention to the front of the classroom as one of the classroom windows shattered and a figure darted into the room. Two kunai flew into the ceiling and they were holding up a banner with words written on it. [The Sexy and Somewhat Single Special Jōnin Anko Mitarashi].

Standing in front of the classroom was a woman near and dear to Naruto's heart but also someone who infuriated him on occasion with their crazy antics. It was his surrogate older sister Anko. The Special Jōnin had a mischievous and playful smile on her face with her hands on her hips and her body radiating confidence. "Alright maggots the one… the only… awesome Anko Mitarashi is here baby!" Anko exclaimed loudly to the entire class. The young woman's cheeks had a dusting of a pink hue to them and her center of gravity was just a bit off. _'Is Anko drunk? It's 2'oclock in the afternoon!'_ Naruto thought to himself in disbelieve. The Genin squads in the room that knew her had sweat drops rolling down the back of their heads.

"Somewhat single?" A random Genin asked. He looked older than some of the others and he was giving Anko a poorly concealed lustful gaze. Anko's clothes are quite revealing and not exactly appropriate for minors to see. "Yes. I have an on and off relationship with this little cutie right here." Anko purred as she slithered her way around Naruto's prone form who had a deadpanned expression on his face. Half the class didn't even see her move since she crossed the distance between the front of the classroom and Naruto's desk in the blink of an eye. "Way to go Anko… it's not like I didn't already have enough attention on me." Naruto mumbled lowly in annoyance. More curious and suspicious glances were being sent Naruto's way and it was making him even more annoyed by what was going on.

"Anyways I came here to inform you little brats that tomorrow at 8'oclock sharp you are to report and be present and Training Ground 44 for the second stage of the Chūnin Exams and that I'm going to be your proctor." Anko said in a chipper tone as she busied herself with scratching Naruto's hair. In reality she was actually playing with Eva but no one needed to know that. Naruto felt a body numbing tingle go down his spine as he heard Anko mention Training Ground 44. His heart filled with dread as it sank into his stomach. _'Why did it have to be that place of all places. Crap!'_

"Your Jōnin Squad Leaders will inform you of the location so go report directly to them for further instructions. Class dismissed." Anko explained while swaying on her feet a little. No one knew quite how to respond to the obviously drunk women so one by one teams started to get up and leave the classroom. Naruto's classmates were some of the last to stay behind as they waited on Naruto who was busy talking to Anko. "Anko we may have a problem." Naruto said as he pulled Anko aside. "What's up?" Anko replied as she could see the serious glint in her surrogate little brother's eyes. "Iris warned me of a fellow Leaf Genin named Kabuto Yakushi. She said he smelled like snakes. Do you know what that means?" Naruto questioned.

Anko tensed up as all signs of her intoxication left her system. "Are you sure?" Anko asked in a serious tone. "I'm sure. Iris won't elaborate but she strictly warned me to be careful around him." Naruto explained as he carefully watched Anko's response. Anko rubbed the back of her neck in her signature nervous habit which really got Naruto worried on the inside. "I'll check into it alright. Thanks for letting me know." Anko said in a distracted tone. Naruto had a worried look on his face as he reached out and grabbed Anko's hand which startled the older woman. "Anko are you ok?"

"I could be better pipsqueak. However, what could really help my mood is if you take me to that nice little teriyaki shop that opened up last week. I'm flat broke so how about me and you go on a little date their huh?" Anko asked with puppy dog eyes. She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner at the end of her speech but all she got in return was Naruto breaking away from her with an annoyed expression on his face. "No way you little moocher. I'm not wasting my money on you. Besides I don't get my check to the end of the month." Naruto said as he walked away from Anko who had an indignant look on her face. "Don't give me that you, stingy little toll!" Anko yelled in outrage. "Your check came in last week at the end of the month, where did all that money go!?" Anko demanded with a hiss.

"Oh it's all locked up in a safe, that and all those ramen cups back home in the cabinets didn't buy themselves ya know." Naruto said mischievously as he walked out the classroom door with the rest of his teammates leaving Anko, Ibiki, and a few of the Chūnin sentinels behind.

Anko had an enraged look on her face as she watched her surrogate little brother walk out the classroom. As soon as he was gone her whole demeanor changed like flipping on a light switch. She looked over to her superior and boss Ibiki with a worried look on her face. "We need to talk."

* * *

 _ **Academy Court Yard**_

"…So care to explain what that little stunt of yours was back there?" Sasuke questioned his friend with a sideways glance. The rookie nine were gathered in one corner of the court yard closest to the main entrance by the tree with the swing on it and they were using the shade provided by the large tree as a meeting place. "I had to do it. Ibiki was really intent on weeding out the weak teams this year and if he had continued that the only ones' left would have been those strong teams like Gaara and his teammates. There would be no buffer between them and us." Naruto explained as he sat down on the swing. "You're talking of using those other guys as meat shields Naruto… that's not right." Ino protested with a disgusted look on her face.

"Ino it had to be done. This year's Chūnin Exam is far more dangerous than the last few years combined." Naruto said with a serious gaze, a frown was on his face as he thought about the unique competition he scouted out back in the classroom. Several prominent faces came to mind which caused him to frown even more. "Why do you say that Naruto?" Sakura asked in curiosity. "Look at the competition guys. Teams from the Hidden Cloud and worst yet from the Hidden Stone are competing against us this year. Teams from the Hidden Mist are here even though we all know the country is still caught up in their stupid civil war. We even have some unknown faces from those guys with that music note on their headband. They are all dangerous and unknowns. We are in serious trouble here." Naruto explained while looking at each of his classmates with a serious glint in his eyes.

Naruto was seriously worried on the inside but he was doing his best to not show it and worry his friends. "Well your stunt painted a target on our backs Naruto." Kiba said in annoyance. His hands were in his pockets and Akamaru was in his resting place which was on top of Kiba's head underneath his fur lined hoody. "Yeah, I have a target on my back and unfortunately so do you guys as well…" Naruto began to say and he looked towards Sasuke and Sakura as he said you guys but then he looked to the others gathered around him. "… but you guys should pretty much be in the clear. I'm sorry that I did that but it had to be done. We need to come up with a strategy so that we can watch our backs. We are going to have people gunning for my team and we may not be able to handle them all." Naruto said as his gaze met the eyes of the red head he saw in the classroom.

She had an almost dazed look in her eyes as she looked at him as if something about him was distracting her. They broke eye contact and Naruto watched as she left the court yard with her two teammates flanking her. Naruto began to contemplate the mystery of that girl in the back of his mind but he refocused in when Shino spoke up. "I think it wise to let Shikamaru come up with a suitable strategy for us to abide by." Shino reasoned while adjusting his glasses. "Way to go Shino just put me out their why don't ya. This is such a drag." Shikamaru mumbled while leaning against the tree. He had a lethargic and worn out look on his face which was his usual default look but this time it had a twinge of annoyance sprinkled on as well.

"Then it's settled… we should go over the plan Shikamaru comes up for us early tomorrow morning before the exam." Naruto said as he rose from sitting on the swing. With that everyone started to split up and go their separate ways. Shino and Chōji migrated over to Shikamaru who was lingering by. "I'm going to head home and just relax for the rest of the day with the girls." Naruto said as he stretched his arms above his head as a sigh of contentment escaped his lips. A small scroll dropped into Naruto's outstretched hands from the sky and looking up in surprise Naruto saw a messenger hawk circle around above his head before flying off in the direction he instinctively knows the Casino is in.

Opening it up Naruto read the message quickly with his face turning to one of shock. "You've got to be kidding me! That's so not fair!" Naruto exclaimed in indignation. "What is it?" Shikamaru questioned as he eyed the scroll in Naruto's hands. "My boss is calling in all of his senior employees to work double shifts today. That means I won't get to even set foot in my house at all today. Heck I won't even make it home until early in the morning and by that time we would have to get ready for the Second Stage. This sucks!" Naruto raged as he was not happy with this new development.

At this point in time, it was common knowledge among Naruto's old classmates that he works a full time job at a casino of all places. None of them knew how he got the job except Shikamaru and Shino. This is excluding Hinata of course whose known about this since she's first met Naruto. The excuse he gave them was that he needed a steady extra source of income to help support Iris and Chaos and put food on the table. As far as their Shinobi careers are concerned they are guaranteed to be paid for each mission they take since they serve the village but the thing with being on Genin Teams is the total amount of money earned for each mission they complete is split among the entire team including the Jōnin in charge. Since most missions Genin go on are D – Rank and they themselves don't pay much it can cause quite a problem especially when you take into consideration that each individual mission is different and they pay different regardless of which ranking they fall under.

Each mission is filed under one of the difficulty ranks. The mission itself pays a standard amount based on whichever rank it falls under as a fee with the client paying extra based on the specifics of the mission itself. Since D – Rank mission's standard fees are about only twice that of minimum wage in the village it means that Genin don't really get paid all too much and it also explains why the village has a backup and surplus of D – Rank mission waiting to be completed.

Naruto used that excuse for his friends including Sasuke and Sakura since the Mafia is to be kept secret for civilians and low ranking shinobi in the village. The Mafia sits on top of the criminal underworld and they have their hands in every facet of criminal activity imaginable. The Jasmine Dragon Mafia is no different the only key difference is that they try to manage, regulate, and in most cases destroy criminal organizations in an effort to stop the spread of criminal activity in the world but it doesn't excuse the fact that they have their hands in very shady activities regardless of their motives. Only high ranking Shinobi and extremely wealthy civilians may know about the mafia and that's only on the account that they are often the Mafia's clients or the Mafia interacts with them on a regular and consistent bases. Being stationed in an immensely powerful hidden village with thousands of Shinobi in its walls it makes sense that only influential individuals on both the Shinobi and civilian side interact with them since they are responsible enough to properly deal with them without messing anything up.

Shikamaru being the genius he was figure it out that something wasn't right with the casino Naruto worked at and Shino wasn't far behind. They confronted him about it and Naruto caved in and told them the truth but on the promise that they not tell anyone else. Both boys agreed and since then Naruto has kept them in the loop about certain things pertaining to his secondary job but he of course has kept it to things he's allowed to talk about.

"Why would he do that?" Chōji asked while munching on his chips. "I bet it's because of the massive influx of people coming into the village for the Chūnin Exams. More clients are popping up at the casino to waste their money away and my boss needs every able body he can get just to handle all the people. I won't even get to spend the day with the girls." Naruto said as he released Iris and Chaos who each latched onto one of his legs for comfort. "Daddy we can't come with you?" Iris asked with an adorable tilt of her head. Whatever was bothering her from earlier seems to have gone away as Naruto noticed she was back too normal.

"Sorry sweetie but not this time. You guys would be a very big help but Mr. Dino specifically said for senior members only. Super wealthy clients are coming in and he only wants his most experienced employees here tonight. Besides I want you girls to get some rest ok. We have a really big day tomorrow." Naruto explained as he patted both blonds on their head. Both sisters leaned into the gentle touch of their father as Iris had a content look on her face and Chaos had a relaxed look on her face like she was going to melt on the spot. "Wealthy clients?" Shino questioned. "To be more specific. They are hosting a big party tonight to kick off the success of the Chūnin Exams as well as the start of the second stage which is where the beginnings of the massive amounts of revenue and money comes to us. I remember this happened a few years back the last time the Hidden Leaf hosted an exam." Naruto clarified quickly.

"I won't be able to make it home so Hinata can you take the girls back to the house for me please?" Naruto requested politely as he turned to Hinata who was standing close by. "I'm sorry Naruto but my father wants me home right away after the first exams finish. I'm already starting to run a little late and I can't afford to make any detours. I'm sorry." Hinata apologized sadly. She would love to spend the day with the girls if she could but that was not a luxury she could afford right now. "It's ok thanks." Naruto replied as he turned to Shikamaru and the others.

"Guys could you cover for me?" Naruto requested. "Sure why not. It's a drag but it's better than going home to my mom and hearing her complain about me applying myself in the next phase." Shikamaru said in a nonchalant tone. His act wasn't fooling Naruto though. Naruto knew that Shikamaru really wanted to read the scrolls he found a few months back that he now has in his apartment as well as tinker around with Chaos to find out what makes her tick. It was all Shikamaru did now a day whenever he wasn't cloud gazing, sleeping, or playing Shogi.

"Thanks guys you're a real life saver. I promise the next meal we have is going to be on me." Naruto thanked graciously since he didn't want to leave the girls home alone without supervision. He couldn't send them to stay with the Hokage since he is extremely busy now that the Chūnin Exams are under way and both Anko and Shoko themselves are going to be very busy. He would ask his old neighbor Ms. Furukawa to look after them since the old woman loves spending time with them but recently she's come down with the flu and can't look after anyone. At least that was the reason she gave Naruto the other day. "No problem, just get going." Shikamaru said with a lazy wave of his hand.

Naruto smiled in appreciation as he turned to address his girls. "Alright girls be good for me while I'm gone ok. The guys are in charge so what they say goes. I'll try to send Aria home early tonight so that she can cook dinner and give you girls a bath. So be good and whatever you do please don't burn down the house while I'm gone." Naruto said in a soft tone but it became more exasperated towards the end when he mentioned burning down the house. Iris had a pleasant and innocent look to her bright blue eyes as she nodded her head obediently towards her father's orders. Chaos hissed her teeth and snapped her fingers in disappointment at her father's warnings. Everyone present sweat dropped at the tiny terrors apparent disappointment in not being able to burn the house down. Shikamaru dragged his hand down his face in silent mortification. _'What a drag.'_

Naruto kissed both twins on their foreheads which elicited excited squeals and giggles from the blond haired girls. "Ok girls be safe." Naruto said as he watched his friends take his daughters back to his apartment. Once they were out of sight Naruto turned to Hinata who was lingering by. "Hey Hinata I couldn't help but notice you've been quiet for a while now. Did I do something wrong?" Naruto asked awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "No, no. You didn't do anything wrong… I'm fine… really…" Hinata stuttered out horribly while avoiding eye contact with her best friend.

"Was it because I was looking at that girl…" Naruto asked awkwardly since in his mind he knew that was the reason. "Well… no…" Hinata tried to deny but she was never really good at lying, especially to her friends and Naruto. "I'm sorry Hinata, I got distracted. That girl is special very much in the same way Gaara is. I don't know what it is about those two but it's definitely something. I hope you're not mad." Naruto explained bashfully while trying to look Hinata in the eye. For some reason looking at other girls while Hinata or the other girls was around felt wrong to him. "No, no, no… I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you Naruto." Hinata stuttered in her soft whisper like voice. Naruto could barely hear some of what she was saying. It wasn't everyday Hinata stuttered this badly anymore.

"Uugghhh! This is cringey guys. Are you going to kiss her or what?!" Eva complained in annoyance. She herself was quite annoyed that Naruto was locking eyes with those girls in class but Eva could sense that something was very unique about them that she also couldn't quite but her finger on. Naruto and Hinata both turned cheery red as shocked looks crossed their faces. "Eva!" Both pre-teens exclaimed at the same time. They were not expecting their best friend to say such a thing. "What don't look at me like that, fine I'll do it myself." Eva said with a huff as she flew over to Hinata and kissed the heiress on the cheek whose face couldn't possibly get any redder. "There, it's done now Hinata you need to get going before your father sends out the cavalry." Eva said grumpily while shooing her best female friend away with her tiny hands.

"Uh ok." Hinata said lamely as she couldn't properly respond to what just happened. She absentmindedly waved goodbye to her closes friends before taking off. "What was that?" Naruto asked in bewilderment as they took off towards the casino. "It was getting really awkward between you to and just for the record she was totally jealous that you were getting all flustered by that girl." Eva said and Naruto could tell she was annoyed with him as well. "Jealous? Hinata? Hinata of all people jealous?" Naruto asked in shock since this was new to him.

"Well you did kiss her twice." Eva mumbled in slight annoyance and hidden strings of jealously. "I really did… didn't I?" Naruto mumbled with a light blush on his face. His immediate response to his daydreaming was a splash of water to his face curtesy of Eva who was heavily annoyed with her lifelong partner. "Sorry about that." Naruto apologized. _'What's with me and girls lately. I'm even worse than usual?'_ Naruto idly contemplated to himself.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Apartment 8:00 PM**_

"Get back here Chaos!" Iris yelled as she chased her sister around the apartment. Chaos had Iris's underwear in her hand and both girls were as naked as the day they were born. They had just finished taking a bath and poor Aria was not far behind as she chased after her wayward mistresses. "Little miss please don't run around the house while your wet you'll slip and hurt yourself!" Aria warned as she chased down the two powerful children. The water on Iris's body naturally evaporated quickly due to her bodies naturally higher temperature so she didn't have to worry about slipping and hurting herself.

They were in the downstairs apartment unit which had more space compared to the upstairs unit that everyone knows about and where Naruto spends a lot of his time. Aria's warning came to pass as Chaos slipped on the hardwood floor and slammed into a cabinet. Luckily nothing broke but Chaos had a dizzy look to her eyes. Iris caught up to her sister in the blink of an eye and yanked her underwear away from her sister's hands. Iris huffed and without sparing her sister a glance slipped on her underwear with a content sigh.

Aria telekinetically lifted Chaos up off the ground and sat her down of the counter top. She also removed the copious amounts of water still on Chaos's body. "See I told you little miss to be careful. Are you ok milady?" Aria asked as she rubbed Chaos shoulder where she slammed into the cabinet. Chaos giggled her eerie giggles as her response to Aria's question. The young witch knew her mistress was going to be ok so she dropped that line of questioning. "Come, let's get your clothes on little miss. It's dinner time." Aria said as she grabbed Iris by her hand and hoisted Chaos up into her arms and carried them both off to get them clothes.

At the dinner table the three girls sat together eating a simple dinner to tide everyone over. It was nothing extravagant or special and while Aria is a really good cook, her cooking doesn't compare to Naruto's and because she is a witch she has a different taste in food that is slightly different to a human. Aria herself prefers extra spicy foods with a particular biased favoring of sea food. Something Naruto doesn't particularly like.

"Daddy won't be joining us tonight?" Iris asked in disappointment as she toyed around with her food. It's an extreme rarity that Naruto isn't around to spend dinner with the family especially since he absolutely stresses the importance of spending that time with them. The princess had a kicked puppy expression on her face and her extremely bright aqua blue eyes were downcast and darkened. "I'm sorry little miss but master is really busy tonight. He promised me that he would sneak away later on tonight so that he could tuck you into bed himself and possibly read you girls a bed time story." Aria explained in the hopes of improving her mistress's mood. "Really?!" Chaos asked in excitement. Iris perked up at hearing this as well. "Yes, he said he will stop by later on tonight when its bedtime for you." Aria reassured and she smiled in happiness when she saw the excited looks on the girls faces.

"Aria maybe in the meantime you could read us that orange book that you keep under your bed." Chaos suggested with an all to cheerful innocent smile on her face. The words innocent and Chaos never belong in the same sentence to begin with and Aria's face was redder than the tomatoes in their food. "I…I don't know… what you mean… I don't have a book… like that…" Aria stuttered out horribly. She wasn't being very convincing in the least but Chaos didn't care; in fact, she was anticipating Aria's denial which is why the innocent look on Chaos's face morphed into a victorious grin. "You don't… well that's a shame, I wonder where this book came from then?" Chaos asked as she pulled an orange book from out of nowhere since she didn't have any pockets on her pajamas or anywhere to hide it around the small dinner table.

You could tell it belonged to Aria due to the turquoise colored ribbon sticking out from one of the pages acting as a bookmark. The same colored ribbon that Aria wears in all of her clothes, the ribbons can also exclusively only be found on her witches' hat as well making this evidence look incredibly incriminating. Aria had a mortified look on her face as her eyes tracked the dangerous little book in her young mistress's hands. Since they were inside their own home Aria is allowed to wear her witch hat and because of that you could see the glyphs and runes that run around the brim of the hat light up with Aria's power. Aria quickly snatched up the orange book that had the title Icha-Icha on it with her telekinetic powers. The book quickly found itself in Aria's hands who was beat red.

"I don't know where this came from but it's a filthy book and I'll go get rid of it. You don't need to corrupt your mind with such filth milady." Aria rambled on with cartoonish swirls in her eyes. Her face was getting redder and redder and she quickly excused herself from the table to seemingly dispose of the book. Leaving the room Aria could here Chaos's laughter in the background. "There was a trashcan right here." Iris pointed out idly as she eyed the trashcan sitting by the door. "Notice how she's going back to her room." Chaos said with another fit of giggles as she absorbed all of the despair and negative energy Aria gave off. Chaos actually didn't need to eat or drink anything in order to function. As long as she had a steady income of external negative energy she could survive indefinitely. She could produce small pockets of negative energy for her to feed off of in an emergency by just simply doing something bad but it's not enough for her to sustain herself on and it should only be used in emergencies.

"I hope Daddy comes home soon. I miss him." Iris said with a sad pout on her face. She was hugging her teddy bear John Paul to her chest. It's been quite a long time since Naruto has left the girls alone. Not since they were toddlers has he been gone for more than a few hours. Of course since their minds don't match the age of their bodies it felt like even longer for the two girls.

* * *

 _ **Commercial District**_

Halfway across the village a lone figure was sitting alone on a rooftop surrounded by the light of the moon itself. It was none other than Gaara himself. Gaara was gazing up at the moon which wasn't quite full yet but it was getting there. His eyes were dead to the world but shimmers of cold blood-lust could be seen swimming around in his eyes. There was one word on his mind right now and that word was Uzumaki. The Uzumaki family to be exact. Ever since his first encounter with the family they have been the only thing he can think about.

From Iris's very presence that commands reverence and the fact that with her words alone she temporarily took control of his siblings and even himself who was hidden away in the tree it startled him. He felt her voice bouncing off the walls of his mind when she commanded Kankurō to put Konohamaru down and Gaara felt a shift within himself like he wanted to listen to her even though he wasn't the one she was talking too.

For Chaos Gaara felt like he found a kindred spirit. He could sense the insanity within Chaos that was being restrained just like within him. She was the very first person to actually physically touch him in a very, very long time. The cheerful smile on her face as she did it also didn't help matters either. He felt her suppressing his chakra with her own energy which he didn't recognize. It was extremely powerful and potent and it burned him. He felt pain from having her power within him. He was silently surprised he didn't lose full control right then and there.

Then there was Naruto. When Gaara first saw Naruto he felt like he was looking into a mirror. Not in the physical sense but more of a spiritual sense. He knew he didn't look like Naruto but on a spiritual level he could feel like they were exactly alike. The blond boy felt so much like him, so similar to him that it unnerved Gaara deeply even if he would never admit it. There was this familiarity that he could sense between them that he just couldn't quite put his finger on and it irritated him greatly that he couldn't figure it out.

Last but not least was the power Naruto briefly flared and that he could sense contained within his body. It was immense and way more than what he had. In the deepest parts of his soul it frightened him that this kindred spirit had such a staggering amount of power while at the same time it excited him like nothing has ever excited him before. ' _He can prove my existence. All three of them can. If I kill them then I can prove my existence to the world. I'll truly be alive.'_ Gaara thought to himself as his gaze traveled out to the skyline surrounding him. The architecture of this village was vastly different compared to his own.

* * *

 _ **In the Shadows**_

"Tonight is the night. The Hidden Sands Jinchūriki is alone and so is the targets. Our Jinchūriki is preoccupied so there will be no interference." A figure said to his partner. "Understood. Lord Danzō wants to test the power of the targets and he wants the Sands Jinchūriki to do it. We are to step in if things get out of hand and pacify the situation. However, we are to record the entire battle for review." The second figure agreed as they went over their plans one final time. "Commence the operation." The first agent said and with a nod the second agent left his hiding spot and transformed into Naruto. However, this transformation was unique in the fact that the agent even felt like Naruto to another sensory type Ninja. Of course he couldn't replicate the unique signature Iris and Chaos's power gave off but just Naruto's base energy signature was enough for their plans.

The impostor took off purposely coming within Gaara's line of sight about a block away and started heading in the direction of Naruto's house. The other agent watched as Gaara disappeared in a Body Flicker following the trail of his disguised partner. "He took the bait." The agent said. His blank ANBU Mask had two small letters on it. [NE]

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Apartment**_

"I miss him too. Maybe we can prank him when he comes home later." Chaos suggested to cheer up her sister but mostly for her own personal pleasure. "But we might get in trouble." Iris protested in slight worry. "That's what's so fun about it. Remember what Grandpa said. A family that pranks together gets in trouble together." Chaos reminded with a wag of her index finger. "But that was because we painted the Hokage Mountain in graffiti and my feathers." Iris retorted with a small roll of her eyes. She and her sister got off pretty easily as Hiruzen had dumped most of the punishment on their father. "I know, the look on Dada's face was so priceless. I want to see it again." Chaos agreed with a giggle. The sisters had finished their dinner and placed the used dishes in the sink. They were sitting around the table waiting for Aria to return. The poor witch was completely embarrassed by Chaos's stunt.

The sisters would have talked more but both their heads snapped up with their eyes flashing to their secondary colors. "Daddy! Daddy's home early!" Iris exclaimed in excitement as she jumped from her chair. She didn't even pay heed to the fact that the signature she was sensing on the other side of the door was missing several key components of her father. The second she even sensed something remotely close to her father she threw caution to the wind. She really missed her father. Chaos on the other hand could see through the doors with her scanners and so she knew that the person on the other side of the door was definitely not their father. However, a dark smile smeared itself on her face as she recognized who it really was. She made no move to stop her sister from opening the door.

"Daddy your home!" Iris yelled in excitement as she flung open the door and jumped straight at the person who she thought was her father. Latching onto the person's leg Iris buried her face in the person's knee and right away she felt something drastically off. Looking up she came face to face with Gaara and the look on his face was far from pleasant. In fact, it was downright murderous. This was the second time someone has touched him without his automatic defense coming to his aid.

"You're… you're not daddy…" Iris stuttered out as her eyes widen in shock then to panic once she sensed the killing intent leaking off of Gaara. The cork on Gaara's gourd flew off and Iris felt her instincts kick in. Jumping back into the apartment Iris slammed the door shut with a gust of wind. Before she could do anything else Iris saw sand start to poor into the room from the cracks in the door.

"Sis get my weapons!" Iris called out but as she turned to Chaos she saw the tiny terror with a glazed look on her eyes. _'She's being affected by Gaara's blood-lust. This isn't good.'_ Iris thought while gritting her teeth. Naruto had replaced the old wooden door with a reinforced steel door covered in wooden panels to make it look like a wooden door. Running into the bedroom Iris grabbed her battle fans from off the dresser but the sounds of Gaara breaking the door down was filling her heart with worry. _'We can't fight here, and I can't use my pyrokinesis abilities or I'll burn the house down.'_ Iris's advanced mind was working a mile a minute and it was not looking good in the princess's mind.

Hearing the steel door rip off its hinges Iris raced back into the Kitchen where the door was lying on the ground. Chaos was looking up at Gaara with a dopey star struck look on her face. "Get back!" Iris yelled as she clapped her hands together and unleashed a concentrated gust of concussive wind that took Gaara off his feet despite the fact his sand came into defend him. Gaara's back slammed into the wall in the hallway. "Chaos stay back!" Iris commanded as she jumped into the hallway and swiping her hand from left to right she watched as Gaara was again taken off his feet by a gust of wind as he flew down the hallway.

Gaara quickly stopped this by landing on his feet and channeling his potent chakra to his feet to stick to the ground. His sand came up and blocked the rest of her wind. "You're strong. You will prove my existence." Gaara commented with his dead eyes locking onto Iris's panicked blue eyes. "What are you doing here? How do you know where we live?" Iris asked as she slowly moved from side to side pumping adrenaline into her system. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Chaos with her scanners on looking at Gaara through the wall. "Chaos snap out of it! I need you sis!" Iris yelled in aggravation as she had to focus back in when Gaara sent three streams of sand at her.

Swiftly moving to the side Iris dodged the first stream and immediately went into a spinning pirouette as she bounced off the wall in the hallway dodging the second and with a perfect baseball slide on the floor she dodged under the third. She could sense the sand forming up behind her and Iris held out her pointed and middle finger. _'Just a small burst.'_ Iris thought as she sent a small burst of flames from her fingers at the clump of sand forming behind her. Her pure white flames immediately turned Gaara's sand into crystallized glass due to the sheer heat coming off of her fire. The temperature in the hallway immediately skyrocketed due to the presence of Iris's fire.

"What's going on?!" Aria asked as she appeared behind Iris from around the corner. "Aria grab Chaos this boy is dangerous!" Iris instructed as she deflected several streams of sand from Gaara with concentrated burst of wind. Iris was fighting using a more defensive strategy in mind. Her fire was far too dangerous to be used within the confines of the apartment complex. Just the heat alone could start to melt things or even catch objects on fire for just being in close proximity to her flames. "Little miss who is this person?" Aria asked as the runes and glyphs on her hat as well as her medallions started to glow with her power. "This is Gaara. The boy daddy told you about." Iris explained as she got into her combative stance. It looked like a cross between a martial arts stance and a boxers fighting stance.

"Why are you doing this?" Iris asked so she could buy some time. Her sister was out of commission and unresponsive so she wanted to make sure she was safe. "To prove my existence to the world. Only by killing your family will I finally accomplish that." Gaara said in a dead tone. His arms were folded across his chest and a thick cloud of sand was floating in the hallway around his body. _'What does that even mean?'_ Iris questioned herself. "Is it too much of me to ask you to leave?" Iris pleaded with a compassionate look on her face. She really didn't want to fight Gaara at all if she could help it. Her answer was Gaara sending a surge of his powerful sand right at her.

" **Reflect!"** Aria called out as her clear glass pane appeared right in front of Iris completely blocking Gaara's sand. "Little miss take your sister and go! Find your father. I'll hold him off!" Aria said as she handed Chaos's limp body over to Iris without warning. "No Aria you can't, this boy is very powerful. Perhaps even stronger than daddy. His power is enormous and if you fight him now many people could get hurt." Iris countered as she hoisted Chaos onto her back. "I'm sorry mistress but I will not allow him to hurt you." Aria replied as she created another shield when her first one went down.

"If you stand in my way then I'll kill you. They are my prey." Gaara interrupted as more sand poured out of his gourd. "I don't care what you say. No one, and I mean no one is going to lay a hand on my mistresses!" Aria snarled as her hat lit up in power. Iris flashed a small proud smile for a half a second as Sōkyoku was silently pleased by Aria's heroics.

"Then die." Gaara said without remorse as he sent a tidal wave of sand down the small hallway with the intention of completely burying Aria alive. _'I have to slow it down.'_ Aria quickly thought. **"Psybeam!"** Aria launched two multicolored rainbow beams of light from her medallions hanging off her hair and it intercepted Gaara's sand at the midway point. The sand around the beam exploded and dispersed but the entire wave kept coming. Throwing up another barrier Aria braced herself as the wave of sand slammed into her reflective barrier. The sand was buffeted but it just kept coming. The potent chakra behind the sand itself was evening the odds, it was causing cracks to appear in Aria's shield.

"Aria lower your shield!" Iris called out as she sat her sister against the wall. Chaos's face was in pure bliss right now. "What? No mistress I can't do that." Aria replied in shock. She wasn't crazy enough to lower her shield. She could get hurt. "DO IT NOW!" Iris commanded as her rich accent came in full force. Iris's eyes flashed green as the wind picked up in the small cramped hallway. Iris performed a ballerina like twirl as she picked up momentum and the wind followed her. Iris's wind lifted up the large crystallized clump of sand that Iris created earlier with her fire.

Aria felt her body move against its will as her mind gave into her natural instincts to obey her mistress's every command. Aria felt her mind submit to Iris's dominating presence as she lowered her shield and immediately ducked low to the ground just in time because Iris sent the huge crystallized ball of sand right over Aria's head and slammed it directly into the approaching tidal wave. Leaping over Aria's prone form Iris landed on the floor and pushed her cupped hands outwards and unleashed a powerful gust of highly pressurized air at the crystal in front of her. The crystallized ball as well as the tidal wave of sand was pushed back all the way down the hallway by Iris's attack and seeing this Gaara's sand formed a thick wall in front of him shielding him from the large counter attack.

"It's over." Iris said as she held up her hand and snapped her fingers. The huge mass of sand surrounding Gaara instantly combusted into a raging fireball which instantly turned all of the sand into crystallized glass. At the end of the hallway at the entrance was a huge wall made entirely out of crystal that sealed off the entrance into the apartment areas. "That should hold him for a few moments. We can make our escape through the balcony in daddy's room." Iris suggested as she brought her breathing back under control. She was using a lot of precise control over her powers and showing a lot of restraint in how she used them. They were fighting inside of a small cramped hallway and her fire could easily burn the entire complex down due to the sheer heat coming off of it. Iris was controlling the amount of time her fire remained in existence and she was also removing the oxygen in the area so that her fire wouldn't catch anything else on fire. That was why the building around them was still standing after Iris just lit Gaara's sand on fire. All of that precision and restraint was taking its toll on Iris who would have preferred an open environment with nothing around them.

"That was amazing mistress. I'm so proud of you." Aria gushed with a star struck expression on her face. She felt an immense amount of pride within herself to be serving such a powerful and resourceful mistress. Again it was her instincts as a supernatural creature and partly being a weaker species that was influencing her thought process. "I didn't do anything really…" Iris said with an embarrassed blush on her face. She was flustered by Aria's praise and admiration.

Turning her attention to her twin Iris grabbed Chaos and placed her hand on her forehead. "Come on sister. Now is not the time for you to be out of commission." Iris said as a trail of dark energy seeped out of Chaos through Iris's hand. Iris was absorbing the excess amount of negative energy Chaos was passively absorbing into her body. Once she got all of the extra negative energy out of her system Chaos would become responsive again. Before Iris could complete this task she felt a spike in Gaara's chakra. Snapping her head over to the crystal wall Iris's eyes widened in horror when the entire wall shattered with a loud bang. Copious amounts of sand came rushing out into the hallway with the family trapped at the end. They all took one look at Gaara and the girls eyes widened in shock when they saw that parts of Gaara's skin had been crystallized as well as some parts of his hair. He had an absolutely murderous look in his eyes as is sand surged down the little hallway.

' _We're running out of options. I have to use that new technique I created.'_ Aria thought to herself as she quickly jumped to her feat. Again the runes and glyphs on her hat lit up as she channeled her energy within her body. Her two medallions glowed a dark blue color as she unleashed a new attack. **"Psywave!"** Aria called out as concentric dark blue rings made out of pure psychic energy rushed out to intercepted the massive wall of deadly sand coming at them. The psychic wave pushed Gaara's sand out the way cutting a circular path all the way down the hallway back to Gaara whose dead eyes widened in slight surprise. The rest of his sand reformed around him and took the brunt of the attack forcing it to dissipate before it could reach him. But the way the sand moved afterwards was a clear indicator that Gaara was starting to waste chakra. A dark look crossed Gaara's face which caused the girls to flinch in fear.

No one notice the small stream of sand creep up from behind Iris before it was too late. **"Sand Coffin."** Gaara said in a dark tone as the sand on the floor wrapped itself around Iris's form who screamed in shock. "Mistress!" Aria shouted in panic as she turned to see her young mistress surrounded in sand. Gaara lifted his hand into the air and closed his hand into a fist. **"Sand Burial."** Iris scream out in pain as the sand around her violently constricted around her body. Iris gritted her teeth in pain as the sand on her body without warning combusted and turned into crystallized glass. "No! I can't move!" Iris screamed in absolute panic.

"Hold on little miss I'll get you out of that." Aria said with panic in her voice. Iris's entire midsection was encased in a shell of crystallized sand and her arms were pinned down to her waist. Her weapons fell out of her hand onto the floor and the added weight was making it hard for Iris to keep her balance. "I can't move my arms!" Iris panicked as she placed her feet wider apart so that she could maintain her balance. She felt so much heavier with the crystallized sand encasing her body.

"Don't worry little miss, I've got you." Aria soothed as she was about to use her powers to break Iris out of her constraints but she wouldn't get the chance. "Look out!" Iris warned as she sucked in a breath of air. Releasing the large pocket of air that she breathed in Iris unleashed a concussive blast of air that caused a hand made out of sand that was about to grabbed Aria to explode in midair.

"I'm growing tired of your resistance. Die." Gaara said as his killing intent spiked. A large wave of sand flooded the hallway with the intent of swallowing everyone up. Gaara's diversity of attack was limited due the confining space they were in but he was confident that he would get a decisive blow with this attack. Aria's reflective barriers only halved the momentum of physical attacks and objects with mass behind them. She couldn't muster up enough power to stone wall his relentless attacks with the persistence he was showing. Iris couldn't risk crystallizing his sand anymore if it got close to her because she would run the risk of fusing the crystal structure around her body to any additional sand he sent at her.

Aria scrambled to throw up a barrier in a futile attempt to protect her mistresses but in the back of her mind she knew she couldn't store up enough energy fast enough to actually stop the attack from getting through. Iris's eyes were slowly widening as she saw the attack incoming, her eyes switched from her sapphire color to a powerful emerald green at the very last second.

" **Aegis."**

The entire sand wall was stonewalled by a hexagonal patterned light blue wall of energy. Both Aria and Iris quickly turned their heads in shock only to see Chaos back on her feet with a look of insanity on her face. Her usual dopey look was present but it was ten times as prevalent and the shadows the light from her shield was casting on her face was making it even worst. "You've been a very naughty boy Gaara." Chaos said in a sing song like tone. Her shadow morphed on the wall and her wings appeared behind her back. **"Artemis**. Fire." Over a dozen small fast moving fireballs launched themselves from Chaos's blade like wings with Gaara's sand being quick to intercept.

" **Sand Shower Barrage."** Gaara intoned as a large stream of sand coiled around his body. From out of the thick branch of sand dozens of small sand bullets flew out and intercepted Chaos's attack perfectly causing small miniature explosions to occur in the hallway.

' _This has gone on long enough now. It's time I put an end to this.'_ Sōkyoku thought from within her cage as she watched the fight happen through Iris's eyes which were now a powerful emerald green. _'I know he has it. Now I just have to find it.'_ Sōkyoku thought as Iris closed her eyes in concentration. The mental image of a small boy with red hair holding a teddy bear with a lonely expression on his face filled Iris's mind. _'Just as I thought. Everyone has a story, just like this poor child here. He can't be helped now… but soon.'_ Sōkyoku pondered as she sent a small minute amount of her power into the mental image in Iris's mind.

The reaction was immediate. Gaara screamed as he held his head in apparent pain. "What did you do to me?" Gaara wheezed in pain as he held his head. "Mother." Gaara mumbled as all the sand in the hallway immediately retreated and formed around Gaara in a tight defensive stance. No attack that the girls would try could get through as the sand was completely dead set on ultimate defense.

"Leave us in peace my child. There is no need for conflict." Sōkyoku spoke up using Iris as her mouth peace. Iris's accent was completely thick and heavy and she sounded far older and mature. Very much like an adult which she mentally very much is. "Mother…" Gaara mumbled out as he completely lost focus on everything around him. His mind was a jumbled mess as an image of his mother appeared in his mind.

"Go… go home now. Everything is going to be ok." Sōkyoku said as her voice echoed and vibrated across the hallway. It was pounding away from inside Gaara's head and a warm golden light seeped out of Iris's mouth every time she spoke. "Yes mother…" Gaara whispered to himself as a haunted and truly disturbing expression was on the red heads face. Through all the multiple layers of insanity on display for the briefest of moments Sōkyoku through Iris's eyes saw flashes of sadness, grief, anguish, pain and so much more in Gaara's eyes before it was gone.

Without any warning Gaara disappeared in a sand body flicker as he left the apartment complex behind. The two hidden ANBU serving Danzō looked at each other before disappearing from their vantage point. They had seen everything they wanted to see and now they were going to make their report. "How did you do that milady?" Aria asked in awe and reverence. She's never seen anything like that before. She could feel the amount of power emanating from Iris right now and not only was it staggering but it felt warm and inviting. She felt safe just being around the little girl.

"Aria we need to clean up this mess before father returns. He cannot know what happened here." Sōkyoku spoke up using Iris as her medium. "What? But why mistress! Master needs to know what happened here tonight. We're not safe here anymore." Aria protested as she jumped to her feet. "No. If he found out that Gaara attacked us, then he would stop at nothing to get him back. A confrontation between those two would be very dangerous and others could get hurt. Father is already paranoid enough as it is already but if he knew that Gaara of all people knew where we lived it would worry him to no end. The time will come when we will deal with Gaara." Sōkyoku instructed as she flexed her muscles and the crystallized sand on her body shattered into a billion little shards.

"But he could tell that something happened." Aria protested. "Then we will simply come up with an excuse." Sōkyoku countered as the wind picked up in the hallway as Iris cleaned up all the shattered sand. "But we would be lying to master! I can't do that." Aria pleaded as she couldn't imagine lying to her master. "You can and you will. I understand your hesitance at this but it needs to be done. Do you understand Aria?" Sōkyoku forcefully instructed while looking at Aria with her glowing emerald eyes. Aria felt her mind give in yet again so she knew she had no choice.

"Yes mistress, as you wish." Aria said while bowing to the little girl. Seeing a six-year-old commanding and reprimanding a sixteen-year-old would look weird to anyone but considering what they both where it made sense.

Soon everything was cleaned up and Aria even placed the steel door back in place to make it look like nothing even happened. It took them at least 30 minutes but they eventually got everything cleaned up with all three girls pitching in.

They made it just in time since Naruto arrived not to long afterwards dressed in a suit and tie. "Hey girls, is everything ok?" Naruto questioned as he walked through the door to the apartment. He felt something was off but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Everything is fine master. The girls are ready for bed now just as you ordered." Aria said with her hands clasped together in front of her. "Ok I'll go put them to bed then." Naruto said as he placed the girls in bed and tucked them in. "Did you have a great day girls?" Naruto asked as he gently played with the girl's hair much to their enjoyment. Both Iris and Chaos shared a look with each other before they both gave Naruto an innocent yet excited look. "We had a great day daddy, me and Chaos had a spar and I won." Iris said cheerfully.

"So that's why I felt your energies acting up a while ago. Well good for you Iris; but I thought I told you girls to rest for the day?" Naruto congratulated with a smile as he petted Iris's head much to her delight but he tapped her on her small button nose in a reprimanding like way as he questioned them on why they were battling. Iris put on a sad puppy dog like expression on her face as she looked ashamed. "Sorry daddy, we couldn't help ourselves. We wanted to spar a bit." Iris explained with a cute pout and trembling lips.

Naruto fell for it instantly as he scratched the back of his head. "It's ok girls, I'm not mad it's fine. Let's just read you guys a bed time story alright." Naruto said sheepishly as he wanted to cheer Iris up. "Oh I know… how about you read us a scary story." Chaos suggested as her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Really? You guys want a scary story tonight?" Naruto questioned as he reached over and picked up a book with orange and black coloring and designs which was a major point in his book. The medium sized book had a deformed scary looking pumpkin on the front of it and the title read: **_[Scary Stories for Halloween]_**. "You love this book to much Chaos? I've never heard of Halloween before sweetie. Where do they celebrate this holiday and didn't you tell me it's at the end of October?" Naruto questioned as he opened the book and the pages where a worn out tan color and the words were written in an evil archaic cursive scripture to add to the scary vibe of the book.

"Yep it's supposed to be on October 31st Dada." Chaos chirped back in response. "You do realize it's July right?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. Chaos giggled in response to this as she spoke up. "Well it may be July for us but out there somewhere it's October for someone and they could be celebrating Halloween. So why not read a scary story tonight." Chaos said with childlike wonder sparkling in her eyes and voice. She looked and sounded very much like a child right now which was refreshing considering her personality.

"Well ok if you insist." Naruto chuckled as he couldn't turn Chaos down after she got so passionate like that. Chaos presented Naruto with this book one day a long time ago back when he was still teaching them how to read and ever since then Chaos would insist that he read her a story from the book every once in a while. She never told him where she found it from or who gave it to her, the only thing she said is that she got it from an amphibian which was extremely strange to Naruto, but the childlike wonder that would light up in her eyes every time Naruto would mention the book was enough to ease Naruto's worry. If it made her happy then it really didn't matter. Naruto was positive that this book was somehow magical since the book wasn't that thick yet whenever he flips through the pages they would not stop turning and would go on a never ending loop. The only way to reach the end of the book would be to turn it over and open it from the back end.

Iris rolled her eyes but a gentle smile was on her face as she looked at her sister with warmth in her eyes. She considered reprimanding her sister for her choice of words and the particular subject she was speaking of but Iris decided to let it go. She was far too tired to put up a fuss and she just wanted to spend the last few moments of peace with her family. She could sense a dark storm on the horizon and she didn't like it one bit.

Naruto looked over at another book on the small shelf next to the bed and he couldn't help but be drawn to it. Iris herself presented Naruto with this book the same day Chaos showed up with her book. The only difference was Iris never insisted that Naruto read this book to her, mostly on the account that Naruto couldn't open the book. It was sealed shut with a lock and key just like expensive Journals and Diaries. Naruto obviously didn't have the key and Iris never once mentioned having one so the book has remained sealed for years. She never said she got it from some amphibian or any other ridiculous excuse like Chaos. When asked Iris's response was to give her father a teasing coy look as her eyes flashed an emerald green. Back then Naruto didn't understand what the changing of her eye color meant. It was still very much a new concept to him at the time but as of now he knows this book is somehow tied to Sōkyoku in some way.

"Oh that book ok… you know I don't know who made this book. Where did you say you found this Iris?" Naruto asked as he picked up a pure white book with blue and gold accents designs around it. On the front cover the title read: _**[The Savior]**_.

Both Iris and Chaos shared a look with each other before they started to giggle.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Reflect –** An Psychic Type Technique that Aria uses. It allows Aria to half the momentum and velocity of any physical object with mass that comes in contact with her barrier that takes the shape of a square or rectangular pane of clear glass. When Aria packs a lot of Psychic Magic into this technique the glass will appear to have a kaleidoscope of rainbow like colors swimming around on the glass's surface. However, the weakness to this technique is that it can't block any attack against it that is not directly physical in nature such as a punch or a falling rock. If it was struck by a bolt of lightning or hit by a ball of flames the shield would break. If any energy based attacks or techniques are used against it, then the barrier will also break.

2.) **Psybeam –** A psychic type attack that is very powerful. The user concentrates large amounts of Psychic Magic into focus through a medium or object although there is no proof disproving the attack can't be fired from any body part. After concentrating a sufficient amount of Psychic Magic the magic becomes visible in the form of a kaleidoscope of colors from all across the light spectrum. The attack is then fired very quickly in a beam at the target. It is powerful enough to break through barriers and push people or objects back considerable distances. An additional affect that Aria incorporated into the move is that if the beam was to hit the victim in their eyes then the opponent would be rendered not only confused but also with severe damage to their equilibrium.

3.) **Psywave –** Aria's eyes glow light blue as well as her body. Aria then fires concentric light blue rings of psychic energy from her medallions hanging off of her hair. The shock waves vary in intensity and Aria can choose to send the attack out as a horizontal concentric pulse, a vertical ring like pulse which is her most used variation or as an omnidirectional pulse that hits everything but the amount of damage done is dispersed over the entire sphere of energy.

4.) **Sand Coffin –** With his ability to control sand, Gaara encases his opponents in a large amount of the special chakra-infused sand kept inside his gourd, immobilizing them. It can be used to suffocate an opponent or in preparation for a deadlier technique, the Sand Waterfall Funeral. This appears to be Gaara's signature technique.

5.) **Sand Burial –** After wrapping an opponent with sand with either Sand Coffin or Sand Shower, Gaara will cause the sand to implode and crush whatever is within it. According to Gaara, when used to kill a person, the death is so quick that there isn't even time for the victim to feel any pain. The pressure also produces a sizable fountain of blood. Gaara can control the pressure used in the attack, which allows him to either break bones or completely liquefy an opponent.

6.) **Aegis –** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

7.) **Artemis –** While her wings are manifested Chaos can conjure her tainted flames and target multiple objects or enemies at the same time using her targeting systems. When they fire they are fast, traveling two to three times faster than the fire balls she shoots from her hands. They are smaller and in the shape of bullets. They have a lot of piercing power but a lower amount of explosive power. They are good at intercepting or bombarding targets.

8.) **Sand Shower Barrage –** A more powerful version of Gaara's Sand Shower. Gaara creates dozens of sand bullets that he uses to attack the enemy in rapid succession.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ This is quite different from normal chapters but it served a purpose. For one no one is safe with Gaara around and his homicidal tendencies. Two it showcases a scene where the girls have to fight on their own without Naruto nearby to help it also ties in Danzō and his meddling. The chapter serves many purposes but I think it came out quite alright.

 _ **[Happy Halloween to any who celebrate it. This chapter is for you all. Stay safe everyone.]**_

Next Chapter: _**(Second Stage: Forest of Death)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 33 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published: 10/31/2016_**


	35. CH: 34 Second Stage: Forest of Death

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with another chapter for the story and we will be getting into the Forest of Death Arc. I can't wait for you guys to see all that I have planned as it is going to be great. I don't really have much to say so let's get right into the chapter.

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Chapter 34

 _ **Second Stage: Forest of Death**_

"I guess I'm the last one here huh?" Naruto spoke up with a yawn as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He was decked out in his full shinobi outfit. Blue short sleeved shirt with mesh armor underneath, sleeveless orange hoodie with orange pants on. The pants had a blue stripe going down each side of it. Around his leg he had his Kunai holster and on the back of his waist he had a beige colored pack filled with essential weapons and tools. He no longer carried his large backpack around anymore due to his many months of studying up on Fūinjutsu. On each of Naruto's arms in invisible ink are dozens of storage sealing arrays filled to the brim with all of his equipment and tools. Any and everything both domestic and militaristic was sealed away inside the storage arrays waiting to be used. On his forehead Naruto had his blue clothed headband that he treasures very much secured tightly, he cleans and polishes it every week to keep it in mint condition. Finally, around his neck covered up by the fabric of his hoody was his black chained choker with the teddy bear pendant attached to the end of the chain. This was Chaos and Iris in disguise.

"You look like you're ready to pass out." Shikamaru commented as he looked at his friend who had bags underneath his eyes. "Well working 16-hour shift with barely any breaks in-between and 3 hours of sleep would do that to ya." Naruto fired back with a mumble. The rookie nine had gathered at the park down the street from Naruto's apartment. It was early in the morning. 7:20 to be precise and the exam starts at 8:00 on the dot. After exchanging greetings with one another the group got down to business. "Ok I'll cut right to the chase. I came up with a basic plan for us since we don't know the specifics of the exam. What we do know however is that every time during the second exam for the last 5 years all the participating teams are pitted against each other with only a hand full making it out on top. I don't know exactly what we are going to be doing this time around but I can safely bet we will most likely be fighting against the others." Shikamaru explained as he looked at everyone present.

Shikamaru took out a map of the Forest of Death that he was able to get from his father's study. "At the center of the battle ground is a large tower. This is most likely our final destination. A large river runs nearby which splits the entire training ground in half. There is some small mountainous terrain to the north but nothing too serious and everything else is completely covered in thick, dense forestry. There are a few swamps just south of the rivers on the southern portion of the area but nothing that should slow us down." Shikamaru continued as he noticed everyone paying him attention.

"Most teams are going to avoid the swamps since it would slow them down and it is the perfect ambush point for people who know how to take advantage of their surroundings; just east of the swamps is a large clearing. The only clearing in the entire forest to be exact. No one would be stupid enough to walk in the wide open like that which just leaves the small patch of forest in between the swamps and the clearing. Someone is going to come through them to maintain their cover and that is the perfect place for our ambush." Shikamaru explained while taking a quick breath. He wasn't used to talking this much. "Not only that but if need be we can escape towards the swamps or the clearing to draw out our attackers in case of an emergency then change direction to head towards the rivers in the middle." Shikamaru further added.

"That's a well thought out plan Shikamaru. I didn't know you had it in you." Ino commented as she sat next to her teammate. She was impressed. Most of the time Shikamaru would fall asleep during their team exercises. "Yeah, yeah… it's a drag but it needed to be done. Whatever our objective for this exam is going to be we will find it in this spot. For that reason, our teams will be assigned different roles based on what our teams were designed to do. So guys listen up." Shikamaru said as he grabbed everyone's attention.

"My team, Team 10 will be our immobilizing team, we will capture our enemy in whatever trap we come up with. Team 8 will be our tracking and scout team. They will scout out any potential enemy teams in the area and it will be their job to lead them to the rest of us. Team 7 will be our strike team. In case things get ugly or if our targets prove to be stronger than anticipated then it will be your jobs to fight them while the rest of us gives up backup. 9 against 3 is a great advantage for us to have, we shouldn't waste it." Shikamaru instructed as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Shikamaru… what if the objective of the test is for us to fight against each other. What if our teams are pitted against each other for some reason?" Ino asked in worry. Some of the others perked up at this since that notion didn't come to their minds. "We won't." Naruto spoke up catching the others attention. He was being rather quite this entire time, instead letting Shikamaru doing all the talking. "We shouldn't be too hasty to stab each other in the back. If we are forced to fight against each other than quit. We are all teammate here so we should act like it and watch each other's back. I highly doubt this test is just going to be a simple free for all where we just have to eliminate the rest of the teams. That's to straight forward, there is going to be a bigger objective in mind and we should not let it blind us." Naruto stated while raising everyone's spirits. Seeing everyone relax some Naruto leaned back with a small smile on his face.

The three teams talked for a few more minutes before they all got up since then needed to be at the training grounds in half an hour. "Hey what's with you?" Shikamaru discreetly whispered as the nine Genin headed over to the location of their second exam. The lazy boy hung back to match pace with Naruto who was silent for most of the time. "It's not my lack of sleep if that was what you were wondering." Naruto jabbed back in jest. "I never thought it was. You look like something is troubling you." Shikamaru correctly guessed. "Yeah something is… I met a person who honestly terrifies me." Naruto mumbled back with a look in his eyes which silently shocked Shikamaru.

* * *

 _ **Monte Carlo Casino**_

"Sir how do you plan on dealing with this?" Shoko asked as she was sitting in the chair in front of Dino's desk. The Kingpin of the Mafia was sitting behind his expensive desk with a cup of tea in hand as well as an expensive tea set placed on a small rolling cart next to his desk filled with tea for him to refill his cup with if needed. The rounded old man looked up with his amber eyes at his senior advisor, bodyguard, agent, and surrogate adoptive daughter with a tired sigh. "There isn't much we can do at this exact moment my dear. It's quite troubling to know that we have people like him starting to move again." Dino commented as he sipped some of his tea. A report was in his old wrinkled hands as his amber eyes glossed over the confidential words written neatly over it. Another sigh escaped his lips as he sat the paper down on the wood of his desk.

"Does the Hokage know about this sir?" Shoko asked as she eyed the paper herself from across the desk. "Of course… Hiruzen knows that his baggage is out their causing some trouble. He can't actively look into this matter himself or else it would tip of that slippery little brat that we're on to him. That is why Hiruzen asked us to head the investigation in his stead." Dino explained as he took another sip of his tea. "I'm worried sir. First that woman shows up again and now him of all people popping up after all this time in hiding. This can't be a coincidence." Shoko stated with a bit of venom in her voice.

"I agree with you on this Shoko. Whether they are secretly working together or not is a subject for another debate but the fact that the two of them have been so active lately is definitely cause for alarm. We must handle this very carefully. We don't know what that unpredictable snake is after or where he is and until we know these things we must tread carefully. Especially with Balalaika hanging around once again." Dino speculated as he placed the documents he was just reading into his desk cabinet.

"Speaking of which why would you and Lord Hokage let her back into the village for a second time? You know how dangerous and unpredictable she is. I'm more worried about her being here than whatever that pale freak is up to." Shoko expressed her worry and distain for particular people known. "I understand Shoko but in reality it would be a lot more trouble if we refused her entrance into the village. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all of that…" Dino said with a flippant wave of his hand.

"But why is she so interested in Naruto? Is she that obsessed with him? Did Kushina really leave that big of an impact on her?" Shoko stressed as she leaned back in her chair with stress and worry clearly written on her face. "You knew them both very well my dear. You tell me…" Dino idly said as he took a sip from his tea. Shoko was staring up at the ceiling reminiscing about what happened a few short hours ago.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

The party was in full swing and Naruto could honestly say he was not only overwhelmed but now he was secretly scared. Naruto showed up to the Casino in the afternoon after receiving the summons by Dino. He was greeted to the sight of his fellow co-workers hustling about setting up the casino and prepping it for the party to come. Everything was being cleaned up, polished, and special equipment for the night was being unboxed and set up. Taking a few minutes to let this all sink in Naruto then got his directions from Chef Adam who as usual was coordinating the multi-crew operation that was going to take at least another two hours to set up. Well that is until Naruto showed up. His fellow colleagues were going to abuse his use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu to help make things go easier and faster for everyone involved.

With Naruto's help things quickly got set up far faster that it should and it gave the other mafia members a chance to rest. Soon the party guess started to trickle in as the day started to turn to dusk. Famous people and more importantly wealthy individuals with a lot of influence started to make their appearances. Naruto had to be on his best behavior and be as professional as possible. That was fine by him. It wasn't that much pressure and he's done this many times. An hour later he was severely eating those words when the last person on earth he would ever expect to show up did just that. Show up.

Balalaika showed up to the party with the exact same imposing presence as last time and Naruto had no time to hide since the older woman immediately zoomed in on him the moment she arrived. She was aware he was there so he knew it was pointless to hide. Naruto tried to convince himself that everything would be fine as long as he kept his contact with the mysterious woman as close to zero as possible. So with that in mind Naruto made sure to stay as far away from the woman as possible for over an hour but all of that was thrown right off the tallest mountain when Balalaika specifically requested him to serve her for the night. Naruto tried to worm his way out of this by making the excuse that since only the senior members were present tonight they were a bit understaffed and he would need to attend to other customers but his hopes and dreams were crushed before his very eyes when the blond haired woman pulled out a special card that had his face on it.

The card was very similar to a ticket in its function. Whichever client wins the card with an employee on it they get to have that employee serve them exclusively for the rest of the night. This happens every night which was fine since Naruto usually ended up with a regular to the Casino or his card wasn't entered into the raffle. Only 10 employee's cards were picked each night for this game and those 10 cards are randomly picked from a hat with everyone's cards in it.

Naruto couldn't get a read on the older woman. He couldn't understand her true motives especially since her body language gave nothing away. The Kingpin of the Hidden Stone was as calm as ever as she forced Naruto to engage in conversation with her throughout the night. From random everyday subjects to more shinobi related aspects she grilled him in all of it. In the game of word play and mind games Naruto was absolutely no match for the veteran woman who was picking him apart. Looking for things that he had no idea about. It frazzled his nerves but he was trying his best to hold on through the night. The overprotectiveness and one-sided animosity Shoko was throwing out the entire night in their direction wasn't helping matters either. None of the other clients could sense it but you could easily cut the tension with a knife.

"I hear from your fellow colleagues that you're quite good at these games of luck. Will you play with me?" Balalaika asked politely while resting her head on one of her open palms. She was perfectly relaxed and content as her intimidating dark blue eyes bored into Naruto's skull. The shade of blue her dead eyes took on was far different to people like Naruto, Iris, and Eva who all shared a very similar eye color. In fact, the three of them almost had identical colored blue eyes with Iris's just being unnaturally brighter by a fair margin due to being a supernatural being. Eva also had this same phenomenon but not to the same degree. "Sure…" Naruto answered stiffly as he sat down with the tall woman by a slot machine. A glass of expensive wine was in her other hand as she watched Naruto work the machine and they instantly won a high prize. "I guess your co-workers weren't exaggerating." Balalaika idly commented as she watched Naruto place her winnings inside a bag.

Poker, blackjack, Russian Roulette which was Balalaika's favorite, and many more. The duo toured the casino and played many games which with Naruto's unnatural luck made it so that Balalaika racked up an uncanny number of winnings which the older woman expressed her gratitude very excessively.

"Those cute little whisker marks on your cheeks are quite interesting. I don't know why you tried to hide them underneath that transformation the last time we met but I must say they remind me so much of a fox that its uncanny." Balalaika commented idly as she watched Naruto squirm and slightly flinch at her mentioning of a fox. Her smile grew an inch as she noticed these things from the boy she was silently tormenting just with her very presence. "It's probably just a coincidence. I get that a lot." Naruto responded as he refilled her wine glass. Naruto almost dropped the expensive bottle of glass which was 4 times as much as his monthly check when Balalaika placed her hands on his cheek.

"Your face kind of reminds me of a tomato. It's so round." Balalaika commented as Naruto froze up on the spot. "I… uhmm…" Naruto didn't know what to say as this has never happened to him before. He could feel and sense the near limitless amount of chakra underneath the surface of her skin as she touched him. It far outclassed his already impressive reserves by a mile and it was even bigger than the Hokage's. To have that much chakra inside your body was insane to Naruto and it scared him even more. "Then this unkempt spiky blond hair and blue eyes. You know you have some very unique and peculiar features. Certainly none I've seen in this village so far…" Balalaika continued as she trailed her hand up to Naruto's hair and Naruto was trying everything he could to pull away before the older woman's hand could reach Eva but his body just wouldn't respond. He felt paralyzed by her monstrous aura and chakra reserves.

"Are you enjoying yourself tonight miss?" Shoko asked as she oh so conveniently showed up at that exact moment with a professional aura surrounding her but in reality it was anything but. "Oh yes, I'm enjoying myself quite nicely tonight. If there is anything you guys here in the leaf know how to do, then it's definitely how to throw a party. The music is excellent, the food is always a plus especially when you have that handsome chef in the back making it, and the excellent customer service can't be beat." Balalaika complimented in what was supposed to be her cheerful voice but because of the fact her voice was so husky and deep it was a hit or miss in Naruto's opinion. Her voice did trail off as she looked directly at Naruto when she said customer service. Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine when Balalaika looked at him.

"Naruto I need for you to go get our guest here another bottle, I'll fill in for you while you're gone." Shoko said as she not so subtly moved Naruto out of Balalaika's grasp. "Oh… ok." Naruto trailed off as he mindlessly walked off. He knew that the particular bottle Balalaika was drinking was a special brand so it would only be found in the back with the rest of the stock. Once Naruto was out of ear shot Shoko leveled Balalaika with a smoldering glare that would make any man have a heart attack. The Kingpin returned the stare with an amused glance filled with cockiness and enjoyment. "Don't you touch him like that again or I will kill you." Shoko growled as her radiant purple eyes darkened to almost black in intensity. "As if you could. Poor little Shoko… the only Titan of the Leaf left alive. Oh how the mighty have fallen." Balalaika belittled as she took a sip from her almost empty glass of wine.

Shoko's facial features were twisting into something ugly but she was holding herself back with all her will. "You know Karasuba misses you so much. She's been so lonely this past decade in a half without her favorite playmate to fight. Maybe you two should meet up one day and catch up on old times. It's a real shame I forgot to bring her with me." Balalaika conversed idly while watching Shoko crumple the metal tray tucked underneath her arm. "I'd rather you keep forgetting to bring her." Shoko spat as she glared down at woman in front of her. "Oh well your lost… anyways how long do you intend to protect their son? Poor Kushina is probably rolling around in her grave with how much you baby that boy. You can't protect him forever; he's eventually going to need to learn the truth. Maybe it's best he learns it from an old family friend like me." The Kingpin goaded with a sadistic gleam to her eye.

"You stay away from him. I'll be the one to decide when he learns of his heritage. Not you or anyone else." Shoko growled as she nearly bit her tongue to keep from screaming what she wanted to say out loud. The purple haired woman was lightly trembling as her breath picked up. She was seriously holding herself back form out right attacking the woman in front of her even though she knew that would be the worst possible thing for her to do. Not only would everyone else around them quickly die in the crossfire and collateral damage but Shoko knew deep down that she would also die as well if Dino doesn't intervene in time.

Balalaika looked off to the side and saw Naruto making his way back with a new bottle in hand and Dino himself was on the main floor as well. A cruel smile worked its way onto Balalaika's face as she turned to address Shoko. "You can keep playing your pitiful game of house with that boy for a little while longer but the time will come when he must face the real world in front of him. I will not allow Kushina's legacy to be some weak ant that I can crush without lifting a finger. For his sake he had better live up to his parent's level or he won't last very long and I'll personally see to that." Balalaika threatened with a dead look.

"I will never let that happen…" Shoko said slowly with a lot of passion and overprotectiveness in her voice. The emotions were all in her purple eyes as she stared down one of the most powerful and dangerous person to ever live. "Poor little Shoko, can't give up that dream of being a mother." Balalaika said with a shake of her head as a cruel smile was on her face. Shoko's chakra exploded from her body shaking the very foundation of the building itself. All of the customers inside the building instinctively grabbed on to the nearest object to keep themselves from losing their balance. Naruto dropped the bottle of wine in his hands since he was caught completely off guard by the sudden explosion of power by Shoko. The bottle smashed against the floor and Naruto knew that those bottles were extremely expensive, if not for the urgent predicament happening a few yards away he would feel his heart sink at the punishment Mr. Dino would no doubt give him.

"Ladies I trust everything is going well over here?" Dino asked pleasantly as he placed a hand on Shoko's forearm and the building immediately stopped shaking. Shoko's shoulders were trembling with rage as her eyes burned a hole into Balalaika's skull. "I'll kill you…" Shoko seethed as she attempted to summon her sword but Dino squeezed Shoko's arm which forced her oppressive chakra back inside her body. "Now, now Shoko that's no way to talk to a customer even if they were out of line. Come now I need you to go attend to those new merchants who took over Gatō's old shipping company. Now go get yourself calmed down and do your job my dear." Dino said as his short stature didn't stack up well compared to the two woman who were both over six feet tall.

"Yes sir." Shoko gritted out as she methodically made her way over to the exits so she could find a restroom to compose herself in. "Balalaika I don't know what game you are playing but I must warn you. Don't do something like that again. Am I clear young lady?" Dino reprimanded with a stern voice as he leveled the much younger woman and fellow Kingpin with a smoldering glare. "Crystal." Balalaika replied with a dangerously confident look in her eye.

* * *

 _ **Flashback End**_

The rookie nine made it to the clearing outside the Forest of Death with a few minutes to spare. At least 2 dozen other teams were in attendance already with the last few remaining teams trickling in as the hour hand approached 8:00. Naruto didn't elaborate further to Shikamaru about their earlier conversation but it did leave the lazy genius silently wondering.

By now Naruto was more awake and alert especially with so many foreign team's around. Naruto's eyes roamed across the gathered participants and his eyes landed on a team he saw in the hallway the day before. Looking at their white clothed headbands and the stylized cloud symbol on the metal plate Naruto knew they were from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. The first one was the girl he spotted the previous day with the dark skin and amber eyes with burgundy red hair. On her back was a katana in a sheath ready to be used at a moments noticed and based on the tone muscles he could clearly see on her exposed arms he could tell she was in excellent shape and she knew exactly how to use that sword she carried.

Next to the girl standing close to her was a boy with dark skin just like his teammate and he had white hair and black eyes. Oddly enough he had a lollipop of all things in his mouth but Naruto wasn't one to judge. If given the chance, he would gorge himself on candy all day long but that wouldn't be setting a great example for the girls especially Chaos who would eat every piece of candy in sight. He also had a long katana on his back that looked almost identical to the girl's and the way the two expressed their body language Naruto could easily tell from a mile away that they were great partners and were very skilled at tag team style fighting.

The final member of the three-man team was another girl who had short blond hair in a bob cut and piercing blue eyes. She was white with cream colored skin and she was just a tad bit taller than her two teammates. On her back was a medium sized Tantō strapped horizontally across her back in easy reach of her hands. She looked to be about a year older than them so that placed her about 13 to 14 years old while her teammates were Naruto's age of 12 in a half. Based on this and everything else Naruto noticed about that team he correctly guessed that they were a team that excelled and specialized in Kenjutsu which was a common theme among shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. One thing that Naruto fortunately or unfortunately noticed depending on who you ask was the fact that the girl was rather curvaceous for someone so young. She already had what looked to be a C-Cup and her hip, waist, and thigh ratio was already shaping up despite her age. Before he finds himself in the dog house again Naruto adverted his eyes quickly only for them to land on another girl.

This girl was dressed in brown and had a red headband on her forehead with a stylized rock symbol on the metal plate. It was the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Stone. She had short black hair in a bob cut as well and large round black eyes. She had a rather laid back disposition but something was warning Naruto that she was not to be underestimated and that she was very talented. Next to her was a taller and rounder boy with chubby cheeks and slicked back black hair hidden under a red bandana with the Hidden Stone's symbol on it. He had a large backpack on his back and his flowing clothes helped to conceal anything else he may be hiding. The third and final teammate of theirs was another boy with generic looks that would help him blend in with a crowd.

' _Those two teams are going to be handfuls if we run across them in the forest. I really hope we don't.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he gazed at a few other teams of interest. The weird girl with red hair and red eyes. She had two generic looking teammates but as he looked towards her she suddenly perked up and looked in his direction with a look of momentary shock. Naruto almost let out a startled gasp since that couldn't have possibly been a coincidence but he adverted his eyes to defuse the weird situation.

His eyes quickly found the girl with dark skin and mint green hair from yesterday. She wasn't hard to spot since she stood out quite easily. She also had two generic teammates but her very presence as well as a few others like Gaara and that strange red headed girl stood out to Naruto in the crowd of participants. Naruto also noticed that strange team for that unknown village with the music note and he instantly got a bad vibe from them. He didn't know what it was but something about them set him on edge. He made a mental note to try and stay clear of them during the exam for as long as possible.

A tall pole with a clock on it was at the main entrance to the area and the hour hand struck 8:00. Right on que a large cloud of smoke erupted in front of the large group of participants and out of that cloud of smoke appeared Anko with a total of 44 Chūnin and 6 Jōnin dressed in uniform and in a crisp neat line.

"Alright maggots listen up! The second stage of the Chūnin Exams are about to begin!" Anko declared loudly for all to hear. The crowd grew alert as they all turned their attention to the weird and unusual proctor they met yesterday. This time Anko wasn't drunk but she still had a somewhat relaxed disposition. Her much more experienced eyes roamed the crowd looking at all the most prominent and interesting participants before finally resting her eyes on Naruto who gave a tiny smile back in greeting. He hasn't seen Anko at all since yesterday afternoon in the classroom.

"Ok brats let's cut to the chase. I'll explain the rules to you all once and you'll listen. Simple as that. I won't repeat myself so let's get started." Anko began as she put on a more serious demeanor. "This place behind me here is Training Ground 44 otherwise known as the Forest of Death. It was created by The First Hokage over sixty years ago and till this day it still stands in the same condition as it was on the day it was created. For the next 5 days you will call this training facility your home." Anko narrated as she scanned the crowd for any people not listening to her.

Anko could hear the whispers of the participants who were not expecting to here this. "Your objective is simple… you see these two scrolls here." Anko began as she took out two scrolls from her large trench coat. One of them was brown and had the Kanji for _[Earth]_ written on it and the other scroll was cream in color and had the Kanji for _[Heaven]_ on it. "Each team will be given one scroll. Either it will be a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. In the end the process is completely random… however one thing that is one hundred percent guaranteed is half of you will end up with a Heaven scroll and the other half will end up with an Earth scroll." Anko said cheerfully with a smile. The gears in some people's heads started to turn as everyone began to contemplate what was being told to them.

"Your mission is to make it to the tower at the center of the training ground with both a Heaven and Earth scroll in your team's possession by the time the five-day time limit expires." Anko said with a smug smile once she saw the looks on the Genin start to change. She saw that the Genin were starting to catch on to the purpose of the test. "That means we have to fight another team and steal their scroll from them." Sakura mumbled to herself as she looked towards her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded towards her in encouragement to calm her nerves which worked as Sakura composed herself.

"What about food? What are we supposed to eat for 5 days?" Chōji moaned in devastation as he couldn't imagine himself going 5 days without eating his favorite foods. "The forest is teaming with all types of wildlife. I'm sure you can find something in their edible. Although there are a lot of carnivorous animals in there and we humans are kind of on the bottom of the food chain once you step through those gates… but oh well not my problem, I'm not taking this test." Anko cheerfully said as she tried to console Chōji but her attitude became carefree and heartless towards the end. The woman had no tact whatsoever.

"So we have to get the opposite scroll that we have from another team and make it to the tower in five days. That should be easy." Kiba cockily said with an air of confidence which was easily bordering on arrogance. "Hold your leash their kibbles I wasn't finish yet. I still have to explain the rules and guidelines of this test." Anko said in a patronizing tone as she wagged her index finger in Kiba's direction who was both embarrassed and enraged as he was visibly seething at Anko's comment. The special Jōnin was using her old pet name for Kiba back during the time she was a teacher in the Academy months ago.

"I'll go through the list of rules quickly so listen up and do not interrupt me." Anko said as she cleared her throat.

"Rule 1… if your team does not make it to the tower in 5 days' time you fail."

"Rule 2… if your team shows up at the tower missing a teammate or with a dead teammate you fail."

"Rule 3… if your team shows up at the tower missing a teammate but still with both scrolls… you still fail." That particular rule got whispers and words of conjecture but Anko quickly put a stop to that.

"Rule 4… if you show up to the tower with two of the same scrolls you fail."

"Rule 5… if you show up to the tower with a fake scroll, or one scroll being real while the other is fake then you fail either way." This rule got a few individuals to let out a disappointed aura as their plans were cut down before they could even start them.

"Rule 6… if your team shows up at the tower with both scrolls but there is damage done to them; even the slightest bit. It could be a small tear in the fabric. You fail." Anko said without remorse. This rule got a lot of complaints that were way more vocal than the last but once again Anko cut them down without missing a beat.

"Rule 7… and this one is the most important of them all… if your team tampers with or opens the scrolls at any point in time before being within the central tower not only will you fail but there's also about a 90% chance that you'll die… and now that I think about it, probably almost instantly too. Also not only do you guys probably die but the rest of the participant's lives become even more endangered than before. So yeah do not open the scroll under any circumstances until you are inside the tower and only if you have both a heaven and earth scroll." Anko warned as she was seemingly talking about the nice weather they were conveniently having today since the grim reality of their test was not reflected in her tone of voice or attitude.

"So that is all the rules that you need to know. Now my subordinates here are passing out waivers here and you must sign them or you will not be permitted to take part in the exam. Now before you ask I'll just answer it for you. These papers are basically shields for us so that the Leaf is not held responsible for your inevitable death. As per Shinobi law and culture once you become a Genin you are legally an adult even if you are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of rank and experience. So you get to decide here and now if you are ready to step into that forest and more than likely potentially die." Anko said happily while clapping her hands together. Her voice did take on a mature and serious tone as she mentioned the waivers and what they really mean but she was still pretty laid back with her explanation.

' _Ok there are a total of 28 teams here. I expect at least half of them to be cut from this stage of the exam.'_ Anko hypothesized but she quickly amended her thought process when she saw a total of two teams quit the exam as their hearts gave into the dread and realization of potentially dying. _'Ok never mind… so 26 Teams are going to be entering the forest. At least 13 of them are going to be eliminated right off the bat. This is going to be so much fun.'_ Anko thought to herself as she watched the remaining Genin signed the forms handed to them.

Once everyone signed the waivers Anko clapped to grab everyone's attention. "Ok everyone sends one member of your team to this booth over here to receive your teams scroll. Line up in this line over here." Anko instructed as a booth could be seen with a curtain keeping prying eyes out. Two of the six Jōnin were sitting behind the table in the booth ready to hand out a scroll to each team. Two more Jōnin were outside the booth loitering around close to the line that was forming and the last two were in the crowd keeping an eye on the large group of Genin while also collecting their signed waivers. Anko herself was standing around the booth collecting the stack of waivers from the Genin.

Soon enough Naruto was able to collect his scroll from the booth. It was a Heaven Scroll. The Jōnin at the booth also told Naruto that his team would be entering the forest through Gate Number 12. Naruto quickly sealed up the scroll into one of his many storage seals. Heading back over to his teammates Naruto informed them of the Gate they would be entering. "So it would seem like our plan is a go then." Sasuke commented with crossed arms with Naruto agreeing.

"We got Gate 27 so it's going to take us longer to meet up with you guys." Shikamaru revealed while keeping his voice down. He didn't want anyone to hear them. "We have gate 16 so we won't be too far away from your team Naruto." Hinata said with a small smile which got one to appear on Naruto's face as well. "Then that means that our two teams should find a place to meet up and then we both make our way over to Shikamaru's team since his Gate is closer to our ambush point." Naruto suggested since it was the most viable plan. "Agreed. Once we all get their it will only be a matter of time before someone shows up then we can get them." Shikamaru stated as he scratched the back of his neck. His lazy expression hadn't changed but the others knew he was serious.

Before anything else could be said a kunai whizzed through the air and cut Naruto's cheek which startled him. He instantly grabbed a kunai from his holster and stabbed backwards just in time since Anko herself was latched onto his back. "That was for yesterday in the classroom. I had to eat take out because of you." Anko whispered into his ear as she licked the blood trickling down his face off. Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine at the action and Hinata was blushing with her hands covering her eyes. Anko's other hand was stopping Naruto's kunai from impaling her in the stomach while her other arm was draped over Naruto's shoulder. "Well learn how to cook then, or better yet don't waste all your money on Dango and booze so much then maybe you wouldn't be broke all the time." Naruto growled back in irritation to his surrogate older sister.

"Excuse me." A new voice spoke up which silently set both Anko and Naruto on edge. "You dropped this ma'am." A brass like voice slithered out as an impossibly long tong extended out of an older teens mouth. The voice sounded extremely feminine and based on the long silky black hair Naruto was almost incline to believe the person standing behind him was a female but the posture, physique, and a few more indicators were making him reconsider his judgement call.

"Oh why thank you. I do tend to drop these things." Anko thanked graciously with a pleasant smile. "But just for fair warning in the future don't ever approach me or another shinobi from behind like that again. You might just die." Anko warned as a sliver of danger entered into her voice. "My apologies then. It's the scent of blood… it's exciting me." The mysterious boy said from beneath his straw hat. "Well keep that bloodlust in check next time." Anko said as she walked off leaving Naruto with the rest of his teammates. Naruto idly placed his kunai back in its holster while looking over his shoulder. That mysterious boy freaked him out greatly.

"Ok everyone in a few minutes after all the teams have gathered their scrolls you will all head off towards your assigned gate. The Second phase will begin at exactly 8:30 on the dot." Anko announced as the line was about half way through. It was now 8:17.

"Well, guys I guess it's time. Good luck." Naruto said as he wished all of his classmate's good luck. This was going to be a hard task to complete even with the nine of them agreeing to work together. Their entire plan was based on their strengths and faith in one another. They had no idea how strong or skilled the other teams were; so even if they set up a successful ambush that didn't' necessarily mean they would walk away from the encounter without a scratch or injuries. Not to mention there is no telling if the enemy team could escape.

Everyone wished each other luck as the teams split up to find their assigned gates. It was almost time and the rookies could feel their hearts beating out of their chest. They could feel the pressure of this exam and they had no idea what type of challenges they would encounter during their time in the forest but they all silently promised to do their best.

Back at the booth Anko was quiet as she silently wished Naruto good luck. _{Anko are the teams in position?}_ The Hokage's old voice came in over the small wireless radio in her ear. "Yes Lord Hokage the teams are moving into position. We will begin on schedule." Anko replied to her leader by pressing the small button on her ear piece. _{Very good. Keep me informed of any developments.}_ Hiruzen stated as he talked into a microphone on his desk. "Yes Lord Hokage, as you wish." Anko replied while taking her hand off of the button.

Hiruzen sat back in his comfortable chair behind his desk with a sigh as he turned off the microphone with a press of a button. A black cord could be seen trailing off the desk onto the floor where it plugs into a socket. The telephone wires and other cables seen crisscrossing throughout the buildings and streets of the village had many uses. Inconspicuous reception towers were dotted all over the village and loosely connected to the normal telephone wires these reception towers allowed for the remote communication between radio headsets. However, they only worked within a certain range of the village and the further away from a reception tower you were the weaker the signal became. Luckily Anko was standing next to one of these towers. The pole with the clock on it was the hidden reception tower in her area so she heard her leaders voice loud and clear.

"I take it you aren't here for a social visit Danzō?" Hiruzen sighed as he looked up at his oldest friend who crawled out of the shadows of his office like he normally did. The tapping of his walking cane against the floor was once again heard in the office as Danzō took his seat. "Unfortunately not Hiruzen. I have some interesting news to share with you." Danzō said as he pulled out a scroll and placed it on Hiruzen's desk. The Third picked up the scroll before unraveling it. His eyes darted across the parchment paper with decades of experience and his eyes slowly rose up in shock.

"Danzō you didn't." Hiruzen asked in disbelieve. "It had to be done Hiruzen. They are unknowns and as such they needed to be tested." Danzō defended himself when Hiruzen leveled him with a look of anger. "They are just children Danzō! Children! They could have died!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he slammed his hand down on his desk. The action didn't phase Danzō one bit who continued to look at his best friend even if the nature of their friendship tends to be rocky in most aspects.

"No. They are unknown supernatural beings with exceedingly dangerous abilities and untold amounts of power. Who's to say that they are really children. The could be shapeshifting their appearances just like how they can transform and hide themselves in plain view on the boy's person with no one being the wiser. Or they could be far older than they are letting on but still retaining a child's body. The list goes on Hiruzen, there could be any number of scenarios to explain what they are." Danzō pleaded his case with carefully constructed words. He didn't know what they were but based on the reports he received from his men he could make a general guess in the right direction.

"That doesn't excuse what you've done Danzō. You used the Hidden Sand's Jinchūriki to conduct this little test of yours. We already know he is unstable and that we warned the Sand to keep a tight leash on him. What if his Tailed Beast broke free for whatever reason? Hundreds would die before we could quickly bring it down. There are consequences to your actions Danzō." Hiruzen admonished as he was far from happy with what his friend did behind his back. "Be that as it may the test revealed unforeseeable results. That little girl controlled the Jinchūriki with just her words alone and forced him into an all-out retreat. Not to mention her actual combat abilities with her Fire and Wind manipulation. From what she's demonstrated and the data gathered both yesterday and from the Land of Wave's incident she is clearly Chūnin Level if not a bit higher and she is biologically six. That type of potential is almost unheard of. Very few in the last few generations not to mention this day and age could lay claim to such accolades." Danzō pushed as he leaned forward in his chair to get his point across.

Hiruzen sighed as he leaned back in his chair to contemplate all that he has learned. "It is clear to me that you went behind my back even though I warned you a few months ago not to do so and it is also clear to me that you will continue to do so against my wishes so with that in mind I'm giving you permission to continue to observe them but under no circumstances are you to touch them and you are not to pull such a reckless stunt again Danzō am I clear." Hiruzen conceded before he laid out his offer with an order and demand at the end to show he meant business. "Understood. Thank you Hiruzen. I promise that no harm shall come to those children in the future." Danzō thanked graciously with a nod of his head.

"Danzō…" Hiruzen glared as he easily caught on to the word play Danzō was using. It was clever and if he was any an inexperienced person he would have completely missed it. Danzō's last words could easily be interpreted in many ways and Hiruzen wasn't foolish enough to put it past his oldest friend to do something shady in the background and get away with it. Finding proof of Danzō's dirty work was just as impossible as getting his old students back together. It just wasn't possible in the old man's eyes despite how optimistic he was.

"One more thing." Danzō said as he changed the subject causing Hiruzen's glare to intensify as a frown creased his face. "What do you plan to do with Balalaika now that she has again made contact with Naruto Uzumaki? It is only a matter of time before she decides to reveal something that she shouldn't and the only person in the world with a one hundred percent chance of stopping her or reining her in is dead and ironically enough it's her son who is the focus of this problem. I can count on my hand the number of people left in this world who she'd actually tread carefully around and none of us are getting any younger as you so eloquently like to point out every time we talk." Danzō explained with concrete evidence as he watched the gears turn in the Third Hokage's head. Hiruzen sighed as he lit the tobacco in his pipe without lifting a finger using his mastery and a subtle use of Fire Nature Chakra.

"Ok we will have to change our plans then…" Hiruzen said as he blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Ok guys are you ready?" Naruto asked as he looked towards is two teammates. He's really bonded with them over the last few months and at his point he could honestly call them his friends and he was proud of it. This was a major step for them and it would change their lives forever and open up so many new doors for them form this point onward. "Hmm. Do you even need to ask?" Sasuke replied with a challenging smirk on his face. His hands were in his pockets and his posture and body language was relaxed but coiled in anticipation. He couldn't wait for the test to start. There were 26 teams including them entering this forest who they would have to compete and survive against with 24 of them being their enemies. It was going to be a thrill in Sasuke's mind.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Sakura said in a confident voice. She was a little scared but she was pushing as much of her fear to the back of her mind. She had her two teammates to back her up if the going got tough and she had no intention of letting them down. Naruto smiled at this as he felt proud of Sakura. Sasuke's smirk widened by just a degree but it was definitely a change.

"Are you ready Eva?" Naruto whispered as he rubbed the top of his head where Eva was resting comfortably in peace. It was still early in the morning and Eva hasn't had a reason to wake up this early in a long while unless for a specific reason. But she could feel the excitement bubbling up within herself and Naruto and she couldn't ignore that fact. "I'm ready Naru. Let's do this." Eva said with her catchphrase as Naruto felt her Yōki activated within his body as the partners synced up yet again. He felt calm and at peace. It felt right to sync up with Eva and go into battle with her. He couldn't imagine it any other way.

' _Girls are you ready for this?'_ Naruto asked with a soft tone. He wanted to make sure his girls where especially ready for what could possibly lay ahead. He was greeted by a pause as Iris soon responded with a cheerful reply. _'I'm ready daddy let's do this!'_ But something was missing from it. Naruto could sense that Iris was distracted by something again and this time it was a lot worse.

' _We'll teach them all about love Dada.'_ Chaos responded with an eerie giggle that sent a shiver down Naruto's spine and instantly drained his excited mood. He knew without a doubt that something was wrong with Chaos as a frown came to his face in the real world.

' _I have a bad feeling about this.'_ Naruto thought as a pit of anxiety settled into his heart and stomach.

"3…2…1… Begin!"

…and the gates flung open.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ With this ending comes the beginning of Team 7's trials in the Forest of Death. It will be a wild and dangerous ride to be sure. Teams 7, 8, and 10 are working together to all pass as one big group. It's risky for them but something new that I wanted to try out since over the last few months they have been building up a friendship with each other. It's also something I've never seen done before and I've been reading Fan fictions for a long time. So I wanted to attempt such a scenario on my own.

Balalaika is hanging around again and she seems to know some things about Naruto's family that he's entirely unaware of. Balalaika seems to have a history with Kushina but exactly what it is remains to be seen and Shoko herself doesn't like the fact Balalaika is hanging around Naruto with this information on the tip of her tongue.

Finally, Danzō has informed Hiruzen on Iris and Chaos's unique abilities and just how powerful they are. What does this mean for the future? We will have to see.

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 _That's the end of Chapter 34 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 11/11/2016


	36. CH: 35 Chaos in the Forest

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):** _ Hey guys I'm back with another chapter and it's going to be wild. So strap yourselves in. One look at the title of this chapter and that should let you know that everything will not be ok.

 ** _(Happy Thanksgiving to any out in the world who celebrates it. I hope you all have a safe and great time with your loved ones.)_**

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Chapter 35

 _ **Chaos in the Forest**_

It was dark. The sun could barely penetrate the thick canopy of the dense forest. Team 7 was racing through the tree's at high speed attempting to cover as much ground as they possibly could. The needed to rendezvous with their classmates deep within the forest at their ambush point so they decided to avoid engaging any other teams until they could all group up. Based on how large the training ground was and how far each gate is spaced from each other Team 7 estimated they would run into Team 8 within the hour if they kept at their current pace.

"It's so dark in here. What should we do if we run into another team before we reach the others?" Sakura questioned as she jumped from tree branch to tree branch. Naruto and Sasuke had slowed their pace just a little bit to match Sakura's since she wasn't as fast as them but they didn't mind. It wasn't that big a deal since they were making good time. They've only been inside the forest for under 10 minutes and they were covering ground quickly.

"Then we'll have no choice but to fight them if they become hostile. But luckily I'm not sensing anyone close so we should be fine." Naruto clarified as he expanded his sense's to search for anything out of the ordinary. He wasn't sensing anyone approaching them so he allowed himself to relax just a bit. Naruto rubbed his cheek were Anko had cut him earlier and instead of a scar on his face he felt fresh skin. A side effect of having both the Nine Tailed Fox and Sōkyoku inside him. Small wounds and scars disappear on him almost immediately. With Sōkyoku's power he usually has to manually direct her power to heal any wounds he has but as for the Fox's chakra it automatically heals any damage he sustains. It also helps that with the amount of Yōki in his body at all times his wounds also heal rapidly.

Everything was quiet for the next 5 minutes as the team traversed the almost impossible to navigate forest with its trees that grow, bend, and twist in odd directions that normal trees should not be able to grow in. Back in the Academy they briefly learned about the history of the Forest of Death. The First Hokage Hashirama Senju, Clan Head of the legendary Senju Clan created the Forest of Death using his unique Kekkei Genkai the Wood Style in order to train the first generations of Hidden Leaf Shinobi. It was used to mimic the very harsh and grueling conditions his generation had to grow up and survive in during the Waring States Era before the time he and a few others invented the Hidden Village System.

Naruto was keeping a vigilant eye out when he felt a mental stir in the back of his mind. Iris and Chaos were very quiet for a long while. For Naruto it was understandable since it was early in the morning and the girls aren't really morning people. Neither was Naruto but unfortunately due to his many responsibilities and duties he has to wake up at those unreasonable times.

' _Daddy I have to pee.'_ Iris spoke up with a whine. She unfortunately drank a lot of water before they came and now it was coming back to haunt her. As a child she couldn't really hold her pee for very long. _'Oh come on! Now of all times Iris?'_ Naruto questioned in disbelieve. He made them use the bathroom and everything else earlier in the morning but apparently she had to go again.

' _I'm sorry but I really have to go.'_ Iris pleaded as she felt her bladder was going to explode. Drinking 4 cups of water was not the wises decision she's ever made. In her defense Chaos tricked her into drinking some lemonade which immediately made Iris sneeze and choke which filled the kitchen with her feathers. Iris wanted to get the taste out of her mouth so she drank as much water as she possibly could. _'You really can't hold it can you?'_ Naruto questioned with an exasperated sigh.

' _No I can't, it's an emergency.'_ Iris insisted as she mentally squirmed around in Naruto's mind. Her agitation and general discomfort was causing Naruto discomfort as well so he signaled to his teammates. "Guy's let's stop in that little clearing up ahead." Naruto called out with Sasuke and Sakura nodding in reply. The clearing was about 3 dozen yards away so the three slowed down from their fast paced travel. The three landed in a small sized clearing with as per usual dense massive trees all around them and a dim amount of light due to the fact that the vast majority of the sun was being blocked out by the impenetrable canopy of tree branches above them.

"What is it?" Sasuke questioned as he looked around for anything out of place. "Pee break." Naruto signaled while fiddling with the choker around his neck. Sasuke and Sakura instantly understood what was being said so they simply nodded their head. "Sorry about this guys. I won't be long at all." Naruto apologies as he walked off into the woods surrounding them. He only planned to go about a dozen yards in to ensure that Iris would have her privacy and that they would be out of hearing range as well. Visual privacy wasn't an issue since the second you walk into the dense foliage of the trees you pretty much disappear from view.

As Naruto walked away he felt Chaos's energy start to stir inside of him. She's been really quiet ever since they left the house this morning after she pranked her sister. He could feel her power slowly growing ever since then and he's been slightly concerned about that but he's had no time to address it. If he was to be honest with himself then he would definitely say he's worried since this was not the time for Chaos to be losing control. "Ok Iris come on." Naruto said as he summoned Iris who had a squeamish and uncomfortable look on her face. Naruto never noticed the fact that Chaos summoned herself either since she secretly placed an illusion on Naruto. Naruto felt the weight of what he thought was Chaos's choker on his neck but in reality nothing was there.

' _There is something in this forest with us. Something foul… potent…'_ Iris thought to herself as she noticed her sister summon herself while placing an illusion over their father. She saw the look in Chaos's eyes. She was positive her sister was losing control. _'She's feeding off of whatever it is inside here. That man who approached daddy earlier with the weird tongue. It feels like him.'_ Iris contemplated as she turned away from her father. She still had to pee really badly so she wasn't going to leave herself distracted for long. _'If I can use Chaos as a relay beacon then maybe I can track down the source of this negative energy.'_ Iris strategized as she sensed Chaos float away from them. _'I don't want to do this to you sister but I don't have much of a choice. But for now I will focus on that boy who's hiding back there.'_ Iris resolved as she took quick note of another presence shadowing them.

In a tree not too far from Naruto was a boy in a beige colored body suit. He had long spiky brown hair and black eyes that was staring directly at Naruto down below. The body suit appeared to be held together by stitches in an x shaped patterned and he had a kunai holster on his leg. A white cloth was wrapped around his eyes with two holes cut out to all him to see. A re-breather was on his face and the cloth for his head band covered his entire head like a skin tight mask. The symbol for the Village Hidden in the Rain was on the metal plate of his headband signifying his allegiance. Based on his height and general body frame he looked to be in his late teens. About 17 years old.

' _It's time now.'_ The boy thought as he slowly raised his hand into a hand sign. Whatever move he was going to make would never pan out the way he was hoping for since with his focus set entirely on his chosen target below him he never took the time to noticed his own shadow shifting and turning behind him. Long blade like spikes were coming out of his shadow with an entity itself raising up slowly behind him. A dark sinister smile was on the tiny figures face.

' _Ok. Now that I have him tied up, I'll go sneak up on his teammates. Hopefully one of them has the scroll.'_ The teenager thought as a vivid illusion of him jumping Naruto and tying him up played out in his mind. He checked Naruto for the scroll but couldn't find it on him. He felt the rush of adrenaline and the sensation of weariness as his body acted upon the actions his brain thought he took. The Hidden Rain Genin never noticed Iris who was cloaked under an illusion that has been playing out for the last minute and a half. "Ok now. Transform." The boy mutters as he transforms himself into Naruto. He got almost everything down pat. On his cheek he made sure to add the scar that he and everyone else saw Naruto receive at the hands of Anko. His other mistake was the placement of Naruto's kunai holster on his opposite leg and the fact that on the choker he never added the little chain links or the teddy bear pendant at the end since those features are covered up by the collar of Naruto's sweater.

The boy took off without suspecting a thing. His target who was Naruto never sensed him since he was under an illusion himself. Since Chaos's energy isn't chakra based it's not considered Genjutsu and furthermore it doesn't affect a person's chakra network. Naruto felt that Chaos's energy was more prevalent in his system but he can't recognize when he is under the influence of her powers. It's something he hasn't trained in a lot. Chaos had a dark smile on her face as she watched the boy go off in the direction Sasuke and Sakura were. Chaos turned her gaze down towards her father Naruto who was keeping guard over Iris.

Chaos's eyes were red as her scanners zoomed in on Naruto. She looked away into another part of the dense forest where her scanners picked up two other individuals. The dark smile on Chaos's face grew twice as big as before. The forest was quiet as Sasuke and Sakura stood on guard. It was only a minute since Naruto left so they were expecting him to come back in the next minute or so. So when Naruto returned to them at that exact moment they were understandably confused. "Naruto? You're back already." Sakura asked in confusion. Something didn't feel right to her. She didn't know what it was but his whole aura was off to her. It was a strange feeling since this was the first time she's ever felt something like this before.

"Hey guys I'm back." Naruto said as he put on an easy smile. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion as warning bells were going off in his mind. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. The very first thing he noticed about the Naruto in front of him was the fact that he had a scratch on his face. A scratch that should have already been healed thanks to Naruto's advanced healing. Sasuke was always under the impression that it was due to Iris and Eva's presence with Naruto that allowed him to heal so fast and while that was absolutely true one missing factor is the Nine Tailed Fox that Sasuke does not know about. However, that did not detract from the fact that the scratch on Naruto's cheek should have already been healed.

Sasuke decided to test this suspicion of his. "Where did you go?" Sasuke asked casually but his body was slowly starting to tense up in preparation. Sakura started to catch on too as she herself took notice of the fact that Naruto had a scar on his cheek that should no longer be there. She also noticed that his kunai holster was on the wrong leg. "What do you mean? I went to pee guys." The impostor in front of them said as he tugged on the collar of his hood in a nervous habit which inadvertently revealed that on the choker around his neck there was no chain or teddy bear shaped pendant. It definitely wasn't the nervous reflex Naruto was known to do which was to scratch the back of his head.

"Oh so you decided to pee to." Sakura commented idly with a look of innocence on her face. "Too? Guys what are you talking about it was just me?" Naruto said in confusion but a drop of sweat could be seen rolling down the side of his face. "Oh well that's strange since Iris was the one who had to go pee." Sakura tacked on while slowly moving closer to Sasuke. To her credit she was playing it off really well. The impostor froze for a brief moment as he tried to recover. "Yeah… Iris… yeah she… went. Everything's fine now. But anyways we need to make sure our scroll is secure. I saw some guys lurking around in the area. So you guys made sure to keep it safe right?" The impostor conversed as he slowly inched his way over to Sasuke and Sakura who were not buying his act at all.

"That's a very strange thing for the person holding our scroll to say wouldn't you think Naruto?" Sasuke said as he took a step forward. The impostor stopped right in his tracks as his face turned white as chalk. "No…" The impostor mumbled in horror barely above the level of a whisper. "Busted." Sasuke stated as he without warning lunged forward with a burst of speed as he attempted to stab the impostor with the kunai he drew in a split second. The impostor jumped back in panic as he undid his transformation.

"A Hidden Rain Genin?" Sakura pondered as she noticed his headband. "Where's Naruto?" Sasuke demanded as he got into an aggressive attack stance. "Your teammate is tied up and by now is at the mercy of my teammates." The Genin declared with a smug air around him which caused Sasuke and Sakura to frown. "I highly doubt that." Sasuke snidely commented as he kicked off the ground. Sasuke went for a round house kick but the older boy scouted this from a mile away. Jumping back to put some distance between them the Rain Genin wasn't expecting Sasuke to quickly recover from his failed attack and kick off the ground with twice as much speed as before. Sasuke landed a solid kick to the teenage Genin in midair which sent the jumpsuit wearing Genin flying into a tree. Having decent experience, the boy corrected himself mid-flight and rebounded off the tree and rocketed himself towards Sasuke like a missile.

Seeing the boy coming in quick and still stuck in midair Sasuke ducked down into a ball and right as the boy was flying right above him he uncurled himself and mull kicked him in the stomach with his legs and feet enhanced by a dense coat of chakra that was almost visible which sent the boy tumbling out of the air in an uncontrollable flop. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on Sakura wasted no time in grabbing a bunch of shuriken into her hands. She let them loose on the Rain Genin who was tumbling to the ground. The kick to the stomach was so hard that it compressed his entire diaphragm and made it hard for him to breathe. The boy was disoriented so he barely survived the incoming hail of shuriken Sakura threw. Crossing his arms, the boy took the metal projectiles head on as they cut into the fabric of his jumpsuit. Twisting his body in midair he was able to dodge most of the shuriken and prevented them from hitting him in vital spots but that did nothing to stop the many scratches and cuts he received.

Landing on the ground the teenager went through a quick set of hand signs. **"Haze Clone Jutsu."** The boy wheezed out in pain as over a dozen clones rose up from the ground around him. As clones they were all identical and they were helping to mask who the real one was. "We don't have time for this. **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"** Sasuke exclaimed as he didn't want to deal with the clones right now. They were on a time constraint and it was never a wise choice to deal waste your time on an opponent who could use clone techniques. He knows that from experience sparing with Naruto a lot.

A large orange and red fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth as he directed it at the Rain Genin's position. Launching it at a slight angle the fire ball impacted the spot where the group of clones were standing. Landing on the ground Sasuke got into a defensive position as he waited to see what was going to happen next. Sakura quickly made her way over to Sasuke as she too got into a defensive position. Both teammates widened their eyes when they saw the clones walk out of the fire without a burn mark on them. In fact, the flames were passing through them like they weren't even there.

"How is that possible. Is this a Genjutsu?" Sakura questioned as she couldn't think of an explanation. **"Genjutsu: Release!"** Sakura exclaimed as she held her hand up in the classic hand sign. Flaring her chakra throughout her body nothing happened which debunked the idea that they were under the effects on a Genjutsu. "Sharingan." Sasuke said as he closed his eyes only to reopen them with his family's famous Dōjutsu appearing in them. Gazing at the group of clones coming his way Sasuke could see that they were all fake. They were not solid like Naruto's Shadow Clones. They were basically like the standard clone Jutsu. Looking around the clearing Sasuke say another chakra signature traveling quickly below the ground towards them. "Sakura he's below the ground." Sasuke called out as he could see the color of the enemy's chakra moving beneath the surface of the ground at a quick pace.

"Got it." Sakura acknowledged as she took out several kunai with explosive tags attached to them. "Right there!" Sasuke pointed out as both he and Sakura jumped up into the air right as Sakura threw her kunai at the ground. The paper tags went off with a large bang which destroyed the ground around it and seriously injured the Genin that was fighting them. Sakura and Sasuke watched as the Haze clones disappeared into hazy wisps of smoke. Sasuke and Sakura landed back on the ground with Kunai in hand ready for any more possible attacks but as they watched the Rain Genin crawl out of the ruble from the small crater Sakura's explosive tags caused they both knew the boy was in no condition to fight them both off.

Sasuke quickly approached the downed Genin and wrenched his arm back into a painful arm bar. "What's your name?" Sasuke demanded as he placed a kunai to the boy's neck. "Oboro." The boy wheezed out in pain as he body was covered in bruises, burn marks, and cuts from the detonation right above his head. He had a skull splitting headache and the added arm bar that he is experiencing right now was not helping. "Where is our teammate?" Sasuke growled as he yanked on Oboro's arm causing him to groan in pain. "I told you. I tied him up." Oboro coughed in pain. "You're lying. There is no way you could get the drop on Naruto." Sakura refuted with a negative shake of her head. She wasn't buying it. There was no way for him to sneak up on Naruto with his skill level and actually subdue Naruto. Especially with Iris and Chaos there as well.

"Wait Sakura hold on a minute… He's not lying. He truly believes he tied Naruto up." Sasuke butted in as his Sharingan was studying Oboro below him. "Wait what?" Sakura stumbled in surprise. "I don't get it. He isn't strong enough or crafty enough to take Naruto down but he believes so. He's not lying." Sasuke explained as he narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand what was going on.

"Guys!" Naruto called out as he jumped into the clearing with Iris keeping pace. "Naruto what happened?" Sakura exclaimed as she turned around to see her teammate. "What's going on? I heard the commotion. Who is this guy?" Naruto asked as he quickly took in a survey of the impromptu battlefield. "He approached us transformation as you." Sakura explained. Iris curiously looked at Oboro who was pinned to the ground by Sasuke. "He said he ambushed you and tied you up." Sasuke said with a tone that obviously suggested he did not believe what he was hearing. "Really?" Naruto questioned in surprise as he started to contemplate what was happening. "And the weird thing is he honestly believes he is telling the truth." Sakura added on.

Iris narrowed her eyes at this as she discreetly looked off in another direction. A look of contemplation was on her face as she pondered something in her mind. Her teddy bear John Paul was secure in her arms as a small frown came on her face. _'Chaos what have I done?'_ Iris thought in regret.

"What's going on… I never saw him." Naruto said as he tried to piece together what was happening. Oboro was feeling the pain since his adrenaline was no longer acting as a buffer for him. Ever so slowly Oboro pushed a small smoke pellet from inside his sleeve into his hand. Sasuke wasn't looking at Oboro in that moment with his Sharingan or else he would have noticed the minute muscle twitches he was pulling off. Naruto was to distracted and Oboro's arm was on the opposite side from where Naruto was standing so he never would have seen his arm move especially with Sasuke sitting on top of him.

In one swift movement Oboro smashed the pellet on the ground hard enough to activate it. Purple smoke erupted from the pellet in copious amounts forcing Sasuke to get off of Oboro and for Naruto and Sakura to jump back. They all covered their noses when they quickly realized that it wasn't smoke but in fact toxic gas. All three teammates started to cough as the poison got into their lungs. Moving into action Iris quickly generated a large gust of wind that blew the gas cloud away from everyone. They could see Oboro just escaping into the dense tree line with his rebreather doing its job by completely protecting him from the nauseous toxins in the air.

"Everyone hold on I got you." Iris called out as she closed her eyes to concentrate. She opened them up and they had a slight tint of emerald to them. Iris waved her free arm about and three separate cyclones of wind appeared before the three members of Team 7. The air currents flew into their mouths and down their throats causing them to choke on the excessive amount of air they were breathing in. Seconds later the same air current came back up out of their mouths but this time the air current was slightly purple due to the toxins in collected. With an additional wave of her hand Iris compressed the air currents until the poison completely disappeared.

All three teammates were breathing hard since they literally just had the air ripped from their lungs which was burning them right now from the poison they had just breathed in. The poison itself wasn't anything too powerful and it definitely wasn't a poison so powerful it could instantly kill you but because they had all been at the epicenter of the poisonous cloud when it went off and they all breathed in a hefty amount before they could get away.

With one task left to do Iris held her open palm up to her mouth and breathed out a burst of beautiful embers. These embers fused together to transform themselves into Iris's feathers. Three of them formed which floated down into her hand. "Here eat these and your lungs will feel better." Iris instructed as she handed the three preteens a feather each. Naruto took his without complaint and stuck it into his mouth. As per usual her feathers were hot. Nothing to burn your tongue thankfully but it was hot like a freshly cooked meal that you just finished making. "Taste like Ramen." Naruto noted with a smile in his face. "Taste like syrup." Sakura said with a look on her face that easily suggested she was pleasantly surprised. "Hn." Sasuke grunted but in his mind he took note of the fact it tasted like tomatoes to him.

The three teammates quickly recovered as they felt their lungs stop burning them. "What do we do now? Do we go after him?" Sakura asked as she got to her feet. In her mind Oboro couldn't have gotten far with his injuries and they know which direction he went in. It was consistent with the way he entered in and the direction Naruto went in earlier with Iris. "I say yes. He's already weakened and his two teammates wouldn't be expecting an ambush if we quickly catch up to him and trail him back to the other two." Sasuke reasoned. Naruto thought about it for a moment until he relented. "I agree. If we get the jump on them now we can get their scroll and be done with it. Then all we would have to do is meet up with the others and help them. We could then travel as a pack and make it to the tower in no time at all." Naruto agreed with a shake of his head.

"Sounds like a plan… hey Naruto I've been meaning to ask but where is Chaos?" Sakura inquired as she noticed that Chaos wasn't with Naruto and she wasn't in disguise around his neck. He had no choker on from her perspective. Sasuke took notice of this too as his Sharingan came back to live. "What do you mean? She's right here… huh… what?" Naruto dismissed. He dully noted that she's been rather quite for a long time now but he didn't think too much of it. However, in a force of habit he reached up to where the small choker around his neck should be. When he reached it all he felt was the skin on his neck. Once he did that the fake weight he's been feeling all this time disappeared as his senses realigned which caused him to shake his head to reorient himself.

"What's going on? Where's Chaos?" Naruto exclaimed in alarm as he immediately turned to Iris who was looking off in the direction that Oboro went. "Iris what's going on? Where is your sister?" Naruto asked as he stretched out his senses to find his daughter but it wasn't doing him much favors. "She's losing control daddy. She is feeding off of something that is in this forest with us. I don't quite know what it is yet but I can faintly sense it and I don't like it." Iris said as she turned to her father with a look of worry on her face. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner!?" Naruto exclaimed as he raised his voice. Iris flinched back which immediately caused Naruto to calm down as he could sense Iris's shift in emotions.

"I'm sorry… I… I was using Chaos as a lure. I was trying to sense out whatever she was feeding off of by using her like a relay." Iris said in sadness. Her eyes were misting over with tears but Naruto could still clearly see that her eyes were not fully blue. Hints of emerald green could be seen in her eyes and Naruto knew that there was more to this than what he's seen so far. "You used your sister!?" Naruto growled out in disappointment and disbelieve. Iris flinched back more as she turned her head down and squeezed John Paul to her chest. She was starting to tremble a little as she was on the verge of crying. Having her father mad at her was never something she could handle. She wasn't used to it and she didn't like it at all.

"Naruto take it easy ok. We can solve this later. We need to focus on finding Chaos." Sakura spoke up as she tried to be the voice of reason. She did not want to see Iris cry right now. It was obviously something that does not happen often and getting scolded by your father was something the little girl did not want to happen.

* * *

 _ **With Chaos**_

Chaos's eye sight was very different compared to a human. Right now everything was in black and white as she scanned her surroundings. A few dozen yards away hidden in a dense cluster of trees she could see two other life forms huddled up next to each other. They were giving off a light purplish tint of negativity. Right now Chaos was seeing the emotional wave spectrum. She could literally see the emotions a person was producing with no difficultly as all. Switching visions Chaos was now looking at them and the two individuals were highlighted in various shades of red, yellows and greens with red generally being in the center and it fading out too yellow and then too green. The surrounding area also had this coloring but to a much lesser degree as the two individuals she was spying on were the only living beings in the area. She was viewing their heat signatures from a distance.

With her scanners and beyond advanced technology in her body she could sense the conflict taking place between Oboro and her father's teammates. She quietly giggled to herself as she contemplated how it wasn't going to well for Oboro. Sasuke and Sakura were more prepared and skilled than Oboro first thought. Taking note of the fact her father returned to the clearing with her sister Chaos started to slowly creep her way over to the two individuals she knew were Oboro's other teammates. As she did so she turned her head in another direction as her scanners switched back to looking at the emotional wave spectrum. Far off deep within the forest making its way towards her father was a presence that was foul and practically inhuman. It gave off a vibe of twisted death and destruction. Deceit, lies, corruption, hatred, and much more. All of this was twisted up into a maelstrom to form the being stalking the forest.

In Chaos's mind a predator was coming to hunt. A cloud of dark miasma like smoke invisible to all but Chaos was seen emanating from the person's body. It surrounded them like a smoke cloud and it spreads out encompassing a wide area around them. A thin trail of this dark miasma could be seen attached to the made body of the cloud as it trailed all the way back to Chaos's body which had a very dark miasma cloud of haze around it as well. She was feeding off of the negativity of the being in the forest with them and the cloud around her body was slowly growing in mass. And the more it grew the more Chaos descended into madness.

Chaos finally made it to Oboro's two teammates but they could not sense her. She was an apex predator compared to them. They would never sense her presence unless she wanted them too. By this point she was made aware that Oboro escaped and was heading her ways so the smile on her face yet again increased as she waited.

"What's taking him so long?" One of his teammates grumbled as they waited for their teammate to return. "I don't know Kagari but Oboro better get back here soon. It was a mistake to let him go on ahead since he has our scroll." The other Genin stated with a huff as he addressed his teammate whose name is Kagari. "Mabui do you think we should go check on him. We didn't camp out too close since we didn't want to be sensed on the off chance one of them is a sensory type but maybe it couldn't hurt if we went to check up on Oboro." Kagari responded back to his teammate Mabui. "I don't know man. It's your call. I just don't like how quiet it is…" Mabui mused as he looked around them checking their surroundings like any good shinobi would.

"…after all we only decided to come after this team because of all the hype and attention they've been generating around themselves. With them being rookies and all it should be easy for Oboro to finish them off by himself… if it was up to me I'd make all of us go and just trapped them in our team's Jutsu and then take them out just like we do with any other opponent." Mabui complained as he stared out into the dark forest with his one lone eye that was not covered up by the white cloth across his eyes.

He was dozing off in boredom when he spotted his teammate Oboro approaching them at a fast pace. "Oboro… slow down what… holy crap what the hell happened to you?" Mabui exclaimed in shock as he turned to his teammate who was bruised and battered beyond believe. "Those damn rookies were way stronger than we thought. Way stronger. I barely made it out of their alive. They weren't fooled by my transformation, my clones, or my underground transportation technique. They saw through all my attacks and took me down easily." Oboro wheezed as he held his severely sore arm which was a victim of Sasuke's arm bar. It took Oboro a while to just say those few sentences. The double mule kick in midair to his stomach was still affecting him even now and it was causing some problems with his breathing.

"How the hell could a bunch of rookies do this to you? Are they even rookies?" Kagari questioned with disbelieve in his voice. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. But the proof was undeniably right in front of him. "What are we going to do? Should we go after them? Should we go find someone else to ambush?" Mabui stressed as he clenched his hand into a fist. Stress and frustration was quickly setting in for not just Mabui but his two teammates as well.

"Ehehehehehe." A soft childish giggle echoed in all three of the rain Genin's ears. Mabui and Kagari jumped to their feet in both fear and panic since they never sensed anything around them and the laughter sounded like it was right in their ear. Oboro looked around frantically but he was in no condition to fight. Taking note of the fact it was a little girls giggle and the fact he saw a little girl with Naruto a few minutes' prior Oboro started to sweat as his mind started to draw hasty conclusions. "Guys be careful. Those rookies had another person with them. It was a little girl." Oboro wheezed out loudly which caused pain to flare up in his chest.

In the blink of an eye Oboro watched as both his teammates were suddenly without any kind of warning impaled against the two trees closest to them. A little girl appeared before the group of Genin and she had long beautiful blond hair that reached well past her waist. Slanted lazy purple eyes with a pool of insanity in them were staring back at Oboro and a wicked array of purple blade like wings were floating a few inches behind her shoulder blades with two of the many blades currently impaling his teammates to the trees.

"Hello there." Chaos said with a demented smile on her face. "Kagari! Mabui! What the hell have you done kid!" Oboro screamed as he tried to stand but Chaos reached out with her hand and pushed him back to the ground hard. "Ah, ah, ha. The Doctor says you can't get up right now." Chaos chided as she wagged her index finger back and forth. Looking over her shoulder Chaos could see blood gushing out of Kagari and Mabui's stomachs and the blood was trailing all the way down her wings and onto the ground.

Both Genin were in a state of shock but clarity was returning to their eyes as the pain finally registered. It looked like they were both about to start screaming but Chaos beat them to the punch. **"Aegis."** A small blue hexagonal patterned sphere the size of a watermelon appeared over both of their faces. Any sound they were about to make was muted as Chaos turned back to Oboro.

"What do you want kid? What are you?!" Oboro seethed as he kept looking at his dying teammates. "What do I want? I want your scroll. As for what I am… well I'm your new friend silly and I'm here to teach you all about love." Chaos answered with a sweet smile that wasn't so sweet. If anything it was demented and fear inducing. "Why are you doing this! Do you know what you've done!?" Oboro wheezed as he attempted to sit up again but one of Chaos's many blade like wings lashed out like a whip and impaled Oboro in the same arm Sasuke had put into an arm bar. The wing pinned him to the log behind him and prevented him from moving his body again. Before Oboro could scream Chaos placed an Aegis shield over his head as well.

"No, no, no. Doctor said to stay off your feet. The doctor also said to hand me your scroll as well." Chaos insisted. "Why are you doing this?" Oboro screamed but his voice was muted do to having an Aegis shield around his head. However, Chaos could read lips and discern speech patterns so she had no problems understanding what was being said to her.

"Why…?" Chaos asked with a cute tilt of her head. "Why silly it's so simple. I'm being filled with so much love that I want to share it with others." Chaos explained as her wing tip heated up and cauterized the wound she inflicted on Oboro's arm. He screamed some more as the unbearable heat in his shoulder sealed up all his blood vessels. "Speaking of sharing. I want your scroll before your friends die." Chaos demanded as she pushed her wing further into Oboro's shoulder.

Feeling the pain Oboro reached into his pouch and pulled out his scroll. When Chaos picked up the scroll the perpetual smile on her face faltered a bit. She squeezed her hand around the scroll tightly. "This isn't what I wanted. Why don't you have an Earth Scroll?" Chaos said with disappointment clear in her voice. "You're no more fun. You are dollies, you're supposed to be fun but you're boring now." Chaos said as her disappointment continued to grow.

Without warning the two Aegis shields surrounding Kagari and Mabui violently collapsed on itself and decapitated the poor teenagers. Their heads were completely disintegrated and not even the blood remained as the shields disappeared. Oboro screamed in horror and agony at the violent murders of his two friends. Tears could be seen in his eyes as he screamed and raged murder at Chaos whose smile was dimming a bit. Chaos didn't stop their however. The tips of her blade like wings heated up to extreme levels until the lifeless bodies of Kagari and Mabui spontaneously combusted into a raging orb of tainted fire. Their bodies were quickly cremated within seconds. While Chaos's flames were nowhere near as hot as her sisters that didn't mean her flames didn't have any heat to them. Chaos's flames were highly unstable and volatile so they explode whenever they come in contact with things. Iris's fire is completely flexible and she can control it in any shape or form she choose. She has a dexterity with her fire that Chaos just doesn't have. Iris's flames can incinerate things just by being near them.

Oboro with his good arm took out another of his poison pellets from his small wrist pocket and threw it directly in Chaos's face. In blew up right in front of her face as the clearing was filled with purple toxic gas. Oboro couldn't even feel a sense of vengeance as Chaos showed herself through the thick smog. "I'm sorry but poison doesn't work on me. I don't even have normal lungs, unlike you." Chaos revealed as she opened her mouth and took a deep breath. All the poisonous smog was sucked up into Chaos's mouth whose cheeks expanded due to the large breath she took. Walking over to Oboro Chaos stuck her face into the Aegis shield surrounding Oboro's face and breathed out the toxin into the bubble. Oboro's eyes widened in sheer terror when Chaos ripped his re-breather off his face.

Oboro's eyes started to water as he tried to hold his breath. Chaos twisted her wing in his shoulder which caused him to gasp in agony which ended up making him inhale his own poison. Within a minute because of all of his injuries Oboro died as his body slumped over. For a brief moment a sliver of remorse and pain came to Chaos's eyes as she could remotely sense her father's panic at noticing she was gone. Feeling his emotions was enough to snap her out of her homicidal state as she grabbed her head in pain. "What have I done." Chaos whispered as she looked around at the two piles of ash on the ground behind her. Seeing Oboro's dead body in front of her with her wing impaling him Chaos started to tremble as she unintentionally lit his body on fire from her wing. Oboro's body quickly turned to a pile of ash as well while Chaos looked down at the Heaven Scroll in her hand.

"I've been a bad girl…" Chaos whispered to herself as she clenched the scroll in her tiny hands. Chaos's wings shrunk back down to their normal size as she slowly floated off the ground. Making her way back to where Naruto and the others were Chaos continued to look at the scroll in her hand.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

Calming himself down with considerable difficulty Naruto conceded to the fact that Sakura was right. He couldn't worry about scolding Iris or getting angry. None of that would help him find his daughter. Just as he was about to say something he saw Iris clam up as her entire body went rigid. Her eyes flashed emerald green for a spit second before returned too full on blue. Iris squeezed her precious teddy bear tighter as tears welled up in her eyes. "Iris what happened? What did you sense?" Naruto questioned as he recognized that particular action from Iris.

Iris couldn't even look Naruto in the eye as she kept her gaze on the ground below her. "Three souls just departed." Iris mumbled out in remorse. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura widened their eyes in shock but Naruto for different reasons. _'This is just like the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Iris and Chaos really can sense the deaths of others. Their powers are incredible.'_ Naruto thought as he looked off in the direction he knew Chaos most likely was. _'Chaos what have you done?'_

Before Sasuke and Sakura could start to question such an outrageous claim a rustling in the bushes near them had the two of them on alert. It was Chaos she came walking into the clearing with her wings disappearing and the Heaven Scroll in her hand. The perpetual smile that is on her face was all that Sasuke and Sakura could see but to Naruto who actually understands Chaos's mannerisms and body language he could tell that she was in emotional pain.

"Sweetie! Where have you been? I was worried about you." Naruto called out as he ran over to Chaos. Before he could grab her into a hug she held out her hand with the scroll in it. "Here Dada. I got you a scroll. I know it's not the one we need I'm sorry… I've been a really bad girl today…" Chaos rambled as she thrusted the scroll into Naruto's chest. Naruto took the scroll and noticed that it was a little crinkled from being handled by a few different people. "Chaos where did you get this from?" Naruto asked. He kind of already knew the answer but he wanted Chaos to get this off her chest. Bottling it up was never good. Especially for someone with her fragile mental psyche.

"I got it from these nice boys in beige suits." Chaos admitted as she placed her hands on her head. This was the signal that everything was not ok. Just like a few months ago in the Hokage's office after their mission to wave Chaos was communicating with Naruto through her own complex language of body language, gestures, and ques. She doesn't know how to make or form facial expressions and emotions very well. Her capabilities in that field are severely underdeveloped and only in extreme emotional situations can she physically change her facial expression in drastic degrees. Her default facial expression is her usual dopey perpetual eerie smile on her face that poorly hides the pool of insanity and instability inside of her.

Sakura and Sasuke were alarmed by this but before they could voice this Naruto held up a hand to stop them. "And where are they right now Chaos? What did you do to them?" Naruto asked in a soft tone of voice as he looked at Chaos with pity, sadness, regret, and compassion in his eyes. He was sad that she did what she did. Angry at both himself for not being more attentive to her earlier and at Iris for allowing this to happen but mostly he was just feeling sorry for his daughter. She was in pain right now and he wanted to help her.

"I… I showed them… what love is…" Chaos slowly churned out as she started to add small pauses to her speech patterns. It was a sign that she was progressively getting worse. "Oh Chaos I'm so sorry…" Naruto said as he looked down in shame. Iris couldn't even look at her sister as she knew this was her fault. Despite how psychotic Chaos is she doesn't actually like to kill. In her normal state she would never kill a person. In some cases, she couldn't and wouldn't even hurt a fly. It's only when she's absorbing negative energies that her more homicidal personality comes out. The side of her that would torture and kill a person in cold blood.

"Come here Chaos…" Naruto said as he reached out to grab Chaos into a hug. Physical contact was the best way for Naruto to banish the effects of negative energy whenever its affecting Chaos but right now he knew she just needed to be comforted. Before Naruto could reach her Chaos pulled away out of his reach. This stunned Naruto into not moving as Chaos has never once in her entire life pull away from him before. If anything she attempts and 99% of the time succeeds in gluing herself to him in some odd and crazy fashion. She craves his attention at all times and she never waste any given opportunity to be close to him in any way she possibly can. To see her pull away from him, to deny that attention and love that she herself craves so much caused something within Naruto to crack. It hurt. It hurt more than he ever thought if possibly would.

"Chaos what's wrong? Come here." Naruto reached out as he attempted to hide the sudden amount of pain in his voice. He never knew such an insignificant gesture like that could actually hurt a person's feelings; but now that he knew such a thing was possible, he could say that he absolutely did not like it one bit. "I've been a bad girl…" Chaos chanted as she used her uncanny ability to stay just outside of the reach of a person to escape Naruto's second attempt at holding her. "Chaos I forgive you just come here ok. Everything is going to be just fine." Naruto comforted as he attempted to reach out for Chaos for a third time. Yet again she used her ability to stay just outside of his reach. It hurt and Naruto knew that Chaos could sense it which was causing her even more unneeded stress. After a fourth attempt Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He felt this strong urge and need to comfort his daughter. She was in pain yet she wouldn't even let him get close. He wanted her to come to him and his desperation for her to come to him manifested into something he was never expecting. "Chaos come to me please!"

Chaos's body went completely rigid as a light blue translucent chain appeared on the missing link that is on her choker. The blue chain stretched out and actually connected to Naruto's wrist and tied around it into a small secure loop. Chaos's body was completely rigid and statue like as her eyes changed over to her scanners. "Yes master… what are your orders?" Chaos intoned with a monotone voice. There was none of that usual spark of life and in most cases insanity that could usually be found in her voice. It was completely dead of both emotion and life. She was looking directly into Naruto's eyes patiently waiting for whatever he was going to say.

All three Genin were speechless especially Naruto who had no idea about this. "Naruto what's going on…?" Sakura slowly dragged out as she never saw this coming. She didn't know what to think. Sasuke was looking at Chaos with his Sharingan on and he was shocked to see that he couldn't actually see or identify the energy that she uses or what the chain attaching her to Naruto was made of. This was his first time using his Sharingan on Chaos and he was unnerved to find out that his Sharingan couldn't get a read on her.

Iris looked away sadly as she realized all of this was her fault. She never wanted this to happen to her sister and especially now of all times. Naruto himself was close to having a panic attack as he didn't know what was happening or how to stop it. Naruto could feel an intense feeling of need deep within himself. He wanted Chaos to come to him and that desperation led to this. Upon that epiphany Naruto violently shrugged off his intense emotions he was feeling and the light blue chain attaching connecting them together disappeared. Chaos's eyes returned too normal as she came out of her trance. "Dada what happened?" Chaos asked as she could not recall what happened in the last 40 seconds that transpired. It was all a blank to her. The sensation felt familiar to her but it's something she hasn't felt in a long time.

"Chaos I'm so sorry… I don't know what happened either." Naruto said as he grabbed onto Chaos in a tight hug. He learned new things about his daughters everyday but he wished this was not one of them. "Sis I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I used you and because of that you ended up doing something terrible… I hope you can forgive me…" Iris apologized as she stood before Chaos. Iris had tears welling up in her eyes as she knows deep down Chaos is a fragile and gentle spirit. Her psychotic personality doesn't fully represent who she truly is on the inside. If Chaos was mentally healthy then she wouldn't even be able to hurt a fly but that's not the case here. Despite Naruto raising Chaos the best he could her developing her unstable and psychotic tendencies was something that was far beyond his control. It was something that was a part of her from long before she came into his life.

"Hehehehe… Iris you have water leaking out of your eyes." Chaos giggled as she stood idly by and ignored the fact that the one tear that actually did fall from Iris's eye hit the petal of a dying plant sticking out of the ground and the entire plant sprung to life in seconds before everybody's eyes. "I forgive you silly. If it makes you feel better, I located the energy source you were looking for…" Chaos mentioned by flickering her scanners on and off for emphasis. She smiled as she poked her sister on the nose who looked up with gratitude. "Thank you Chaos. I promise never to do that again." Iris promised to help with the reconciliation. Despite all that Chaos tends too due she's never actually killed anyone before and for the first people she kills to be three teenagers that she's actually tortured and murdered it's quite the daunting subject to even think about.

"You found the energy signature? What is it? Where is it?" Naruto asked as he recomposed himself. With his two daughters making up it would be wrong for him to press the issue further. However, he resolved to bring this event back up at a later time when they weren't in the middle of an important exam. Naruto couldn't in good conscience just leave the subject of murdering three defenseless teenagers alone and pretend like nothing ever happened. He knew that Chaos was still thinking about it and he was too.

"Yes Dada. It's actually human… well human with something added on… much like you in certain aspects. It's actually coming from the man who approached you and Aunty Anko earlier. He's…" Chaos explained as she looked towards her father. As she continued on both she and Iris suddenly became alert as they whipped their heads in a certain direction. Chaos's scanners were blazing red and Iris's eyes turned emerald green as a powerful gust of wind tour through the clearing at a speed to fast for anyone to react to.

"DADDY!"

"Girls hang on!"

"Naruto!"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Haze Clone Jutsu -** Using this technique together with the _Earth Style: Underground Movement Jutsu_ , the enemy is led to believe that the real body is among the clones. As the haze clones are not physically real, the attack will just pass through them. While attention is drawn to the clones, the real body attacks from the blind spot. During the illusion and resulting chaos, the enemy, who is caught up in the technique, can be easily defeated. When a Haze Clone is dispelled they transform into a thick fog of haze that lingers in the air and blinds a target for long periods of time.

2.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden Leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a rite of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

3.) **Genjutsu: Release -** The most basic of chakra control techniques as well as the beginning tier in Genjutsu. The Jutsu simply involves you injecting your own chakra into another person's chakra network to disturb it and wake the person up from a Genjutsu that they may be under at the time.

4.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that chapter? Who knew a simple pee break could escalate so quickly? Iris's attempts to weed out an unknown threat backfired in a way none were expecting. Team Oboro were brutally killed by Chaos in her Negative Energy fueled homicidal episode. She was not in control of her emotions and it was only after feeling Naruto's desperation to find her that snapped her out of her trance. I personally didn't really like Team Oboro from the manga/Anime for leading Team 7 around in circles for a long time and then wearing them down with those annoying Haze Clones. They annoyed me and I needed some sacrifices for Chaos to kill.

Also Sasuke and Sakura handled themselves with great coordination and teamwork and took down Oboro with excellent precision. This is a product of their improved relationship and teamwork. Finally, you guys should know who is on the way at the end of this chapter. It's going to be so much fun writing him.

The Next Chapter: _**(Uzumaki Family Divided)**_

 ** _(Happy Thanksgiving to any out in the world who celebrates it. I hope you all have a safe and great time with your loved ones.)_**

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 _That's the end of Chapter 35 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 11/24/2016


	37. CH: 36 Uzumaki Family Divided

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back and we have an interesting chapter ahead of us to get into. Based on the title of the chapter then it's easy to guest that the family has been split up. The family has a lot to deal with as they try to make their way back to each other.

 _ **Note:**_ From this point forwards magic attacks will have a Japanese name accompanied by it's English name. I thought it would be cool to give those magic techniques a name that is in a "different language" for the characters to speak. Speaking in a archaic or different language would be really cool and it would give the techniques a personality and presence of their own.

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Chapter 36

 _ **Uzumaki Family Divided**_

A high pitched sound was all she heard in her ear as she came to. _'What happened?'_ Slowly opening her luminescent eyes Iris looked around the small dark clearing she found herself in with temptation and caution in mind. _'Where am I, where is everyone?'_ Iris thought as she got to her feet. She was looking around the clearing trying to gain a sense of direction since everything looked the same to her. _'I have to find daddy. The energy that hit us wasn't human.'_ Iris observed as she looked herself over to check for any bruises or injuries. Finding none Iris attempted to ruffled her clothes with a gust of wind to blow away the leaves and dirt that collected on her clothes but she was shocked to find she couldn't even feel the wind around her. She couldn't bend it to her will.

Noticing how dark it was in the clearing she was in due to the thick canopy Iris didn't let this stop her. Iris had perfect night vision with her keen eyes and also because of the fact her eyes are luminescent they were giving off a faint blue glow to her person. "I can't sense anything, or use my powers. They're being blocked." Iris mumbled as she couldn't sense anyone or use her powers. She felt helpless without the soft feel of the wind at her command but she took comfort in feeling the warmth and heat her body produces.

"Someone intends to cut me off and keep me from interfering." Iris observed as she gritted her teeth in irritation. She squeezed her trusted teddy bear John Paul to her chest to help comfort herself but she was far from happy about this development. "You would be correct in your assumption little girl." A voice spoke up. Turning around in surprise Iris was greeted with a tall man dressed in dark brown robes with a light purple rope tied around his waist in the form of a belt. A straw-hat was resting on his back and it had a paper tag with kanji hanging off if by a string. His hands were very long and claw like and he had a deformed human face mask attached to his face on a string. The mask was brown and the face looked like it was made out of mud and stone.

He was a Hidden Grass Genin based on the fact he was wearing the same style of clothes as the man who approached Naruto and Anko earlier. _'He's not human.'_ Iris noted with barely a second of a glance. She could identify a species instinctively. "Who are you and what do you want with me?" Iris questioned as she looked for an escape route. Without her powers she didn't want to deal with a potential threat so soon. "Who I am is of no concern to you little girl all you need to know is that my master wishes for you not to get involved with his play time. I was instructed to capture you and bring you to him." The older man spoke up with a weasel like voice. "And who would this elusive master of yours be?" Iris questioned with her hypnotizing accent.

"You'll know soon enough." The man stated as he disappeared in the blink of an eye when he saw Iris attempt to dart off to the right. It was an escape route she could use but one she wouldn't get a chance to. The man grabbed Iris by the throat and roughly slammed her into a nearby tree so hard she left a slight impression. Iris grunted in pain as her head smacked off the hard bark of the tree she was pinned too. "And where do you think you're going little lady?" The man whispered into her ear which caused Iris to recoil in disgust and panic. Iris dropped John Paul to the ground from the rough impact and now she had her tiny hands around the man's much larger forearm in an attempt to pry it lose from her throat.

"My master said that I can't touch you directly or I'll die but with this special little seal on I won't have to worry about that." The man stated as the little paper tag hanging off his hat was glowing with power. "You're a demon…" Iris wheezed out between gasps of breath. "More specifically a **Reiki Akuma**. You steal the life force energy of things around you to make yourself stronger." Iris revealed as she glared daggers into the man's skull holding her captive. "Oh you're a smart child aren't you. You're right I am a Reiki Akuma. My master also informed me that you are a divine being and a demon such as myself would die if I came anywhere near you." The man taunted as he ran a finger down Iris's cheek. Iris was seething in both disgust and rage but she wasn't about to give in.

"I can't absorb your life force since that would just kill me but this forest is overflowing with it. It's paradise for me." The man stated as he used his free hand and placed it on the tree Iris was pinned to. A faint orange glow surrounded the tree as it traveled down his arm into the rest of his body. He already had a substantial amount of Yōki in his body but Iris could feel his reserves grow larger as the tree behind her withered away and died. "See what I mean?" The man taunted as Iris silently had an epiphany in her mind. _'That's it!'_

"How come I can't use my powers. Did you do something to me?" Iris questioned as she put her plan into action. "No, that was my masters doing. He tagged you with a wave of energy that left a spell on you. Your powers are sealed up for good." The man gloated with an air of arrogance surrounding him. "That's nice to know." Iris said with a cocky grin plastered across her face. Iris quickly reached out with her hand and placed it on the tree she was pinned to. Iris's eyes glowed an ethereal emerald green as all of the trees in the surrounding area glowed a faint orange as she absorbed the life force of the trees all around her. The energy overflowed into her body which caused a shockwave to ripple out knocking the Grass Genin back a dozen feet.

Iris messaged her throat as she landed on the ground. "Now let's get rid of this pesky spell shall we." Iris murmured as she made a gripping motion with her hand and ripped something from her body. A purple web of glowing energy that was previously invisible found itself ripped away from Iris's body as it reformed itself into a floating kanji. "I can feel my power again." Iris chirped as her eyes lit up in happiness. To demonstrate this Iris ignited a ball of pure white fire in her hand which burned away the dysfunctional spell. Iris took a deep breath and released it as she stared down her assailant.

"Damn you little brat." The Genin cursed as he placed his palms in front of him. A small orange magic circle appeared in front of him as a small ball of glowing orange energy formed in front of it. **"Jinsei no Dangan (Life Bullet)!"** The demon chanted as he shot the energy ball off like a bullet. Iris snapped into action as she punched her fist out in front of her and a pure white stream of fire launched itself to intercept. Both attacks met in the middle between them causing an explosion and dust cloud to form but Iris wasn't going to give her opponent a chance to use the smokescreen to launch a counter attack. With a gust of wind Iris blew away the cloud of smoke and then proceeded to slam her fist into the ground.

All of the dead trees came back to life as Iris pumped out copious amounts of life energy. The tree roots sprung up from underneath the ground and wrapped themselves around the Grass Genin who was preparing to launch another attack. "What is this? How did you do this?" The man grunted in pain as his entire body was constricted. "Life energy, are you even aware of where it comes from?" Iris questioned as her voice was deeper and far more mature than her six-year-old self. Her accent was completely prevalent as she gazed at the demon trapped in the tree roots with her glowing emerald eyes. Sōkyoku had taken over.

"What are you talking about?" The demon grunted in pain as he tried to break free of the tree roots. He didn't even have time to absorb the energy of the roots to break free before he noticed Sōkyoku approaching him. "It comes from me." Sōkyoku announced as she walked up to the trapped demon and stared him directly in the eyes. "You've stolen the life of many innocents and have kept them trapped within your body for a long time. Now I'll be taking them back." Sōkyoku declared as she reached up with her hand and yanked the talisman hanging off the man's hat. It sparked and hissed in protest as Iris's hand shattered the protective barrier around it. With her other hand Iris made a pulling gesture and an orange cloud of energy trailed out of the demons mouth from deep within his body. His body started to wither away and age as all of the energy was ripped away from him.

Sōkyoku condensed the large mass of floating life energy down into a small little ball that she then proceeded to eat in one bite. Swallowing it without issue she mumbled out a small prayer. "May all you restless souls finally find paradise and peace in the afterlife." A faint glow could be seen from Sōkyoku's stomach as the souls attached to the residual amounts of life energy were able to travel to the afterlife through her body. "What are you?" The demon whispered out as he was too old and feeble at this point to speak properly. "I'm your damnation." Sōkyoku said as she touched the demon and he disintegrated for coming into contact with a divine being.

Touching the tree root in front of her Sōkyoku's vision was transferred over a long distance through the tree roots as she saw Sasuke and Sakura being faced down by an assailant with a presence that made her frown. Taking her finger away from the root Sōkyoku sighed as she flexed her fingers. "Thanks to that demon my vessels capacity has increased but it's still not enough for me to do something reckless. I must find my host first." Sōkyoku decided as the ethereal glow of her emerald eyes faded and returned to their piercing aqua blue as Iris took back control.

"I have to find daddy and quickly." Iris declared as she picked up her precious teddy bear and blew away all the dirt on her with a gust of wind. Taking off into the trees Iris headed in the direction she thought her father was in but she was wrong. It wasn't her father she was sensing but someone else.

Landing in a clearing two minutes later while tracking the presence of her father Iris was startled to sense three souls depart. Looking across the clearing Iris came face to face with Gaara who was holding an umbrella that was dripping blood. In fact, the entire clearing was covered in copious amounts of blood. The mangled bodies of three rain Genin barely recognizable at all was buried under a mountain of sand. Gaara panned his eyes over to Iris when he sensed something else enter the clearing and his eyes widened in both shock and surprise but also hidden deep beneath the surface was a sensation of fear as well. "It's that girl, what is she doing in here?" Temari asked in surprise as she caught sight of Iris.

Iris hugged John Paul to her chest in her nervous habit as she was panicking in her mind. _'I did it again! I mistook Gaara for daddy. Are their souls really that similar to each other? What is it about the two of them that makes them so alike?'_ Iris ranted in her mind as she was not happy she did this for a third time. _'I have to go. I don't have time to deal with him now!'_ Iris decided as she slowly started to back away. Iris felt the souls of the three dead rain Genin pass through her body since they were lingering around the area due to her close proximity to them. Through her presence they were able to cross over into the afterlife much faster and safer. She got all of their memories and experiences in a brief split second which caused her to pause in her steps.

The blood soaked sand laying around on the ground started to move as Gaara turned his full attention to Iris who was again backing away after shaking off the memories of the three Genin. "Uzumaki…" Gaara whispered as his dead eyes board into Iris's skull. "Hey kid what are you doing in here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kankurō asked incredulously as he was in complete disbelieve that Iris would be inside the Forest of Death with them.

"I will kill you…" Gaara intoned as his killing intent spiked. Something about Iris's very presence set him off. He didn't know what it was but it agitated something in his soul. Gaara's sand flew at Iris without warning who widened her eyes in shock. Iris placed John Paul on her back which stuck there with a subtle amount of her energy. Iris quickly pulled out her battle fans and unfolded them in preparation for combat. Jumping back with a large back-flip Iris landed on a nearby tree with a bird's eye view of Gaara below her. She coiled her legs before jumping off the tree high into the air to get an angle on Gaara. Iris twirled in the air while doing multiple round house kicks as she sent six blast of white hot fire at Gaara's position. Temari and Kankurō gasped in shock as they both jumped back in surprise. Gaara's sand reformed around him into a barrier as Iris's fireballs impacted Gaara's sand and turned it into crystals from its heat.

Without missing a beat Iris nosedived at Gaara's shield and smashed straight through the crystal wall between them. Iris tucked into a roll to reduce the amount of damage she took from her fall. Iris is all about movement and centripetal force in her fighting style. She's always spinning, twirling, and rolling in any circular motion that she can possibly move in to actually empowered her absolute control over wind and to actually aide in the flow of her fighting style. Coming out of her roll Iris spun around and with a gust of wind sent the shards of crystallized sand at Gaara who's remaining sand came to his defense.

Iris could see Temari and Kankurō circling around in caution as they had shocked looks on their faces. They were not expecting her to know how to fight. How could they? She was six and a half years old with a very princess like appearance and delicate attributes. Frilly dresses and expensive shoes and unblemished porcelain like skin. All of that didn't equate to a strong fighter in this world. If they ever saw her without her concealing dresses, then they would see strong and well defined muscles and a body that only a physically active fighter could have.

Iris was starting to panic since it looked to her that it would be three on one and with the added stress of wanting to get to her family it caused her to lash out at them as well. Iris shot out a gust of wind at both Temari and Kankurō who jumped back to dodge the attack. Temari reached for her giant metal fan on her back out of reflex as she tensed up. Kankurō started to reach for the object on his back as well as he looked towards Temari with caution in his eyes. "Stay away from me." Iris said as she tried to retreat but Gaara's sand wasn't having it. **"Sand Coffin."** Gaara intoned as sand swirled around Iris's feet. Iris jumped up into the air on pure reflex as a gust of wind escaped her feet and caused her dress to flutter. Iris launched another volley of wind gust at Temari and Kankurō while simultaneously shooting off a burst of flames that turned the sand cloud following her up into the air into a sheet of crystallized glass.

Iris kicked the sheet of glass back at Gaara who used his sand to catch it in its grasp. Iris snapped her fingers as she landed on the ground and again rolled to dissipate the force of her rough landing. Gaara's sand shield exploded in a shower of fire which turned it into a giant glass ball. "Gaara!" Temari yelled in shock as she was not expecting Iris to be so skilled in fighting. It was a true shock to her to see Iris command the very wind itself without hand signs or buildup. _'How is she doing that? What is she?'_ Temari questioned to herself with shock lacing every thought. "Leave me alone!" Iris yelled as she threw one of her battle fans which spun through the air like a buzz saw straight at Kankurō who was not expecting such a quick attack. Kankurō swiftly dodged out of the way of the spinning buzz saw like battle fan which nearly bisected him in half since as it passed he noted the fact that there was a very dense and sharp almost unnoticeable spinning air current surrounding the fan itself propelling it forward. Kankurō landed on a nearby tree branch and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when Iris's fan bounced off a nearby tree and actually shot straight at him. Iris cupped her hands together and launched another gust of wind at Temari who stood her ground with gritted teeth.

Temari braced herself and grabbed her giant metal fan as Iris's wind washed over her and Temari's form blurred for a quick moment. Temari grunted a bit but Iris's blast of wind was dispersed after Temari skidded back a few inches. "Kid what are you doing in here? Where is your brother?" Temari asked as she saw out the corner of her eyes Iris's fan bounce off a tree and head straight at Kankurō. She almost did a double take but she was much more composed and calm to do something like that.

"I need to find him! Please let me leave." Iris pleaded as she didn't want to fight right now. Her father was in danger and she didn't know where her sister was. Not to mention a very dangerous person was in the forest with them that sent her senses into a frenzy. She had the feeling that she knew who it was but she couldn't think of the name. Deep down in the back of her mind she knew, but it worried her that her father and teammates were in danger.

Iris reached out with her hand and grabbed her fan when it missed Kankurō and bounced off another tree back in her direction. Before anything else could be said a sudden spike in killing intent brought everyone's attention back to Gaara who made his presence known when his sand shattered his glass prison. What secretly terrified Iris about Gaara is the fact that his eyes were dead. She could never see any emotions in his eyes. The only things she ever feels from him is his murderous intent.

A large amount of sand was leaking out of his gourd as his chakra spiked to levels he's not shown before. Iris tensed as she prepared to defend herself but three fast moving chakra signatures coming from within the forest drew Iris's attention. Three blurs entered the clearing just as Gaara unleashed a tidal wave of sand at Iris. **"Fang over Fang!"** Kiba's voice could be heard as two grey drill like blurs smashed into the wall of sand dispersing it while another blur scooped Iris up into their arms.

"Iris are you ok?" A soft voice asked as Iris looked up in surprise to see Hinata staring down at her with a look of worry in her lavender colored eyes. "Hinata?" Iris asked in shock. "What are you doing out here all alone? Where is Naruto and the others?" Hinata questioned as Kiba and Shino landed in front of her. "Daddy is in trouble. We were split up by an ambush. We need to get to them right now. I can sense him fighting already." Iris said as she could feel Naruto's chakra fluctuating wildly and erratically as he was engaged in a tough fight. "Then let's go." Hinata agreed as she was now worried about Naruto and the others. "Kiba, Shino we have to go!" Hinata called out as she hoisted Iris up into her arms and prepared to jump away. She had seen what Gaara did to those three Rain Genin and she was horrified. She and her team snuck away when the coast was clear but they came back once Hinata spotted Iris with her Byakugan.

"You will not escape." Gaara exclaimed with a spine tingling tone of voice. His sand shifted into a wall of sharp spikes ready to skewer anything in its path. Gaara unleashed his attack without a moments of hesitation and with all three members of Team 8 jumping away they would have no way to dodge. Iris peaked over Hinata's shoulder and saw the attack incoming. Time slowed down for the young princess as her eyes dyed themselves green. **"Sensei Boruto (Purification Bolt)!"** Iris yelled as a divine Magic Circle appeared in the air behind Team 8's backs.

It was a Magic Circle that hasn't been seen since the battle on the bridge months prior. It was the riches shade of white and gold imaginable. It had 12 concentric rings and on each ring was ancient runes in gold. On every ring you would find many spheres and inside of those spheres you would see the symbols for many different kinds of elements. Many of which were unknown to all that looked at them. For every three rings however it would have small little spheres on them and inside those spheres you could see the symbols of Fire and Wind on them. On the center circle was a symbol of a mighty Phoenix.

Out of the magic circle a pure white lightning bolt made entirely out of Holy Magic came souring out in a bright flash incinerating the chakra inside of the sand coming at them. All the dried up blood and impurities in the sand disappeared never to be seen again as the bolt of lightning traveled towards Gaara who's eyes widened in unrestrained shock. He could feel a reaction within his body for just being in the general vicinity of the attack but once it struck the ground in front of him his whole world was lit up in a blinding flash of white light.

With the impromptu flash bang going off behind them Team 8 made their escape without looking back since Kankurō and Temari had to shield their eyes from the blinding light Iris's attack gave off. A few minutes later Team 8 finally had a destination in mind now that Hinata's Byakugan was in range of where the rest of Team 7 was. Hinata was busy trying to get as much info out of Iris as she possibly could but Hinata gasped in shock once she saw something far up ahead. The others wondered what it was but they would get the hint when Iris screamed in pain before falling unconscious in Hinata's arms. "Iris! Iris wake up! Are you ok?" Hinata called out in a panic as she gently shook the young girl in her arms.

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 _ **With Chaos**_

 _~Power Rebooting~_

 _~Power Restored~_

 _~Damage Report Minimum~_

 _~Unknown Origin of Attack~_

 _~Unknown Foreign Spell Detected~_

 _~Magic Abilities Jammed~_

Chaos's vision returned to her as she sat up in a dark clearing much like her sister. Her lazy purple eyes looked around with perfect clarity since she didn't need light to see. She could see small little animals and hundreds of bugs scurrying around but nothing was out of place. Standing up Chaos began to use her long range scanners to scan deeper into the forest. "There he is… I wonder what he is doing to Dada's teammates?" Chaos questioned to herself as she saw an unknown assailant harassing Sasuke and Sakura. Broadening her search Chaos had to shift through the overbearing power of the natural energy within the forest and just how full of life it was to be able to locate anyone. Eventually she did and she found her sister further into the forest.

Iris was pretty much like the sun in the vacuum of space with how bright and full of power she was compared to everything else Chaos's scanners picked up. She found her father as well and he was getting into a situation of his own. _~Unknown Foreign Spell Detected~_

 _~Magic Abilities Jammed~_

The same warning was going off in Chaos's head again which finally grabbed her attention. Chaos was going to see to the notification blaring in her head if not for the interruption of a voice behind her. It was a Hidden Grass Genin dressed very similarly to the assailant currently attacking her sister. Chaos could tell what he was from a mile away. He was a Reiki Akuma. Chaos knew that her magic abilities such as her Tainted Flames and Time/Space Abilities were out of her reach but luckily for her she was an Angeloid. She didn't have to depend on her powers to protect herself and she could utilize many of her unique abilities because they were technological and not magical in nature.

Of course her sister could fight using Taijutsu if need be and her muscles are so strong that she pretty much has super strength but Iris is a pacifist at heart and if she can find a way not to fight then she wouldn't. Chaos saw the demon begin to move but she was having none of it. **"Aegis."** An aegis shield appeared around the demon's legs stopping his forward movement with little effort. Chaos's wings expanded as she used one of the blades to impale the demon to a tree much like she did with the two rain Genin a few minutes before.

"I've heard about your kind… you're an Angeloid." The demon coughed as he tried in vain to remove the bladed wing from his abdomen. "And you're a Reiki Akuma. A life force Demon who steals the life force and vitality from living creatures to grow stronger. But you're a young one. You haven't absorbed a lot of energy unlike your partner." Chaos retorted as she revealed she was aware of what was happening with her sister. "The Fallen Angels created you machines to aid them since their numbers are so low. You're nothing but Fallen Angel trash." The demon struggled to get out as he was quickly losing blood. Chaos's blades were mechanical not organic so he couldn't absorb her energy and before he could even think of reaching for the tree behind him Chaos used two more of her blades to grab his hands and hold them in place. Even if he could reach her it would do him no good since she is a machine and the soul that she does have is so far buried inside of her that he could never reach it. None of his kind could and her energy itself is poisonous to a demon like himself since she was built by the Fallen Angels.

Chaos frowned at this as her feelings were hurt by his comment. Negative emotions started to cloud her judgment as she killed the demon by ripping him apart with her wings. Chaos sagged her shoulders in sadness as she ended up killing another person again and not even 10 minutes after what happened back with the Hidden Rain Genin. Chaos much like her sister made a ripping motion with her hands and the spell affecting her peeled off her body. With it in her hand and her powers returned to her the floating Kanji in Chaos's hand decayed and blew away within seconds.

Chaos burned the blood off her wings before spreading them open so she could fly with them. Floating up into the air Chaos took off in the direction of where Team 7 was to be located in. She took notice of the fact Iris herself defeated her opponent and was now on the move as well but Chaos couldn't help but laugh at the fact she noticed Iris heading in the direction of Gaara. If she was scanning based on the feeling of a person's soul, then she herself would get Gaara and her father mixed up but Chaos had many different instruments that allowed her to tell people apart. Her sister is far more childlike then her mature mindset would allow her to believe. If she had simply scouted out the location of their father with her ability to see through the eyes of birds, then she wouldn't run into these problems.

Before Chaos could silently laugh at her sister's misfortune again her scanners picked up something she was not expecting. Chaos placed an illusion on herself that made her invisible to the surrounding area before dropping down onto a nearby tree branch. Down below her was none other than the mummy that they haven't seen in a long time. He was talking to someone and it was Fuki. "…And what about the mark on my back?" Fuki asked as she looked up into the decayed face of the mummy. "The mark of the Four War Gods will only disappear once you are no longer of any use to them. Our masters want you to find the right opportunity to snatch the boy up. These exams might be the perfect time." The mummy explained in his gruff voice that sounded like gravel pouring onto the ground.

"But I thought another person was here to take him away?" Fuki questioned with uncertainty and hesitance in her voice. "That person has his own interest and won't be collecting the boy for us. That is why this job will fall to you. I can't go anywhere near that boy because of those two children around him. Even though they are very young they are exceptionally powerful and they would sense my presence long before I could get close enough." The mummy growled out begrudgingly in personal irritation and malice. "With your ability you could drain him of his chakra and render him useless. Do not fail us." The mummy said as his bandages came undone and swirled around him in a tornado and within seconds he was gone from the small clearing.

Fuki swallowed hard as her shoulders tensed up. She had a conflicted look on her face as she subconsciously scratched at her back. Fuki jumped out of her skin when she felt a tiny hand on her shoulder. Leaping forwards and turning around in midair Fuki looked to the ground but saw nothing around her. Landing on the ground Fuki started to wildly look around in every direction until she looked behind her and saw Chaos looking up at her with her eerie smile. "I knew I'd catch you in the act eventually. So you're friends with Mr. Mummy. Naughty, Naughty." Chaos patronized with a disappointed tone of voice and wag of her index finger. Fuki lashed out with her fist glowing with a swirling green aura surrounding it. Chaos caught Fuki's punch without moving an inch while the leaves and dirt around her blew back with a ton of force. Chaos's hair and clothes rippled and bellowed back as well but Chaos's face remained the same as her smile grew larger.

"I don't think so…!" Chaos chirped as she slowly moved her arm off to the side and Fuki's arm was forced to bend and follow. "What do you want little brat. What are you doing in here?" Fuki grunted as she tried to wrench her arm back but Chaos's mechanical strength wouldn't allow her to budge an inch. "You're after my dolly. You want to take him away from me… I can't let you do that…" Chaos murmured as she tossed Fuki one handed into a nearby tree and then pinning her there with her wings. Chaos didn't impale Fuki to the tree but she was using her wings to restrain her wrist and ankles while another one wrapped around her waist and anchored her to the tree like a rope.

"I don't have a choice. You can't stop me." Fuki strained as she tried to pry herself loose but with all of her limbs restrained it made it impossible for her to break free or muster up any kind of physical strength. "You mean that enslavement curse seal on your back? That is a problem but it's not mine." Chaos said with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "You little…" Fuki growled with gritted teeth as she strained against her restraints. "I might be able to help you… I might not, but you'll never know unless you stop chasing after my little dolly." Chaos stated as she grabbed Fuki's chin and moved her face from side to side. "And how could you possibly help me. The people who gave me this mark would kill anyone in their path. They only gave me one because of the special ability I can use with my chakra." Fuki said as she glared daggers into Chaos's skull. "The ability to absorb any form of energy into your body with a single touch. You can't contain large amounts of it but you can adapt it and use small bits of it in your future attacks. It's a very special power." Chaos praised as her scanners scanned Fuki's body.

"How do you know that?" Fuki questioned as she looked into Chaos's eyes which were currently purple but were moving around in an inhuman way. "I know a lot of things… just like I know you and your team will not pass this round. I can't have you playing with my favorite toy." Chaos threatened as her eyes turned red as her scanners came to life. "I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with you in the future. I can't promise that I won't break you though…" Chaos rambled as something was forming behind her back and Fuki's eyes were slowly widening in sheer terror. Large ruby red eyes with an overwhelmingly powerful presence was staring directly into Fuki's soul and the poor girl was shaking uncontrollably. Sweat was pouring off her in gallons as she did something she never thought she would do. Fuki urinated herself as the eyes looking back at her represented death itself.

Chaos seeing Fuki looking over her shoulder instead of at her looked over her own shoulder to see what she was looking at but she didn't see anything. Chaos couldn't see what Fuki was looking at and because of that she scratched her head in confusion. "You're weird… oh well. I will play with you another time. I've got to get going now. Dada needs me." Chaos apologized as she let Fuki down from the tree. Fuki coughed and massaged her wrist which was swollen do to the pressure of Chaos's wings. Looking up after hearing Chaos giggle Fuki saw that her teams scroll was now somehow in Chaos's hand with the little terror smiling innocently back. "Wait… you can't take that…!" Fuki cried out but her vision became hazy and distorted. "Goodnight sleepy head." Chaos said as she waved at Fuki which was the last thing the older girl saw as her eyes closed shut.

Hearing two sets of footsteps approaching and knowing that it was Fuki's teammates the smile on Chaos's face stretched.

A few minutes later Chaos found herself jumping from tree branch to tree branch. At her age she couldn't use her wings to fly for very long. She could hover off the ground for a long while but as far as actual flight is concerned she was very limited in that regard. She couldn't ascend very far into the sky nor could she travel a great distance either. Also using her flying abilities drained her energy quite a bit as well so it was best for her to use it only when necessary. Chaos didn't mind to much anyways since right now in her mind she was playing an exciting game of hopscotch using the tree branches as her stepping stones.

' _Big brother Shikamaru's team is fast approaching. They must have been attracted to the large amount of chakra Dada and his assailant is giving off.'_ Chaos theorized to herself as her scanners picked up Team 10's chakra signatures on an intercept course with her position. They were of course coming in from a different direction and if they kept up that pace they would meet up with Team 8 in a few minutes but, they would have to encounter her first. With that thought in mind she was happy to see her favorite person who was Shikamaru. His general fascination and interest in her flattered the tiny terror and all the attention he gives her warms her heart. She took to thinking of him as her big brother since she doesn't have one or knows what it's like to have one.

Chaos was aware of Naruto's rapidly fluctuating chakra since he was in a tough fight and so she quickened her pace a bit but the carefree expression on her face still remained. That wouldn't last long as the battle took a turn for the worst and something happened that caused Chaos to express surprise. Chaos's vision immediately started to fizzle out as she felt her body lose all power. _'Dada…'_ Chaos thought as her vision turned black as she fell out of the air. The last sensation that she could feel was a person grabbing her out of the air and a panicked but muffled voice of concern.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

The first thing Naruto felt upon regaining consciousness was a major headache. After checking his surroundings, he immediately felt around for Eva. After confirming that she was with him Naruto looked around and slowly started to have a mini panic attack once he realized Iris and Chaos nor his team were with him. He knew he was in a different section of the forest. That much was clear to him even if most of the forest looked the same due to how dark it was and how unnatural all the trees grew.

Naruto could immediate tell something was wrong with him. He couldn't feel Iris and Chaos's aura's within himself. He couldn't access the small amounts of power that is constantly circulating around in his chakra network and that terrified him. Not being able to feel that familiar comforting presence of his daughters was mostly foreign to Naruto. Doing his best to keep his composer Naruto stretched out his senses to get a read on where he was in relation to everyone else.

He couldn't sense were his daughters were but he got a faint signal of were the rest of his team was. _'I have to find the girls… but I also have to get back to the others. I know they are in trouble. Whatever hit us wasn't normal.'_ Naruto agonized as he wanted nothing more than to search for his daughters but his loyalty and gut was telling him to go back to his teammates. Naruto would have done more debating in his mind if not for the sudden large presence in the clearing with him. Opening his eyes Naruto had no time to react as he was swallowed whole by a large brown patterned snake. It was large; at the very least it was nearly 40 feet long and it had tough looking scales that had predominantly brown patterned markings on it.

"What's going on? There shouldn't be any snakes of this kind in the forest…" Naruto wheezed as he was being compressed and passed down the snake's long throat. Slime and saliva was covering Naruto's body and it was making it easier for the snake to pass Naruto down into his stomach where he could later be digested or locked away for safe keeping. "Naru… get… us out of here…" Eva whined as she was securing herself tightly to Naruto's scalp. She was afraid that with all the saliva around she would be washed out of Naruto's hair and become separated from him. "I'm… working on… it. Hurry… up and sync… with me Eva." Naruto grunted as he was migrated along over another large mound of flesh and muscles within the snake's digestive track. It was becoming tighter and tighter the further they went along but thanks to the saliva around them it made it so that they weren't being crushed instantly. They would soon start to face the problem of no air however, since the actual space inside the snake's digestive track was very small with only small pockets of air surviving this far down into the snake's body.

The snake was about to coil its body up after forcibly swallowing Naruto and making sure he made it into his stomach as fast as possible but the snake soon found that it couldn't move as the section of its body Naruto currently was in started to rapidly freeze over at an accelerated rate. A thick sheet of ice formed on the outside of the snake's body where Naruto was and it froze the cold blooded creature to the ground by accident. Naruto fist broke through the sheet of ice as the snake hissed in annoyance. It couldn't really feel the pain anymore since Naruto's ice completely froze its lower body solid. Naruto pulled himself out of the snakes body with a large gasp of air as he tumbled to the ground a few feet below him. Landing with a rough dud Naruto coughed and wheezed as he allowed oxygen to flow into his lungs.

He was giving no time to rest since the snake lunged at him. Since it has no bones the snake could reach Naruto easily despite the fact he was so close to its body. Seeing this attack incoming Naruto and Eva sprang into action. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva yelled as she summoned a large geyser of water that she shot directly into the snake's mouth right as it was about to bite down on Naruto's position. Seeing the snake recoil from having a high pressurized blast of water shoot directly into its mouth Naruto immediately grabbed a hold of one of its fangs and watched as the snake's mouth instantly froze over in a layer of ice.

The snake thrashed around for a few minutes in rage but it could do nothing with its mouth frozen solid. Naruto was preparing another attack to hopefully finish it off when the unexpected happened. It without warning disappeared in a large and violent explosion of white smoke. "A summoning?" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "What's a summoned snake doing in here? I thought Anko couldn't have any of her snakes in the forest during the exam?" Eva questioned in confusion since it seemed odd to her that Anko would release her snakes into the forest during the exam even thought that was against the rules. Only the strange animals that call this forest home are allowed to be in the forest during an exam.

"That's not one of Anko's snakes. I've never seen that one before… unless… no… oh god no…" Naruto theorized until an epiphany hit him. Anko only used a certain number of specific snakes. She didn't really summon a large variety of them and it wasn't until years later did she tell Naruto why. She wasn't the only snake contract holder out there in the world. In fact, there were two to her knowledge. Her and her former Jōnin Sensei who taught her everything she knew and made her sign the Snake Summoning Contract. Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin.

"What? What is it Naru?" Eva asked as she realized her other half came to a shocking discovery. "Anko didn't summon this snake. There is another holder of the snake contract out in the world and its…" Naruto explained as he let Eva put the last piece of the puzzle together. "…OH no. Orochimaru… Naru you can't possibly think he would be in the forest with us? Let alone back in the village. How could that even be possible?" Eva asked in denial and it made sense in her head but she didn't want to believe it.

" **Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Naruto created six shadow clones that spit off into two groups of three. This brought Eva out of her thoughts. "What are you doing?" Naruto looked at his clones with a serious gaze. "We need to get back to the team, they are in grave danger. My clones can track down the girls. They are strong and can fend for themselves for a little while." Naruto explained through gritted teeth. He would personally want to go find his daughters on his own but with the threat that a Sannin could be in the forest with them made Naruto switch his priorities. He didn't want to and he felt nauseous even thinking of not rushing off to find his children first, but he had a decision to make. "But…" Eva began to protest; she didn't like the idea of not going out to find the girls one bit but Naruto cut her off before she could get started.

"We don't have time Eva. I really wish we could go find them ourselves but if Orochimaru truly is in this forest with us then no one is safe. He separated us from the others for a reason. He's after one of us. I don't know who but we stand a better chance if we are all together." Naruto rationalized as he watched his team of clones run off in search of his daughters. He took note of the fact that with how dense the forest is and how much wildlife is bustling around it made it extremely difficult for Naruto to pick out individual chakra signatures and with an unknown mental block keeping him from sensing where his daughters where it made it impossible for him to track them down on his own.

"Come on Eva lets hurry." Naruto said as he took off in a blur of motion. His heart was racing as he thought about what the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru could possibly want with his team. Naruto concluded that he wasn't after him or else when he came to Orochimaru would either be staring him down or he would be tied up and restrained. His heart sank as the thought of Orochimaru being after his girls. If that was the case, then Naruto wouldn't know what to do. It was the worst possible scenario he could think of to have someone that powerful after his daughters. He could feel it deep down in his heart that he would fight with everything he had to keep his girls safe against someone like Orochimaru but the fact remained that the power gap between them was as apparent as night and day. It was simply no contest. He would die if Orochimaru really wanted him dead in a head to head confrontation.

Naruto was so deep in thought about the possible target Orochimaru had in mind that he was startled when he heard a girls scream. Regaining his bearings, he came to a hard stop on a nearby tree and looked down into the natural formed clearing down below him. In it he saw something that made his eye brows raise into his hairline. The girl he saw earlier that day with the red hair and glasses was cowering in fear as an unnaturally large bear stared her down. It had blood on his claws and Naruto could see two dead bodies on the ground behind the bear. It was large and had dark brown fur on its skin and it had copious amounts of healed over scars and wounds scatters across its body with a visible and distinguished scar over its left eye.

The bear raised its arm up which was three times the size of the girl's entire body to strike her down with one swift blow. Naruto felt a tiny pull in the back of his mind that he felt when he first sensed the girl the other day. It was foreign to him as he's never felt this sensation before in his life up until now but it was calling to him. With that being said Naruto didn't hesitate to intervene as he disappeared from the tree branch in a burst of speed. In one swift moment Naruto swooped down from the tree branch; dropped a few smoke and gas pellets onto the ground which exploded in the bears face; pick up the girl who did not notice his interference; and then escape back into the surrounding foliage in under 3 seconds.

Once the girl regained her bearings she looked up to see Naruto staring down at her with concern and compassion in his eyes. "Are you ok?" He asked. He was in a hurry and time was not on his side but he couldn't just leave the girl to get killed, besides something about her was drawing him in. Naruto took a quick look at the girl in his arms. She wore a mesh shirt and stockings, a purple skirt, a light brown short sleeved jacket with an orange stripe going across the chest, and black sandals. She also had The Village Hidden in the Grass headband tied securely across her forehead. "Yeah… you saved me… why?" The girl asked in a daze. She was taking in Naruto's full appearance with critical detail.

"Well… I couldn't just stand by and let that bear kill you. I'm sorry about your teammates… I guess this means you are disqualified." Naruto said with a frown. For some reason that upset him. He couldn't figure out why though. "It's fine I guess. Thank you for saving me." The girl humbly thanked as Naruto gently sat her down on the ground. Standing next to her now Naruto could sense her chakra and for some reason it felt familiar. Warm, comforting, familial. It was a strange feeling that Naruto's never sensed before. "You seem familiar to me. I don't know why though. What's your name?" Naruto questioned with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "My name is Karin… you feel similar to me too. What's your name?" Karin said as she adjusted her glasses. Naruto usually doesn't give out his name to a stranger he literally just met but for some reason he felt like he could trust her. "I guess so. My name is Naruto. You should lay low for a while until the exam is over. There are still a lot of teams out here lurking around. Will you be ok on your own?" Naruto warned in caution since from what he could observe from her Karin didn't seem like the front line fighter type. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself see." Karin reassured as she formed the ram hand sign and Naruto gasped in absolute shock. Karin disappeared. She was standing 1 foot away from him and he could see her but as far as actually sensing her presence and chakra… that was another story all together. Her chakra presence dropped down to zero. He could not feel a single ounce of her chakra at all. "How…?" Naruto whispered in awe since he's never encountered a person able to hid their presence and chakra that well before. This was completely new to him.

"Like I said I can take care of myself." Karin reassured with a smug air around her. Naruto could tell she was quite prideful of her unique ability. In all honesty he probably would be too if he was in her shoes. "I guess you can. I'm in a bit of a rush so I have to get going now. But you take care of yourself." Naruto said in a wary tone. Although he thought her unique power was impressive he was also slightly worried about it. She could sneak up on him easily if she wanted to. Her stealth abilities must not be too bad either and she seems like she knows how to hide herself. For Naruto who relies on his sensory abilities he's been developing for many years Karin's ability was a very obvious threat to that.

Naruto had been fidgeting the entire time as he wanted to make it back to his team so when Karin shook her head letting Naruto know he could leave the blond Uzumaki rocketed off the tree they were standing on. He was out of sight in mere seconds as he pushed his body to his max speed. _'His chakra… it's so warm and inviting. Like a bright sun. But I can also sense some darkness buried deep down inside of him. Just who is he?'_ Karin thought to herself as she looked off in the direction Naruto went. Karin took a look around her surroundings before taking off in the same direction Naruto went in but a lot slower.

As for Naruto he was very worried about how his teammates were faring and he only hoped they were ok by the time he got back. As he was hoping from tree branch to tree branch Naruto idly to note of the fact he could now sense Iris and Chaos again since for some reason whatever was blocking him from sensing them had been removed. He was relieved to know that they were ok and that he could feel their presence again so it helped put his mind at ease in that regard.

"Naru that girl was strange. She felt so similar to you. It was so weird." Eva said as she spoke to her other half. "I know Eva. I feel the same but we can worry about her later. Right now we have to hurry back to the others." Naruto replied as he surged forward. In the back of his mind he could feel that the battle taking place between his team and Orochimaru was heating up as a lot of chakra was being expelled. He could also feel confrontations going on far off into the forest as Iris and Chaos's energies spiked and swirled around in his body.

Naruto knew he was close now as he slowed down and landed on a thick tree branch above him. Righting himself Naruto looked into the wide open clearing and saw Sasuke with over a dozen strands of heavy duty ninja wire tied to his fingers which were in front of his mouth and restrained to a nearby tree was the same Hidden Grass Shinobi they briefly saw outside the Forest of Death earlier that morning. Sasuke's chakra spiked to unreal levels as the entire area around his body lit up in flames.

" **Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"** Sasuke roared as he breathed out a massive flamethrower that traveled down the length of the wire with incredible speed. It reached the Grass Ninja in seconds and scorched his entire body in a raging inferno. Sasuke didn't let up, in fact he poured on the pressure as he added more chakra to the attack as he roared even louder. Sasuke's attack was so powerful that it melted the tree the enemy ninja was tied down to and made a massive hole in the thick tree trunk. The flames themselves traveled through the hole and out the other side of the tree and put severe scorch marks on a nearby tree behind the first one.

' _Damn… Sasuke has come a long way with his Fire Style Ninjutsu. I guess all that time he spent learning from Iris wasn't for nothing.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he was deeply impressed by Sasuke's power. Naruto was just about to jump down to join his teammate went he heard spine tingling laughter. The grass ninja was not affected by Sasuke's attack at all. The man pulled away his melted skin to reveal a face they all learned about back in the academy. It was Orochimaru one of the Three Legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf.

"Marvelous Sasuke! Simply Marvelous! The Uchiha blood runs strongly in your veins. You are a true heir to the Uchiha Clan. Even your Sharingan has matured to another level due to the stress of the fight I put you through. You will suit my needs perfectly." Orochimaru praised with a slow clap of his hands. His long tongue was slowly sliding out of his mouth as his desire to capture Sasuke was at an all-time high. He had plans for Sasuke and with the performance he just showed him it wet his appetite more than what he was expecting.

"As a thank you for the brilliant performance you just showed me I'll leave you with a parting gift." Orochimaru thanked as he placed his hands into a hand sign and his entire neck extended from his body at high speeds like it was made of rubber. By this time Sasuke had already dropped to one knee in exhaustion since he expelled a lot of chakra during his fight against Orochimaru and with the powerful Jutsu he just used which is currently his strongest Jutsu in his arsenal he was beyond exhausted.

' _He won't be able to dodge in time! I've got to move.'_ Naruto thought in panic as his body glowed in an ethereal light blue as he activated his Acceleration Technique. The chakra cloak that normally accompanies his technique flared to life as Naruto destroyed the tree branch he was standing on as he moved in to save his teammate.

' _Please let me make it in time!'_ Naruto thought as he pushed himself to his absolute limit.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Jinsei no Dangan (Life Bullet) -** A bullet made entirely out of life energy. A being gathers life energy into a magic circle and shoots it off in the shape of a small bullet with high penetration power. Because it is made up of life energy it is a powerful source to fuel the power of the attack and very hard to defend against.

2.) **Sand Coffin -** With his ability to control sand, Gaara encases his opponents in a large amount of the special chakra-infused sand kept inside his gourd, immobilizing them. It can be used to suffocate an opponent or in preparation for a deadlier technique, the Sand Waterfall Funeral. This appears to be Gaara's signature technique.

3.) **Fang over Fang -** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. When this attack is done alone, it is called Passing Fang.

4.) **Sensei Boruto (Purification Bolt) -** A Holy Magic attack that Iris can use that purifies any impurities that comes in contact with the energy shaped like a lightning bolt hence the name of the attack. Since the attack is Light Magic and Holy Magic is a sub-magic category the technique burns and purifies any dark elements within its path. If used neutrally against an opponent the energy would only hurt them based on how much power was used in it. However, if used against a dark being or a person with a very dark presence or attributes then the attack leaves physical burns against the target as well as spiritually cleansing and burning away those impurities.

5.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to.

6.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and heavier than normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

7.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the users chakra. By creating multiple clones the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the amount of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

8.) **Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu -** The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object, which rushes forward in straight line catching the enemy on fire. A line of enemies can be used as the conductor as well. The flames are meant to target, and assault the enemy's upper body just like a projectile weapon.

* * *

 **Reiki Akuma -** Translated as a Life Force Demon. A C – Rank Demon the Reiki Akuma sucks the life force out of its victims to increase its own power. It can suck the life out of plants and animals as well as humans. If a living creature has its entire life force sucked out, then their soul goes with it into the belly of the demon. Once inside, the soul is forever trapped within the belly of the demon and can never escape on its own. If the demon is killed the souls will be destroyed as well. The only way to save the souls from destruction and allow them the chance to go to the afterlife is to extract them from the demon's belly. Only certain spells, abilities, and beings have this ability for once a soul is destroyed it can't be brought back.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ The chapter is over and we know what's coming next. Iris ran into a new demon that we've never seen before. A Reiki Akuma. While potentially powerful it quickly fell to the might of Sōkyoku who simply overpowered the demon and incinerated it out of existence. Iris also had a bad run in with Gaara which quickly spiraled out of control for her, she just does not have good luck with him it would seem.

Chaos ran into a Reiki Akuma as well and he was in a worst position then the older one that attacked Iris. Chaos has a run in with Fuki who is not who she claims to be. The mummy's side kick is revealed now and it would appear that a group is going around marking people with unique abilities for some reason or another. Chaos of course tortures the poor girl and incapacitates her teammates. The demon also mentions what Chaos really is which is an Angeloid. A term which hasn't been thrown around a lot in the story so far. Only time will tell us how this develops for Chaos.

Finally Naruto and Eva run into Orochimaru's snake after it eats them alive. With the theory and potential of Orochimaru being in the forest with them Naruto needs to make it back to his teammates but not before he runs into Karin on the way back. After saving her life Naruto feels that connection between the two of the again and learns of one of her unique abilities. Finally Naruto arrives just in time to see Orochimaru about to give Sasuke the curse mark.

Will Naruto make it in time? Only one way to find out.

Next Chapter: _**(Predator's and Prey)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 36 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 12/1/2016


	38. CH: 37 Predator's and Prey

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys it's time. Orochimaru is here. _**(Also Rouge One is today! Hell yeah!)**_

* * *

Chapter 37

 _ **Predator's and Prey**_

Time slowed down for everyone present as Naruto coated in a translucent flickering blue aura flew through the air at blistering speed as he reached out his hands for his teammate. Orochimaru picked up on the sudden spike in chakra as his experienced eyes tracked a fast moving blue blur on an intercept course with his prey. Naruto's speed proved to be instrumental as he managed to reach Sasuke mere moments before Orochimaru's extended neck did. Naruto jumped to a far off tree branch with Sasuke hanging off his shoulder with exhaustion clearly written all over his face.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he never took his eyes off of Orochimaru. He watched as the man retracted his neck back into its default position as he rolled it around to make the bones pop back into place. "I think so… you cut it close this time Naruto. He's too powerful… I threw everything I had at him but it wasn't enough." Sasuke wheezed out breathlessly as he sucked in ragged breaths. Using his new Fire Style Jutsu took its toll on him as he was now experiencing chakra exhaustion and fatigue.

Sakura jumped up onto the branch with them raced over to join her teammates. "Naruto you're back? What happened to you? Where are the girls?" Sakura fired off question after question as she looked pale and frightened. It was clear she was hanging on to her composure with sheer will power alone. She was scared and terrified of the situation they were in. "Sakura I'm fine. Just got a little side tracked on the way back. The girls are safe to." Naruto reassured in a soft tone. _'At least I hope they are.'_ Naruto silently thought to himself. Although he could feel their presence in the back of his mind again it didn't help ease his worry for them.

"Can you stand?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he helped support his weight. "Barely, I'm out of chakra from that last Jutsu I used." Sasuke replied as he tried to separate himself from his teammate but he didn't have enough strength to stand on his own. "Here take my chakra. It should give you a boost. It's not much though." Naruto said as he pumped his chakra which he made sure to lace with a potent layer of Iris's aura into Sasuke's body which had immediate affects. The stab wound he noticed Sasuke had in his leg sealed up in moments. The many scratches and cuts littering Sasuke's body also closed up and he felt his chakra return to him. "It's not much so you'll still feel tired but I need your help. We can't run from him. We have to stand and fight; and hopefully slip away during the fight if we can get him slowed down. Do you think you're up for it?" Naruto asked Sasuke with a serious gaze in his eyes.

Naruto knew running from someone like Orochimaru was pointless. He would catch them in moments and kill them. Their only chance is to fight and hopefully slip away while he's distracted or temporarily incapacitated. Sasuke's response was to give his ever common grunt but a small smirk was on his face. "That's if you can keep up." Sasuke shot back while rolling his shoulder. "That's funny considering which one of us is the faster one." Naruto replied as he felt his chakra raging throughout his body. He needed all of it if he was to even survive against a shinobi of Orochimaru's caliber.

"Well now this is interesting. I never would have expected you to make it back so soon. It's nice to meet you Naruto Uzumaki." Orochimaru greeted with a leathery tone of voice. His tongue was partially out as he stared down Naruto and Sasuke with barely concealed interest.

A shiver went up both boy's spines as they could easily feel the Snake Sannin's interest in them from a mile away. "Sorry to disappoint you but your pet snake won't be eating for a while. Orochimaru." Naruto glared back as he psyched himself up for the battle ahead of him. It was probably going to be his toughest one yet. He could feel Eva's ever comforting Yōki flowing through his chakra network as the two partners fully synced up. In the coming battle they would be fully in tune with each other and would be able to accurately and quickly respond to each other's needs and fight as one.

"You know my name and even managed to dispatched one of my summons. Very good. You might entertain me just as much as young Sasuke here did." Orochimaru said in anticipation as he felt Naruto's chakra stir. He wasn't a sensory type ninja but due to his age and experience he could instinctively tell when someone was using chakra around him.

' _There's no point in hiding my Ice Style from him. I'm going to need everything I've got if we are to even have a hope in surviving this encounter.'_ Naruto silently contemplated to himself as he formed a sword in his hand made out of ice. This sword however wasn't the usual sword he creates. It wasn't the usual Wakizashi Type sword that fits his height and style of combat. This sword he created is called a Chokutō. A straight single edge sword of moderate length. Naruto's Wakizashi's that he usually creates are in essence shorter versions of a Katana. A Wakizashi is called the companion sword and is worn alongside a katana in what is called a Daisho pair. All samurai carry a Daisho pair on them to be recognized traditionally as a samurai. The Wakizashi's are rarely used and are typically good for indoor combat with their shorter reach and greater dexterity. This is exactly the attributes Naruto needs since with his inferior height wielding a katana would be generally impractical for him and would only hinder him. The Wakizashi was just short enough for him to wield with his dual wielding style and because the swords are short and mostly one handed Naruto doesn't have to worry about the two swords getting in each other's way when he fights. In the back of his mind Naruto did want to transition over to using a pair of katana when he gets older to keep within his comfortable fighting style.

After the Chokutō was fully formed Naruto tossed it over to Sasuke who caught it comfortably with his hand. Naruto then with practice ease and with barely a thought created his twin pair of Wakizashi swords in his hands to use in his favored dual wielding style of combat. Over the last few months Shoko has been teaching Naruto to use a more traditional one blade style of combat and that has been coming along smoothly but using a style he hasn't completely mastered yet would only end up getting him killed in this encounter.

"Interesting. The Ice Style Kekkei Genkai. You are full of surprises. Or is that even Ice Style at all?" Orochimaru commented as he took keen notice of the fact that the coloring of the ice was darker than normal. In fact, the ice was amethyst color which signified that it was filled to the brim with Yōki. "You'll find out soon enough." Naruto retorted as he slid into his preferred stance. One blade in a reverse grip behind his back while the other was in a standard grip held across his chest in a ready position.

"Very well. This experiment is going better than I could have ever possibly hoped for. I'll entertain myself with you two just a little while longer. After all you did interrupt me when I went to give young Sasuke a parting gift. I have to correct that error after all." Orochimaru said as he leaned his head back and opened his mouth. What happened next caused all of Team 7 to want to vomit. A snake extended itself from Orochimaru's mouth and out of the snake's mouth came the handle to a sword. A long double edge Jian unsheathed itself from the snakes mouth with the handle being black with grey bandages over it. A tan colored hilt and a jewel that looked like a snake's eye was also on the handle of the sword.

Once the sword was fully unsheathed Orochimaru caught it after it tipped over and fell out of the snake's mouth. The snake retracted itself back down into Orochimaru's throat and the older man leaned his head back down to stare at his prey who had visually disturbed looks on their faces.

"Come entertain me." Orochimaru goaded as he casually held his sword down by his side with one hand. _'Let's see if he's anything like her? What skills did they pass down to him other than the Nine Tails?'_ He wasn't taking them serious enough to actually use a stance. It was insulting but at the end of the day well earned. Even with all three of them combined they still didn't hold a candle to the Legendary Sannin before them. But it also didn't mean they weren't going to at least try. "Sakura get ready to leave at a moment's notice alright." Naruto warned as he turned and gave Sasuke a brief look.

Are you ready?

That looked carried that question and much more and all Sasuke did was silently shake his head yes. With that an unspoken agreement formed between the two as they took off so fast that Sakura couldn't even properly respond to Naruto's earlier statement. Naruto took the high ground as he zoomed down a branch that was situated above Orochimaru's position with Sasuke coming in from below at an angle. Both teammates were moving far faster than any Genin seen before as they became nothing but blurs. To Orochimaru they were practically speed walking. For Genin it was beyond impressive and Orochimaru was silently impressed himself but he's seen many people far faster than them. Far faster.

Naruto descended with a spinning overhead slash that Orochimaru casually deflected with a wave of his sword. Naruto felt the jarring vibrations shake his body to its core as he slammed into Orochimaru's lazy defenses that were apparently more than enough to stop him. Seeing Sasuke moving into position Naruto took his other sword and knocked Orochimaru's sword off course to give Sasuke a clear shot at his exposed mid-section. This never came to be as Orochimaru lashed out with a snap kick that knocked Sasuke's sword out of his hand and sent him reeling. Jumping off of Orochimaru's shoulder Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sword in his mouth as he blocked a simple thrust attack from Orochimaru who was still casually holding his sword with one hand.

Naruto with a shake of his head tossed Sasuke his sword back as he attempted to go low and get into the Sannin's guard. With his sword back in his hand Sasuke went high to balance out Naruto's attack but Orochimaru twisted his body around in a way that should not even be possible as both Naruto and Sasuke's attacks sailed above and below him with room to spare. Now horizontally in midair Orochimaru lashed out with a quicker slash than before in hopes of cutting Naruto in two but he wasn't expecting Naruto to stab one of his swords into the ground and use it as a pivot point for him to lash out with a round house kick. The blow was parried by Orochimaru who switched his slash attack to a defensive cover but as he recoiled he took notice of the light layer of ice that formed on his sword.

Smiling Orochimaru grabbed onto the tree branch they were fighting on and swung himself all the way around the branch to come up on Naruto's vulnerable side but Sasuke was right in position as he successfully blocked a strike from the Sannin's sword that would have caught Naruto in the head. Sasuke traded rapid fire blows with Orochimaru who had amusement clear in his eyes. He was enjoying himself much more than he originally anticipated and he was going to milk it for all its worth. Naruto now with safe footing moved back in with renewed vigor as he traded even faster blows with Orochimaru due to having two swords to use. Sasuke came in from behind Orochimaru's back and started hacking away at the experienced shinobi's defenses who was twirling his sword around his body from front to back blocking and deflecting each strike with precision the two boys simply didn't have.

When Naruto went high Sasuke would go low. When one would attack the other would defend. When one needed to maneuver themselves into a better position to attack the other would cover for the other and keep Orochimaru's attention occupied. When one was attacking head on the other would leap over their shoulder to press the attack. They were a well-oiled machine that had Orochimaru silently salivating at their talent and coordination. The Snake Sannin could feel his interest in both boys steadily increasing with each clash of swords and it was making him more excited as time went on.

Naruto and Sasuke pulled back to get some room to rest as the high speed combat was starting to take its toll on them. Naruto looked at his swords and noticed dozens of cuts littered all over them from coming in contact with Orochimaru's Jian. Naruto took notice that Sasuke's sword was in the same condition as well. _'That sword must be the Legendary Sword of Kusanagi that Shoko once told me about. She said it's so sharp and indestructible that it can cut through almost anything. Even diamonds can take considerable damage from it.'_ Naruto contemplated with a wary gaze at Orochimaru's intimidating sword. Luckily their swords were made out of pure Yōki. It wasn't completely invulnerable to the Kusanagi but it was decently resistant to it.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look with each other as they both started to speed through hand signs each at a fast pace. _'Let's switch things up. We can't do much to him with Kenjutsu especially since we run the risk of breaking our swords so Ninjutsu is the only thing we can fall back on.'_ Naruto rationalized as he sucked in a huge breath. Sasuke was along the same mind set as he completed his hand signs at the same time as Naruto.

" **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"**

" **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"**

A massive tidal wave of flames came billowing out from in front of the Genin duo as the tree branch in front of them was incinerated from the intense heat which was on a crash course with Orochimaru who looked ecstatic at the combination teamwork his enemies were showing off. Orochimaru mouthed something but Naruto and Sasuke couldn't hear what he said due to the loud roar of their own attack. Before their combined attack could reach its target it was rebuffed by a billowing gale of ominous purple colored wind that was actually managing to shred through the fire storm with ease.

While this was going on Sakura wasn't being idle as she went about setting up simple traps to try to distract Orochimaru or even get him to set one off. She didn't think he would fall for one but the fact that he would become aware of them and devote some of his time to acknowledging them was her intent. He would be distracted at the very least. That was all Sakura could really hope for. Unfortunately, her plan wouldn't go as smoothly as she would hope. Indeed, Orochimaru was aware of Sakura's meddling and he was even aware of where all of her traps were and it was because of that reason he backtracked a few paces so that he could purposely set one off.

It was a simple trap with two kunai next to each other and a string attaching them. A trip wire in essence. Orochimaru quickly set the trap off as he back pedaled since Naruto and Sasuke seeing their combination Jutsu fail decided to press their attack once more by getting in close with Kenjutsu. Two smoke bombs were set off as a result of Orochimaru activating Sakura's trap and because of that Naruto and Sasuke couldn't see the Sannin's counter attack. Two vipers flew out of the smoke screen before either Naruto or Sasuke could react and slammed directly into the both of them. The snakes bit down on their swords shattering them in their powerful jaws as the momentum from the snake's slammed both Genin into nearby trees.

"You two should know better than to charge your enemy without proper spatial awareness. You should have been aware of what kind of trap your ally had set up so that you would know if it could be used against you." Orochimaru lectured as the two vipers which were revealed to be coming out of his sleeves were attempting to bite down on Naruto and Sasuke. It let the others know that he was using the **Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu**. A specialty and favorite of Anko's. Naruto quickly froze the snake trying to bite him as he jumped to his feet all the while Sasuke blew a small fire ball directly into the snake's face causing it to back off which allowed him space to return to his feet as well. Orochimaru smiled as he saw the damage to his two snakes when he retracted them.

Naruto glared at Orochimaru as he realized he would have to go all out. **"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Naruto yelled as his chakra spiked to unreal levels as over four dozen shadow clones formed around them in the surrounding trees each with a serious gaze in their eyes. However, Naruto's chakra was still boiling over as he and his clones started to go through multiple hand signs while others started to clap their hands together in their signature stance. "Sasuke let's go!" Naruto called out as he and his clones took off in multiple directions as they surrounded Orochimaru and kept moving. _'I've never done this before but screw it!'_ Naruto thought as what he was about to do was something he's never done before.

" **Wind Style: Gust Jutsu!"**

" **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"**

" **Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu!"**

" **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu!"**

" **Ice Style: Icicle Bullets Jutsu!"**

It was an onslaught of Ninjutsu never seen before. Naruto was unintentionally taking full advantage of his status as a Jinchūriki and the host to a powerful entity like Sōkyoku. The amount of chakra Naruto was expelling was unreal and something a normal human being could never produce. The first to hit was Naruto's Ice Prison Jutsu as it froze Orochimaru's legs to the ground. The next to hit was Naruto's ground spears as they impaled Orochimaru in the legs who was now retaliating after getting over his silent awe at the sheer amount of chakra Naruto was producing as it expelled from him in rippling waves.

The multiple barrages of ice attacks converging on Orochimaru's position was being enhanced after passing through the funnel of Naruto's multiple wind related techniques. Naruto's water related techniques were forming walls of raging waters around the area to prevent Orochimaru from retaliating with any long range attacks as well as dousing his position to keep him disoriented. Sasuke wasn't idle either as he went through a quick chain of hand signs to prepare one of his favorite Jutsu. **"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** Taking a deep breath Sasuke released multiple beach ball sized fire balls in rapid succession and each of them was red hot. His control of this Jutsu having improved after he started to hang around Naruto's apartment and subsequently Iris.

But that wasn't all to the impressive chain of attack. A few of Naruto's clones were hanging in the back ground and with a simple hand sign they used the **Substitution Jutsu** on Sasuke which caused him to switch places with that clone. With this new development Sasuke was now shooting a barrage of fire balls from a different location and angle. This was happening in a rapid sequence of events as the remaining clones were acting as slingshots actively transporting Sasuke to different angles to keep up the vicious onslaught that no Genin should be capable of producing.

Orochimaru wasn't being idle either as he took his Kusanagi sword and cut through the ice freezing him to the ground as well as the icicle shards impaling him in the legs. Once free Orochimaru masterfully deflected the copious amounts of wind enhanced ice shards flying at him with his Kusanagi sword causing the ice projectiles to shatter on contact with his weapon. He would have done more but the relentless flood of water pouring down on him was making it hard to move as the pressure of the water was heavy and he could also detect trace amounts of Yōki laced into both the water and wind buffeting him.

He wasn't making as much progress as he would have liked and Orochimaru was thinking of disconnecting the chakra from his feet so that the raging water would wash him off the thick tree branch he was fighting on and into a better position but he wouldn't get the chance as multiple fireballs exploded around him after they came in contact with the rushing water around them. The combo attacks did their jobs as massive explosions of steam and hot air was erupting all over the place disorienting the Snake Sannin even more than before. Soon the area was being filled up by a massive steam cloud that couldn't be seen out of and that was what Team 7 was hoping for. Naruto was ready to retreat as he and Sasuke shared a look of agreement. Sakura was nearby with a clone of Naruto standing protectively near her ready to take her away at a moment's notice since even as a group they wouldn't be able to take the Sannin down so escaping when presented an opening was their only chance. With all the steam created from their attacks covering the area it would make for the perfect opportunity to slip away. But unfortunately their chance would slip away as Naruto felt a spike in Orochimaru's chakra.

" **Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!"** Orochimaru shouted as dozens upon dozens of large snakes shot out of his sleeve and coiled around his body in the form of a large dome shaped barrier that was preventing the gallons upon gallons of water that was falling from reaching him anymore. Now properly protected Orochimaru decided now was the time to go on the counter offensive as most of the snakes uncoiled from the barrier and lashed out at the closes clones surrounding him and with swift vectors they killed all of the clones producing the bone crushing water style attacks. The remaining clones switched focus to destroying Orochimaru's snakes who detached themselves from his sleeve giving him the opportunity to take off into a neck breaking sprint at Team 7.

Orochimaru's lower body transformed itself into a snake as he moved across the surface of the trees with increased speed and dexterity. Team 7 was higher up in the trees as they were trying to make an escape but seeing the very fast threat incoming Naruto without thinking rebounded off a nearby tree and rocketed himself back into the fray. His clones were doing their best to keep the extra snakes roaming around at bay but they were noticeably failing as time dragged on so Naruto had to make a move. Seeing the ridiculous speed Orochimaru was moving at now indicated to Naruto that he would need to step his game up to its maximum. **"Acceleration!"** Naruto yelled as his body took on a light blue hue as he was covered by the flickering cloak of chakra that looked like fire.

Naruto shattered the bark on a nearby tree as he shot himself straight at Orochimaru who had a look of anticipation on his face. Summoning his swords Naruto let out a bellowing war cry as he and Orochimaru clashed in midair. "Fascinating. You truly are a fascinating child. All of these impressive skills and techniques. I especially want to know what this technique is." Orochimaru commented as both he and Naruto clashed several times in the air before touching down on a nearby tree branch. "I'm sure you do but I'm not some object you can gawk at and experiment on!" Naruto retorted as he felt his feet touch down on the tree branch.

Naruto and Orochimaru disappeared into blue and grey blurs respectively as they ricocheted off of nearby tree branches as the sound of sword clashing could be heard all across the area. With his Sharingan Sasuke was able to keep track of what was happening but things were getting blurry and out of focus for him to track since his teammate and enemy were going at such high speeds it would make it impossible to see them otherwise. If he had a fully mature Sharingan then he would be able to keep up with their movements with no problem but a combination of him starting to tire out, and him losing chakra was making it hard for him to focus. Naruto on the other hand wasn't taking any chances as he tried to freeze Orochimaru's sword and subsequently his arms every time they clashed and he was met with some success as the Kusanagi sword was freezing but with each clash the ice would just shatter apart as Orochimaru would purposely smash his sword into Naruto's to get rid of the ice building up on it.

' _I have to put an end to this! He's moving way faster than I am. He's just toying with me.'_ Naruto thought through gritted teeth as he stared directly into the slit snake like eyes of Orochimaru who had amusement and excitement in his eyes. "You are outperforming any expectation I may have had of you little Naruto. This is wonderful. I may just take you myself." Orochimaru boasted as he pushed Naruto back with a powerful swing of his sword. _'Take me? What does he mean by that? Was he really after Sasuke this entire time or did he have his mind on me as well? What's his goal?'_ Naruto furiously thought as he was quickly losing not only ground but the bout with swords happening between him and the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru was outclassing him in Kenjutsu by a fair margin and Naruto was doing everything he could to just stay alive and not get hit.

"I think I'm almost done with my little observation of you children. There's just one more thing I'd like to test out." Orochimaru stated as he suddenly switched gears. He was going fast before but now he was a blur even to Naruto. The experienced Shinobi came in from all sides as he battered Naruto's defenses who was doing every conceivable thing to not get killed. With his enhanced reflexes due to syncing up with Eva as well as using his Accel Turn it was allowing Naruto to just barely be able to anticipate and block Orochimaru's onslaught but Naruto was unable to get a counter attack in anymore as he had to completely switch his game up to a defensive strategy. Naruto's offense had been completely broken.

Seeing his opportunity Orochimaru came in from Naruto's exposed left side with his sword taking on a purplish haze. Naruto immediately felt like his body was set on fire as whatever energy was coating Orochimaru's sword was reacting negatively to Naruto's body. Without any effort at all Orochimaru slashed through both of Naruto's swords in one swift movement causing them to shatter in an explosion of destabilized volatile Yōki. Naruto was flung back from the mini explosion as his body slammed into a nearby tree causing the bark to cave in.

"That was Holy Magic… but how?" Naruto wheezed as he tried to regain the breath that was knocked right out of him. "Very good. So you are knowledgeable about the different kinds of energies in the world. That is very good. I've decided that you are too much of a worthy specimen to let roam free." Orochimaru declared as he went through a very specific chain of hand signs. "That's what he did earlier." Sakura exclaimed as she recognized the hand signs Orochimaru was performing. Without thinking Sakura took out several kunai and threw them down at Orochimaru while Sasuke catching on quickly breathed out a fire ball just as Orochimaru's neck extended like rubber and took off at Naruto's prone form.

Orochimaru had enough forewarning to dodge Sakura's kunai and shuriken and Sasuke's fireball was more than noticeable for someone like him so dodging that would be child's play. However, the interruption those attacks caused gave Naruto the extra few seconds needed to recharge his Accel Turn. In a burst of movement Naruto disappeared right as Orochimaru's fangs were about to bit down into his neck. Ascending further up into the canopy Naruto was planning to meet back up with his teammates so they could escape but Orochimaru had other plans. Retracting his neck Orochimaru took off like a rocket as his lower body was reminiscent of that of a snake. His increased mobility and dexterity allowed him to cross the distance between them in seconds. "Stay back!" Naruto shouted as he went to make a shadow clone to take the incoming hit. Orochimaru's Kusanagi blade was outstretched and was coming into range but the unexpected happened.

Instead of a Shadow Clone spawning into existence, Naruto's cloak flickered as a large chunk of it split itself from Naruto's body and formed a clone of Naruto that had a light blue translucent tint to it and it too was moving at a fast speed. Naruto felt a massive dip in his overall speed as this strange clone spawned in his place. The clone was moving at about the same speed Naruto was and it lashed out with an Accelerating Punch that stalled Orochimaru in midair as he deflected the attack away. **"Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!"** Naruto screamed as he summoned his swords into his hand without missing a beat and slashed down at Orochimaru with all his strength. The shockwave from Naruto pouring a potent dose of Yōki into his attack threw Orochimaru away into a nearby tree where he shattered the trunk of the tree with the impact of his body.

Naruto managed to use the last bit of his Accel Turn to make it back up to where his teammate was waiting for him as he landed with an unbalanced air around him. **"Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Freeze Vision!"** Eva herself had decided to get in on the action as she froze the entire area around them due to the fact that Naruto and Sasuke's earlier massive combo attack left the climate in the forest vastly changed. There was a large amount of water vapors lingering in the air due to the steam produced from earlier and just by setting a little bit of it to freeze caused an immediate chain reaction. The entire forest around them started to freeze over with Orochimaru trapped in the center of this rapid change in weather and within a few short seconds the area around them was like a winter wonder land.

"We need to leave now! I don't think I can keep going." Naruto said as he dropped to one knee. A Jinchūriki he may be but even he had his limits. He could feel his chakra depleting at a rapid pace. From the dozens upon dozens of Jutsu's he spammed earlier as well as the many Shadow Clones he needed to create to even make such an attack possible to the overuse of his Accel Turn just trying to keep up with Orochimaru's speed all took its toll on Naruto. When the Snake Sannin hit him earlier with his sword coated in what he suspected to be holy magic it severely depleted his reserves of chakra since it is heavily laced with Yōki especially since he and Eva are currently synced up. Naruto could feel a massive headache pounding away inside his head as exhaustion was starting to take him. Despite having Sōkyoku inside of him it doesn't give him a complete immunity to Holy Magic. His chakra is predominately composed of potent traces of Yōki due to the incredibly close bond he shares with Eva and the near life time they've spent together.

Sasuke was exhausted too since the boost he received earlier from Naruto was starting to wear off and he doesn't have nearly as much chakra as Naruto to throw about. But even he could see this was a hopeless fight to win. The Snake Sannin was just simple out of their league. With those thoughts in mind Sasuke draped Naruto's arm of his shoulder and hoisted him up. They were prepared to jump away and retreat when the all felt a massive spike in chakra. Even though Sakura and Sasuke aren't sensory type ninja they could still feel the buildup of chakra happening below them.

A massive explosion blew away the large ice ball below them and a burgundy colored snake with rusty orange highlights in between its scales ascended into the air from its confinement with its body letting off copious amounts of steam. The snake was generating heat from its scales and it completely melted all the ice around it with just its presence alone. Standing on top of the large snake's head was Orochimaru who had his arms crossed over his chest and a demented look in his eyes. "You two have performed beyond any limitations I would have ever thought you might have. I will have the both of you." Orochimaru declared as he directed his massive snake to charge at the defenseless Genin. Sakura threw an entire handful of kunai and shuriken at the snakes face but the kunai bounced off the red hot scales that was acting like tough armor.

Jumping up to another tree Sasuke tried to get him and Naruto as far away from the snake as possible with Sakura right on their heels but it wouldn't be enough. It may be big but the snake could really move and it soon had the three cornered as it lunged at the Genin intent on swallowing all three of them. Naruto felt a surge of chakra erupt though his body as Eva was pouring as much Yōki into his system as she possibly could. Having her as his ever present backup was always a comforting thought to Naruto.

Naruto lashed out with an Accel Punch that stopped the large reptilian in its tracks from the powerful force behind the punch but do to its thick scales it didn't feel too much of the attack. Since it doesn't have any bones the snake whipped its head around in a fast movement and smacked Naruto away with such force that he smashed through three trees before shattering the bark on a fourth. Blood and spit flew out of Naruto's mouth as he felt some of his ribs break from the jarring blow to his entire body. He felt like he was just smacked by a building. Which wasn't far off the mark since the snake's head was the nearly twice the size of Ichiraku's little ramen shop. Not to mention the rest of its body uncoiled was about 100 feet long.

Without missing a beat, the massive snake whipped its tail around and smacked Sakura away before she could even possibly react sending her crashing through a nearby tree where she fell down at least 10 feet onto another stable branch. She was barely conscious and her vision was swimming but to her credit she was trying to reorient herself and find her balance. Her clothes were ripped in multiple places and dirt was caked up on her body just like her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke's clothes also had a lot of damage done to them as well and they were not much better off either.

Seeing his two teammates down Sasuke tried to make a last ditch effort to make any sort of move as his Sharingan blazed a bright red but even though he saw it coming he could do nothing to defend himself from the snake who heated up its tail and smacked Sasuke into a nearby tree where the young Uchiha's head bounced off the tough bark rattling his brain and nearly driving him into unconsciousness. Sasuke slumped down as his body went limp against the tree. The triumphant look in Orochimaru's eyes didn't leave him as he went through several hand signs. "Now let's try this again."

The Snake Sannin's neck extended forward at blistering speeds as he reached Sasuke before anyone could make a move. Orochimaru opened his mouth wide and bit down on Sasuke's exposed neck drawing a squirt of blood as the man's two long fangs sunk into the Uchiha's skin. A strange phenomenon happened next as three black tomes very reminiscent of Sasuke's Sharingan formed right on the spot Orochimaru bit down on. Retracting his neck Orochimaru watched on as Sasuke's mind finally registered the pain as the young boy screamed in absolute agony.

"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed as he saw his teammate in agony. Something within Naruto seemed to release itself as he felt an immense surge of chakra that wasn't coming from Eva. Hearing both her teammates screaming jarred Sakura awake as she looked up and saw Sasuke above her on a nearby tree branch holding his neck in blistering pain screaming his lungs out. She could hear Naruto responding to this as well and this caused her to shake the cobwebs from her head and sit up. "Sasuke no!" Sakura called out as she scrambled to her feet in a panic. "I've left you with a parting gift Sasuke. You will come to me in search of power. The power I can grant you will allow you to destroy your brother and take your revenge. The leaf village will only hold you back in the end Sasuke. Think on my words young Uchiha." Orochimaru coaxed with his final words to Sasuke as the boy fell over unconscious from the pain.

Before Orochimaru could move he had to brace himself as the large snake recoiled in pain from a blow to its jaw. The snake hissed in pain as it glared at Naruto who was standing protectively in front of his fallen teammate. Naruto's hair was wild and spikier than normal and his whisker marks were more pronounced along with his teeth. His nails were razor sharp and as he looked up Orochimaru could get a clear view into Naruto now blood red eyes with an animalistic vertical slit for a pupil much like his own. Orochimaru took note of the fact that the temperature had dropped drastically almost to the freezing point. Tiny traces of frost were building up on the trees and leaves in the area as Naruto growled at the massive snake in front of him as the snake hissed back in challenge.

The forest around them was getting darker than usual and with a quick glance up Orochimaru noticed that black clouds were above them and black snow was falling onto the canopy above them. Because the canopy was so thick and impenetrable most of the snow only reached the top layers of the trees but a few lucky snowflakes managed to get pass the canopy and reach were the fight was taking place. Since they were actually very high up in the canopy of trees the snow didn't really have to travel far to reach them.

' _His Jinchūriki powers and attributes have merged with his unique Kekkei Genkai and Demonic abilities. Fascinating. Truly fascinating. He's now more powerful than ever.'_ Orochimaru thought as excitement filled him. _'Just like his mother. This is better than anything I could have ever hoped for._ _However, I must draw my fun time to a close. Sarutobi Sensei will no doubt be on to me soon and my plans can't become unraveled so quickly. Not to mention that old coot Dino has been sniffing around lately. If anyone could disrupt my plans, then it would be him.'_ Orochimaru contemplated as he gave his snake a signal to attack. _'Time to put an end to this.'_

Naruto rocketed forward leaving an ice patch on the tree branch he was just standing on. The clash between the snake's snout and Naruto's fist sent a billowing shockwave of freezing cold air that blew Sasuke's limp body off the tree he was resting on. Seeing this and knowing she wouldn't be fast enough to catch Sasuke from her current position Sakura took out a kunai and threw it with all of her strength right into the path of Sasuke's body. With great luck the kunai stabbed into Sasuke's shirt and pinned him to the tree.

The freezing air didn't bother the snake at all as it heated its body up causing its scales to glow a dull orange. With his enhanced reflexes Naruto dodged the strike the snake sent his way with its tail and before the snake could retaliate Naruto rocketed off the tree he was attached too and slashed at the snake with a vicious claw strike that actually tore through the snake's tough scales and sent steam billowing everywhere. _'He's far faster than ever before. And his strength has drastically improved. Magnificent.'_ Orochimaru salivated as his snake was having trouble keeping up with Naruto's enhanced speed. _'The Nine Tails power combined with his more demonic attributes are impressive. Not to mention he's only tapping into a drop of the fox's power.'_

Orochimaru was jerked out of his thoughts as his large orange snake had to coil itself around a different tree to dodge a powerful strike from Naruto's claw like hand. Flash freezing the tree he landed on Naruto then ricocheted himself directly at Orochimaru himself as he sailed over the snake's large head. _'I've got him.'_ Orochimaru schemed as his tongue launched itself out of his mouth and wrapped around Naruto's body who was now inches away from clawing his face off. The snake Sannin could feel his tongue start to freeze itself but an application of his own chakra to his appendage stopped the cold wave from reaching the rest of his body.

"You've blown away all of my expectations Naruto. You're in quite the high demand these days. So many parties are interested in you. The trouble you'll cause me if I decide to take you with me will be great but it might be well worth it. If you survive these next few months, then I'll have a place for you by my side." Orochimaru stated as he flexed his hand and pumped chakra into it.

On each of his fingers a purple light of chakra bloomed into existence that looked a lot like fire. In that fire you could see floating Kanji with an astral glow to them of a lighter purple color. At this point in time Sakura had made her way over to Sasuke and unhooked him from the tree she pinned him to. She brought him over to a nearby stable tree where she sat him down to get comfortable. Sakura spied the curse mark on the back of Sasuke's neck and the swollen bite mark on it. _'What is this? What did he do to Sasuke?'_ Sakura questioned in her mind with panic starting to set in as she looked at her friend and not so secret crush. Over the last few months Sasuke and Sakura have accumulated an actual friendship when Sakura wasn't fangirling over him and when Sasuke wasn't trying to avoid her or others. It was a very slow going process but a steady one.

With Sasuke somewhat safe and secure Sakura turned her attention to her other teammate who was in some form of transformed state. His hair was spiky and freezing cold air was blasting off of him in waves. An almost invisible aura of red chakra was surrounding him as the intensity and killing intent wafting off of Naruto was buffeting like a storm. She couldn't see his eyes or any other noticeable features due to multiple reasons such as the lighting, denseness of the forest and his sheer speed but if she could then she would be shocked to see the drastic changes he had undergone and just how evil it felt. It felt familiar to her and she didn't know why but she couldn't quite place it.

Sakura couldn't even begin to track Naruto's movement as he was going at speeds she couldn't track with her eyes. Everything was going well until she saw Naruto get trapped by Orochimaru's tongue. Now things weren't looking good for Naruto. Sakura didn't know why but she could tell that Orochimaru was after her two teammates. She didn't know why or for what but it was blatantly obvious with the way Orochimaru has been acting and the words he's spoken. His target was clearly her teammates, that much was certain.

Sakura saw Orochimaru's hand light up in a strange light and it looked like he was going to use it on Naruto. Based on the many strange unknown techniques Orochimaru's employed during their fight and seeing the results first hand in the case of Sasuke's current condition she knew that Naruto couldn't get hit with whatever that attack was.

Making her decision Sakura took out several kunai that she attached fake paper bombs too as well as something extra. With no time to spare Sakura threw all the kunai in her hand while subconsciously adding chakra to her muscles which enhanced the speed of her throw. Orochimaru took notice of the incoming kunai as a snake came out of his sleeve and batted away the incoming kunai without much effort. All the while Orochimaru lunged forward with his hand aimed directly at Naruto's stomach which was exposed after Orochimaru lifted up Naruto's shirt.

" **Five Pronged Seal!"** Orochimaru shouted as his hands came in contact with Naruto's exposed stomach which had his seal visible. Orochimaru felt his moment of triumph slip away however as a flash bang went off wright in his face just as he was making contact with Naruto's seal. It turns out Sakura hit a flash bang tag in the mix of her other kunai and the snake defending Orochimaru failed to notice. Because of this Orochimaru only managed to make three of his fingers come in contact with Naruto's seal instead of all five and through the temporary blinding light of Sakura's flashbang Orochimaru could see an even brighter light shining through and an unimaginable wave of cold air rippling out.

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu –** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

2.) **Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu -** The Hallmark Jutsu of the Land of Fire and the Hidden leaf Village and founded by the famous Uchiha Clan the Fire ball Jutsu is the go to fire style Jutsu as well as a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Jutsu spews forth a fire ball from the mouth of the user and the size of the technique is depended on the amount of Chakra used by the user. The Jutsu is the gateway Jutsu to many other advanced and powerful fire style Jutsu.

3.) **? -** An unknown technique that Orochimaru uses that creates a purple tinted wind that is so strong it could completely block and negate Naruto and Sasuke's combined Ninjutsu. It is unknown at this time what energy source is powering the technique but its speculated that it might be Holy Magic.

4.) **Striking Shadow Snakes Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades. This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Summoning Technique. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body.

5.) **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu –** The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.

6.) **Wind Style: Gust Jutsu –** A low C - Rank Jutsu that creates a gust of wind that blows an opponent off their feet. The unique functionality of this technique however allows for the gust of wind to come from a multitude of places. Ex: Hands (Palms or Fist), Feet, Mouth, or through a weapon (Fan or other weapon that can generated air based on movement).

7.) **Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu –** A basic water style Ninjutsu the user molds water nature chakra into their mouth before spitting it out into a small scale wave powerful enough to sweep grown men off their feet and knock down light weight objects not tied down or secure to the ground.

8.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu** **–** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

9.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu** **–** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

10.) **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu –** A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work _(Preferably by the feet)_ the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

11.) **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu –** A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.

12.) **Ice Style: Ice Kunai Barrage Jutsu –** A Jutsu that allows Naruto to create dozens of ice kunai in midair and telekinetically control them and launch them at a target.

13.) **Ice Style: Icicle Bullets** **–** A move that Naruto created that allows him to form thin icicles that he can launch at incredible speeds that most people can't track. It has a massive amount of penetration power since it was able to shoot straight through Mizuki's shoulder blade despite the fact that he had on his flak jacket. It pierced through the bones in his shoulder.

14.) **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu -** A Fire style Jutsu that is often employed by the Uchiha clan. It is similar to the Fire ball Jutsu in a lot of ways but instead of one large fire ball it creates several small fire balls with half the power of a regular fire ball Jutsu. This Jutsu is often used to hit multiple opponents at once or to bombard a single opponent.

15.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

16.) **Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes -** By increasing the amount of snakes summoned with the Striking Shadow Snake Hands, the diversity of this Ninjutsu is increased. The swarm of big snakes appear in an instant, each snake individually doing something like intimidating, diverting, or capturing the enemy in a cooperative attack. Without giving them the time to react, the enemy is entangled.

17.) **Acceleration -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high speed movements.

18.) **? -** By accident and desperation Naruto has somehow created a new technique to be added to his High End Skill repertoire. A piece of Naruto's Accel Cloak breaks off and becomes a clone of him that is also using Acceleration by default.

19.) **Kenjutsu: X – Scissor -** A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding.

20.) **Demonic Art: Winter Fairy Freeze Vision -** A technique that allows Eva to freeze anything in her line of vision. It is a move that she instinctively knows and it is one of several that all of the winter fairies are capable of using.

21.) **Five Pronged Seal -** A powerful technique that is used to block or disturb the target's chakra flow. Once the seal is completed, the target will become unconscious and unable to fight for a short time. The Five Prong Seal is an odd number seal and if it is placed on another seal that has an even number in its formula it will create an imbalance in the person or object and prevent them from correctly using their chakra. They could either loose all connection with their chakra and not be able to use it at all or their chakra control will be severely messed up to the point where anything but the most basic of Jutsu's would be out of their reach.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So how was that? I know Orochimaru's introduction was a little sudden and the dialogue he spoke didn't really reveal much of his motive but in the following chapters all of that and more will be revealed. I decided to throw Orochimaru right at your faces and in the aftermath we will see what comes of it. Naruto and Sasuke show off their dynamic teamwork and the results of the last few months they've spent training together as friends and partners. Do to Naruto's help Sasuke already knows how to wield a sword and a Chokutō at that which is the same sword he has in the Manga/Anime. The little exert of information regarding the names and lore behind Naruto and Sasuke's swords are all real. I went a did a little research on that particular subject to get my facts right.

Naruto unleashes a Ninjutsu storm of epic proportions as he and his teammates try everything in their power to escape Orochimaru. Many things come out of this chapter such as Naruto accidentally creating a new technique. It comes to a head as Naruto taps into the power of the Nine Tailed Fox after Sasuke was bit by Orochimaru. What has come of the development now that Orochimaru messed up his Five Prong Seal? Only time will tell. So stay tuned for the next chapter and find out.

Next Chapter: _**(Sound in the Forest)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 37 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 12/16/2016


	39. Ch: 38 Sound in the Forest

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this chapter is going to throw you for a loop. Backstory and flashback incoming! A long awaited one if I do say so myself. I hope you all enjoy.

 _ **(Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and stays safe. This is my present to you!)**_

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Chapter 38

 _ **Sound in the Forest**_

"Mom what's going on? What's that noise?" The voice of a young boy called out as explosions were going off around him. "Tidal grab your sister and go!" The voice of a young woman yelled as she was surrounded by a powerful white aura of power that was rippling off of her in waves.

"Honey what's going on? Who's attacking?" A timber like voice shouts out that was definitely male. There was a hint of panic in his voice as he raced over to his wife. "She brought Hell Hounds! She's making her move now." The woman warned as she raised a massive wall of water that blocked an object that splashed through her wall. It was an invisible apparition that appeared to be a four-legged animal as the sounds of a low animalistic growl could be heard coming from that direction. Steam was rolling off the creature as a blurry distortion in the air marked the position it was standing in.

"You should have killed her off when you had the chance instead of just banishing her! Banishment and imprisonment in Hell was too merciful a sentence for that ungrateful woman." The man grunted as his powers started to rise. "I sense dozens of them. Nimbus take the children and go! Even just one Hell Hound would be a deadly challenge for you. Let alone our species as a whole." The woman warned as she started to slowly rise off the ground. Several key things to take note of was the fact that golden hued oval shaped wings were coming out of the woman's back and the fact the woman was only a few inches tall. She had long slightly frizzy blond hair that reached to her waist that had white streaks running through the length of her hair and bright crystal blue eyes and pointed elf ears. For someone of her very short stature she had a curvaceous figure and a stunning face filled with inhuman beauty.

"This many would be difficult for you as well Neo! You couldn't possibly take them all on by yourself. Even we demons are helpless against them." Nimbus pleaded with his wife as he held his kids close to him. His son who was 8 years old and his daughter who was three years old and would be four in a few months. The son had wavy blond hair in a short bob cut around his head with dark blue eyes, pointed elf ears, and a small mole underneath his chin. He had oval shaped golden wings on his back as well but the pattern on his wings weren't as fluid and circular as his mother or sister. The father was the same way in the fact his wings didn't have oval shaped fluid patterns. If you had to describe it then you'd say it looked more masculine in design while the girls had a more feminine design to their wings.

The young daughter was the spitting image of her mother. She had bright blue crystal clear blue eyes; small pointed elf ears; and unlike her mother whose hair only stopped at her waist, she had ankle length slightly frizzy blond hair that draped down around her body like a curtain. It surrounding the little girl who wasn't more than an inch or two tall. She was tiny and her older brother wasn't much bigger. If anything, she looked like a walking pile of blond lint with the ridiculous length and volume of her hair.

The small family of four were inside of a massive tree house that was actually a mansion and the tree house rested inside of an even bigger tree that was truly enormous in size not only to them but to a regular human as well. The tree and subsequently the house itself was covered in thick blankets of snow and the ground itself was no different. Surrounding the grand tree was an entire forest up in a snowy valley with millions if not more small tree houses scattered throughout the thousands of trees with at least one third of the wooden huts being buildings instead of houses.

"You forget honey that I'm no ordinary demon…" Neo ominously said as her power exploded from her body in rippling waves as she ascended into the air with all the grace and presence of a royal Queen or powerful Goddess which coincidentally enough she was. She was both in fact. "Your greed and jealousy has finally come to a boiling point huh Lilith?" Neo muttered in resignation and pity. The look in her eyes was one of pity but it held no love for the person floating across from her.

A fellow fairy was floating across from her in the air but this fairy was anything but friendly. The fairy had long curly black waist length hair with a few streaks of white locks mixed in. She had narrow black eyes and what some may constitute as a pretty and attractive face if not for the plainly apparent devious intentions she had at the moment and the pure waves of animosity she was radiating. She had large pointed elf ears that parted her hair and gave her bangs as well as two front tails of hair. Out of her back was a set of dull rustic colored wings that tapered off at the ends in long strands. Her bottom pair of wing weren't clearly defined as they flared out across her back. Small translucent antennae like appendages flared out from the roots of her wings and hung loosely in the air with her wings.

For clothes Lilith had on a simple white dress that had many wrinkles in it. It reached about a few inches below her waist and tapered off in random torn edges and hugged her slender frame accentuating her more slender curves. On her arms, she had long sleeved brown leather gloves that reached a few inches above her elbow. On her legs, she also had thigh high leather boots in the same brown color.

Neo had on a simple white dress that fell to her knees in staggered edges. It was night time so she didn't have on any regular clothes. But that all changed when Neo summoned a magic circle that enveloped her and gave her new clothes. Now she was in her combat attire. Neo had on an icy blue colored dress with blue accents and designs coalescing throughout the dress to create a beautiful battle ready piece of clothing that could take a hit or two. "I've waited long enough my Queen. I will have the Aqua stone in my possession when this is all over." Lilith spoke in a condescending tone as small little spheres of fire started to spawn around her. "I see that since the time of your banishment you went ahead and reincarnated yourself as a Devil. Did you think that would have boosted your power enough to challenge me?" Neo questioned with a tame disbelieving shake of her head. "That remains to be seen my Queen." Lilith bit back as she glared daggers into the one being she hated above any other.

"Lord Zinnath bestowed the Aqua Stone onto me. Entrusted it to me because he believed that I could use it for good. What would a Summer Fairy use the Aqua Stone for huh? You've always had a terrible inferiority complex that's caused you to develop a lust for power and destruction. It doesn't matter where the power comes from and it doesn't matter what has to be destroyed to get to it. We may be demons but we are not mindless, and this twisted ideology of yours is shameful to everything the Seasonal Fairies stand for. But it ends here today Lilith." Neo lectured as the already cold air in the region started to plummet at a fast rate.

"I care not for your words Neo. I will have the Aqua Stone and you at my feet. By then your little family will be dead and I will be left to rule in your place." Lilith said with a snarl as she flared to orbs of fire around her in a challenge. "And do you honestly think you can beat me? That line of thinking will be your inevitable demise. The Four Great Satan's would never allow someone like you to rule over the Fairy Domain. My students would kill you where you stand." Neo countered with a frown forming on her face. Down below her in the trees Queen Neo could see millions of Winter Fairies gathering in the area as they fended off the Hell Hounds. It wasn't enough as the power of a Hell Hound was more powerful than most Demons and Devils but they were doing all they could and Neo felt a sense of pride for her kind as they have always been stubborn and prideful as a species.

As far as the eye could see there was nothing but endless snow covered forest that stretched out into the vast unknown of the great mountain range valley the region resides in but Neo was well aware that there were three more biomes dedicated to the Spring, Summer, and Autumn fairies right next to her own and the four biomes make up the Fairy Domain. A large geographical area in the pits of the underworld. And Neo was the Queen and ruler of every square inch of it.

"I will have no reason to fear the Four Great Satan's once I've attained your power. Your students will know their place but it's for that reason that I've brought help." Lilith insisted as she pointed out three demons below her that were very familiar. "Oh, yes you're little lackeys. The only three demons in existence dumb enough to follow you. Ryūra, Kyōra, and Jūra. They even got themselves a little parasite demon to join them, how lovely." Neo pointed out as she took notice of three familiar faces that she knows all too well. "You couldn't match me back then when you three had your full power and now that it's been sealed away you are helpless." Neo stated as she vividly recalled those three having their powers sealed away by a dear friend of hers.

"I would have loved to get that little human pet of yours back for what she did to my subordinates… it's unfortunate that she died a few years back. I would have loved to see her demise for myself or at the very least be the one to kill her off." Lilith taunted which infuriated the Queen as Neo unleashed the full extent of her power. "Hold your tongue!" Neo yelled as a massive shockwave of Yōki released itself from her body nearly taking Ryūra and the others off their feet. The Hell Hounds all looked up from what they were doing as black storm clouds moved into the entire region covering the sky in a matter of seconds. Black snow started to fall at a rapid pace before it transformed itself into an unrelenting blizzard that tore through the entire forest. Queen Neo underwent a transformation herself. She was now the size of a full grown human adult and she stood at a tall height of 5'10 with the white streaks that is in her hair spreading turning all of her blond hair pure white her crystal clear blue eyes turned blood red with small slits in them and they radiated pure power.

A blue glow could be seen emanating from her stomach because a sapphire colored gem stone could be seen sticking out of her stomach where her belly button should be. The stone radiated with pure power as Neo's wings started to leak black snow instead of golden dust. "You will die here today Lilith. Your toxic existence has no place in our peaceful domain." Neo spat as the blizzard picked up in force. "So be it then." Lilith countered as a red magic circle appeared behind her with a sunflower like design on it. A mirror summoned itself out of the magic circle to float behind Lilith and it was a very special mirror. It was a circular mirror that was surrounded by a rich golden designed border. The top of the mirror had golden wings coming out of it. It also sported 4 red ruby gems on the top of it. All around the mirror in the golden border were small spheres matching the golden color. On the sides of the mirror was more winglet like designs.

' _The Yata no Kagami… how does she have it?'_ Neo questioned as she made sure to avoid eye contact with the mirror. It had many unique and devious abilities that when placed in the wrong hands could cause disasters. "Bring it." Lilith goaded as she grew two bat like wings out of her back that were skinny and almost leathery in appearance. They were Devil Wings. "No, you come to me girl." Neo snarled as dozens of blue and white magic circles appeared around her in the sky. Her eyes were frigid cold pits that held no compassion or sympathy for the person in front of her. These were the eyes of a merciless God who would destroy any enemy that got in her way.

With that a rare class between a God and Devil commenced with the landscape around them and the Winter Fairy Kingdom suffering massive collateral damage. The battle lasted for many hours as Neo had to battle not only Lilith who was the biggest threat there with her power but, her subordinates who while not all that powerful compare to her were enough to give her trouble with their unique powers and excellent teamwork and the pack of Hell Hounds which was one of the biggest threats as their unique existence and powers proved to be one of the biggest troubles for the Queen.

When the dust settled Lilith and her henchmen were nowhere to be seen and all the Hell Hounds were killed but not without many lives being lost. "How could this have happened?" Neo whimpered as she cradled what remained of her son in her arms. Her husband was completely devoured by a Hell Hound as he shielded his children from a small group that's slipped past his wife. He died taking one of them with him as he unleashed all his power. Her son was next as he desperately tried to run with his baby sister only to be caught in the end. Hearing the screams of her dying family was what sent Neo over the edge. The proof was in the fact that the entire valley in which the Fairy Domain rested was in a complete white out. Everything for hundreds of square miles was frozen over and unbearable amounts of Yōki hung in the air.

"Mommy help…" A little girl squeaked out as a pile of snow was moving a few feet away from Neo. "I'm coming baby just hold on." Neo shouted as she moved the snow and tree branches pinning her only remaining child to the ground away with her exhausted powers. Neo held her injured and traumatized daughter in the palm of her hand as she was still in her human form. "My little Eva I'm here for you darling just hold on. Mommy will make everything feel better ok." Neo comforted her daughter who was trembling in fright and pain. _'How could I let this all happen? Nimbus was right. I should have killed her off a long time ago. Did I truly hold sympathy for Lilith? Now I've lost almost everything.'_ Neo agonized as she tried her best not to cry and scream out her agony at loosing most of her family and many of her subjects. But the tears wouldn't be stopped as they started to pool in her eyes. In the palm of her hand her tiny little daughter looked like a puffy lint ball due to her wild and out of control ankle length hair that was now ruffled up due to all the commotion that was going on.

' _Her life is slipping away. One of those blasted Hell Hounds must have gotten to her. If I don't do something now I'll lose my baby.'_ Neo cursed as she knew that there was only one thing she could do. Healing her daughter's wounds would do nothing to stop her soul from leaving her body especially since she was a demon and they were in the underworld. _'It has to be done. I have no other choice. By the gods I am so sorry my little Eva.'_ Neo silently cried as she reached for her stomach and placed her hand over the sapphire colored gem sticking out of the spot her belly button is supposed to be. _'The power of the Aqua Stone can save her life, but in the process it will turn her unwillingly into a Demon Goddess. She won't be able to handle this kind of power. It will corrupt her if ever given the chance… but… but… I believe she can do it. I know she can… please let me be right.'_ Neo mourned as she pulled the stone out of her stomach and the effects were immediate. Neo started to shrink back down to the size of a normal Fairy and she lost the white color to her hair as it returned back to predominately blond with small white streaks of hair accenting her features.

The stone stayed the same size as it crashed onto the ground next to them. It was in the shape of a three-dimensional octagon with an ethereal energy core at the center of the gem. "Hold on sweetie. Mommy will make you feel a lot better." Neo soothed as she placed her hand on the Aqua Stone and it shrunk down to fit in the palm of her small little hand. She then placed it on her toddler's stomach and watched as it fused with Eva's skin until it disappeared completely. _'She won't develop any white streaks in her hair unless a large amount of the stones power floods her body. The transfer is safe to do but hopefully she will never have to experience the consequences of this power. The rage, the hatred, the toxic power of having your demonic nature amped up to its maximum. It can turn you into a killing machine.'_ Neo thought in slight regret and fear for the future as she saw all of Eva's wounds disappear in the blink of an eye and she could feel her daughter's life force and soul being repaired.

Neo would have done more but a familiar energy signature not too far away from her had her gasping in shock. "How is she still alive?" Neo wheezed as she turned back to her shivering daughter. Although she's a Winter Fairy the overpowering Yōki filled atmosphere and encroaching snow and ice around them was enough to make Eva shiver in the cold. Neo wanted to curse to the heavens above that Lilith was still alive and the fact that she felt so weak right now she wouldn't be able to properly defend herself or her daughter if anything else was to happen. _'What's this? It can't be?'_ Neo thought in absolute shock as she was in the process of carrying her daughter when she felt a faint energy signature locking onto Eva who was in her arms or more specifically the Aqua Stone inside of her daughter.

' _Could it be? The seal Minato and Kushina were working on? Someone activated it… but this energy it feels like a combination of the both of them… a child… their child lives! Their child is alive!'_ Neo thought in elation as tears streamed down her face. In fact, she's been crying this entire time as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. From seeing the unrecognizable body of her son to the battered body of her daughter and seeing her husband and fellow Winter Fairies dying it was enough to cause the proud Queen to cry.

"Mommy something's pulling on me. It feels weird. I don't like it." Eva whined as she could feel something deep within her body pulling her away from her mother's arms. "Don't fight it darling. This is a good thing. Someone is waiting for you on the other side. Their calling out to you. They will take care of you." Neo soothed as she gently patted her daughter on the head and watched as a light blue outline surrounded the little fluff ball in her arms. "Who's pulling me away Mommy? I don't want to go. Daddy and big brother will be mad if I go…" Eva slurred as she started to become delirious from not only her body now just adjusting to having the Aqua Stone inside of her but a completely foreign energy signature summoning her.

"Family is on the other side waiting for you sweetie. I'll be right behind you so don't look back. I… I… I love you sweetie ok and so does your father and big brother. Be… be a good girl for me and stay out of trouble. I love you Evangeline." Neo choked out with a whimper which turned into a heart wrenching wail as she watched her daughter's eyes roll into the back of her head because of the stress she was undergoing. She would quickly recover from the vertigo and nausea she was feeling but as she disappeared in a puff of smoke Neo screamed to the heavens above her as she knew that without the Aqua Stone in her body she didn't have long to live. She's had the stone for so long that without it her body couldn't support itself.

"You should have given me the stone a long time ago Neo… now this is all your fault." Lilith's voice could be heard whispering out as Neo turned her head and saw a barely alive Lilith crawling her way towards her but something was behind her. It was a dark mass of inky pitch black shadows that was radiating pure evil. _'What is that?'_ Neo questioned as she saw the mass of evil engulf Lilith as her vision started to blur. Neo was feeling the effects of not having the Aqua Stone inside of her body now.

' _I'm so sorry Eva for what I've done. I have so much to be sorry for. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you Kushina when you needed me. Now you and Minato are dead and poor Shoko is all alone now… and your child… he lives… Naruto.'_ Neo thought as her mental thoughts were starting to blur together as things went black for her.

"Naruto. That was me… that was my mother…" Eva spoke in a choked-up voice as she tried her hardest to fight back the tears that were freely falling down her face. She and Naruto who were in the form of a ghost witnessed all that just transpired. Both their eyes were wide open in shock at all of the events they were forced to see. To see those invisible Hell-hounds tear apart many innocent fairies; to Eva's mother confronting the assailants responsible for the attack. Naruto and Eva spied Kyōra and Jūra participating in the attack as well as a third member who looked very similar to them which lead them to the conclusion that this was another one of their brothers. The battle between Neo and Lilith was nothing more than awe inspiring as Naruto and Eva saw just how powerful Neo was. The battle was more intense than anything they've ever witnessed or participated in themselves and they could only wonder how was it possible for her to be so powerful especially for a species like the Seasonal Fairies.

"I'm so sorry Eva. It will be ok." Naruto said as he tried to hold his emotions together. Seeing the tender moment of Eva and her mother right before she was sent away tugged at Naruto's heartstrings and seeing how distraught his faithful other half was; it was taking its toll on his emotions as well. To see the circumstances surrounding how he met his lifelong partner which was something that the partners themselves never true knew. The circumstances around their meeting was a mystery to them.

The last thing Naruto remembered before coming to this vision was Orochimaru grabbing him around his stomach and an unimaginable mind numbing pain knocking him unconscious. When he came to he had Eva on his shoulder and they were both viewing the events in front of them transpire without being able to interact with the world around them. The world around them faded to black as Eva's mother passed out and the two preteens were unable to see what happens next but the only thing on their mind was comforting each other and processing what they just witnessed. "What are we going to do? Where do we go from here Naru?" Eva questioned as her mind was a jumbled mess of uncertainty. She didn't know how to deal with the truth behind her heart wrenching departure from her former life and the unexpected ejection into her new one.

"I don't know Eva. This time I don't have any of the answers. I'm at a lost just like you but what I do know is that we'll make it through this together; just like we all ways have. This won't stop us I promise. Believe it." Naruto said as he did his best to comfort Evangeline who was distraught. Her mind was in a state of shock right now. There was so much for her too take in and she didn't know how to process any of it. He even added in his little catch phrase that he spouts every once in a while. Eva would often tease him and say it makes him sound like a dork so he's refrained from saying it in her presence but he figured a little light hearted gesture would do her some good in this situation.

Naruto would have said more to his beloved other half but he and Eva felt a very demanding pulling sensation. They were being drawn out of their unconscious state by something happening in the real world and whatever it was the two partners could only describe it as evil.

* * *

 _ **In the Real World**_

Pain. It was all he felt. A mind-numbing pain that couldn't be properly described. A scream. A name being called. "Sasuke!" My name. He felt his body being dragged across the ground roughly and a girl screaming his name. It was Sakura's voice. _'What's going on? My body feels like it's on fire.'_ Sasuke was in a state of delusion as he returned to a conscious state of mind. He could feel himself being dragged across the ground by his legs and his body was in a cold sweat. Sakura's voice was becoming less and less distorted the more his mind had time to adjust.

"Don't worry kid we won't beat your boyfriend too bad. But maybe if you were stronger than this, all of this could have been avoided." The voice of a teenage girl spoke up in a condescending tone. Sasuke's eyes gained clarity as he saw his legs being grabbed by another Genin. A male with spiky, black hair and dark eyes. He wore a beige shirt with two black stripes and three prints of the kanji for death down the front. His forehead protector had an attached happuri under the cloth rather than connected to the metal plate and a snake patterned scarf around his neck.

"Speak for yourself Kin. I'm going to be putting a few holes in this kid." The boy interrupted with a sneer as he dropped his hold on Sasuke's legs as he cracked his neck in an arrogant manner. The grin on his face was full of blood lust and arrogance as he stared down at Sasuke with the eventual intent to kill him. He was bloodied and bruised up from an earlier fight but his will to cause violence hadn't been broken yet. _'My shoulder is burning up. I can't take it.'_ Sasuke thought as although he was returning to a conscious and coherent state of mind it was also quickly slipping through his fingers since a mind-numbing pain that he couldn't properly describe was spreading out from the back of his neck right on his shoulder blade and it was causing him unimaginable pain.

Sasuke could see Sakura captured in the clutches of a teenage girl who was wearing similar clothes to her teammates. She has very long black hair, almost reaching down to the ground tied by a violet ribbon right near the end, and black eyes. She wore a purple clothed head band with a music note as the symbol; a pale green vest somewhat similar to a flak jacket; scarf; and snake patterned pants much like her teammates. Sasuke eyed the last of the enemy from what he could gather and took in his appearance.

The boy had bandages covering most of his face, leaving only his left eye uncovered. He also wore a large poncho with long sleeves, a snake patterned scarf around his neck, a straw raincoat, protruding from the back of his scarf and a hunched over demeanor.

' _Sakura… she's in no position to help… and Team 10 is here.'_ Sasuke noted as his eyes trailed over to Ino, Chōji, and Shikamaru who looked a little roughed up. Ino had a busted lip and a few bruises on her skin; Chōji had tears, cuts, and bruises all over his body like he just ran into something hard; and Shikamaru was the least injured of the three with a cut and tear dotted randomly across his body. He would be ready to go at a moments noticed but by the way he was breathing it looked like he was running low on chakra. There were two other people of importance that Sasuke was able to catch a glimpse of with his fading mind. The mark on his neck was pulsing with both power and a lot of pain so his concentration was quickly slipping away from his grasp.

Rock Lee was unconscious on the ground a few yards away from him and the older boy had bruises across his body and tears in his jumpsuit that indicated a tough fight but what caught his attention the most was the fact that the only place Lee was bleeding from was his ears which indicated that his eardrums must have been damaged somehow since with Sasuke's excellent vision even without the activation of his Sharingan he could see that there were no cuts or gashes anywhere near Lee's ears and the blood was actually leaking out of his ear itself.

Lastly Sasuke spied Naruto who was still out cold lying helplessly under the protection of a tree with a hollowed out trunk at the base of it. It was like a makeshift cave. Sasuke heard the voice of another teen talking but he couldn't quite make out the person's words but the person sounded familiar. Sasuke took another look at Sakura and he was unnerved to see she was the most injured out of everyone present. Both defensive and offensive wounds and gashes could be seen all across her body, her clothes were tattered, torn, and wrinkled all over and she had a black eye that was nearly swollen shut. Cuts and bruises marred her face with a busted lip and other nasty injuries. The most prominent thing he took notice of however was the fact that Sakura's hair was cut and torn off. Her hair was now in uneven short locks that looked horrible. It looked like it was both cut and ripped away at the same time.

Seeing her in such a horrible condition caused something within Sasuke to snap. It was plainly obvious that not only did Sakura put up a fight and lose badly but the enemy took it a step forward and tortured her a bit which was unacceptable in his eyes.

[Kill them all.] [They are to blame for your friend's condition.] [Show them your power.] Dark poisonous thoughts that sounded like his own started to flood Sasuke's mind at a rapid pace as the pain in his shoulder intensified to its breaking point. Seeing his other friends hurt as well was something Sasuke wouldn't tolerate. Over the last few months with the help of Naruto and the others Sasuke's managed to bond with his other classmates and actually forge a friendship with them. It was nothing concrete due to the fact Sasuke is pretty antisocial and wants to be left alone but he does make an effort to at least talk to them and hang out with them on a consistent basis. He would never admit it but he does care for his classmates in his own little way. Although he could do without Ino and Sakura consistently chasing after him.

Without any warning dark purple chakra exploded from Sasuke's body that caused the teenage boy to jump back in fright. The chakra was like a miasma cloud as it poured out of Sasuke's body with no sign of stopping. Starting at the cursed seal around his neck Juinjutsu marks that are very similar to its parent counterpart started to spread across his face and down the rest of his body. The markings were archaic and looked very similar to Fūinjutsu markings but the purpose of these markings were not the same.

The markings took on the appearance of lava as they spread across Sasuke's skin and once the settled down they turned pitch black just like the Cursed Seal around his neck. The wind was picking up around his body as dust and dirt blew into everyone's faces. The marking covered every visible inch of the whole left side of his body

"Sakura who did this to you? Who was it?" Sasuke asked in a clam voice. His Sharingan was activated and his red eyes were gazing out at the three Sound Genin who were backing up with hesitancy in their steps. The girl released Sakura and jumped back with her teammates when Sasuke cast his glare over to her. Sakura could barely form any words in her mouth as she stared wide eye at her teammate and not so secret crush who was radiating a very cold and sinister presence. Everyone felt it. The chakra coming off of Sasuke was cold, uninviting, sinister, and it felt evil.

Shikamaru who was behind a hedge of bushes with his teammates Ino and Chōji hissed in pain as he looked at his arm where a black choker with a small link of chains attached to it started to heat up and leak a dark miasma out of it. _'Chaos?'_ Shikamaru winced in pain as he was startled that she was somehow reacting to this.

"Sasuke what's going on? What happened to you?" Sakura managed to get out as she tried to stand. She really couldn't at the moment since she was in so much pain so she settled for resting on her knees. "I'm alright Sakura. It's only the power flowing through me. In fact, I've never felt better." Sasuke answered back in reassurance as he flexed his muscles in his hand by making a griping motion. "This gift that man spoke of… whatever this thing is. It's made me powerful. He made me understand what I am. I'm an Avenger. I must attain power at any cost even if the power itself is evil. Now tell me Sakura which one of these people hurt you?" Sasuke reaffirmed as the energy coming off his body was on a slow but steady rise.

"That would be me!" The teenage boy who was dragging him called out with a cocky and arrogant look on his face. His bravado was coming back to him and he wanted to make his presence known. Sasuke's eyes snapped towards the boy within a split second as he turned the rest of his body to address the older boy. "Is that so…" Sasuke mumbled as he gritted his teeth. The energy around him hissed in a pitch as his power spiked further. The marks on the left side of his face activated again as they crossed over to the right side of his face covering all of his skin in seconds.

' _This changes everything… now I understand why Orochimaru wanted us to come kill this kid. He has a curse mark yet he survived the assimilation process. But even now I can't help but feel like somethings wrong here. We can't fight this kid. His power is on a whole new level compared to us now.'_ The teen with the hunched over disposition theorized as he was starting to see a bigger picture unfolding in front of his eyes.

"Dosu what's wrong? You're not getting cold feet on me are ya?" The cocky boy asked as he saw Dosu take some steps back. "NO ZAKU YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Dosu screamed as he came to a grim realization in his head. Zaku wasn't paying his teammate any attention as he pointed both his hands, palms open and forward at all the gathered Genin in front of him. On the center of each of his palms there was a small metal tube protruding out of his skin in an opening. It was barely a diameter in circumference.

Everyone felt Zaku build up an immense amount of chakra as he laughed. "Watch this Dosu! I'll wipe all of them out with just one move! **Supersonic Slicing Sound Wave**!" Zaku roared as he unleashed a massive pressurized concussive air blast from the tubes coming out of his palms.

Everything around them was blown away by the gale force winds coming from the Sound Genin. Due to the nature of the attack, the Genin who were trying to brace themselves against the blast could barely even here themselves scream as the air itself was blown away from the clearing.

Once the dust settled a massive gorge in the ground could be seen leading up to Zaku who was taking in large deep breaths. His chakra was exhausted from such a move but the cocky smirk on his face was still present. "Well would you look at that. Their all blow away." Zaku said with a cocky laugh as even the tree that was acting as Team 7's shelter was destroyed. "Not quite." A voice whispered in Zaku's ear. A chill went up his spine as he turned in slow motion to address who he knew to be Sasuke but before he could fully turn around he was backhanded across the face with such force that his body ragged dolled across the clearing and came to a stop at Dosu's feet nearly 50 feet away.

' _Such speed. He got his teammates and friends out of the way of the blast. I never saw him move.'_ Dosu noted with a hint of fear ebbing into his thoughts. Sasuke was as quiet as a mouse as he suddenly exploded into a blur of action. He went through several hand signs in the blink on an eye. Far faster than he's ever done so before.

" **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** Sasuke intoned as he unleashed several dozen beach ball sized fireballs from his mouth with rapid fire speed. The flames were a very dark red and they were closing the gap between Sasuke and the Sound Genin at a rapid pace. "No you don't!" Zaku countered as he unleashed a pressurized blast of air from his palms right into the barrage of flames and what came out of them startled Zaku so much that he didn't even have time to dodge. Zaku's air blast dissolved the fire coming at him but hidden in each fireball was a shuriken and with dozens of them hidden away Zaku had no time to move as he was blasted by the barrage of metal weapons which cut into his body at high speed.

Blood and cloth from his clothing gushed out of his body as he was riddled with multiple shuriken and the rest of his body had dozens of gashes and cuts on them. "Zaku get out of the way!" Dosu yelled as he tried in vain to warn his teammate of the next attack. Kin his female teammate tried to intervene by throwing Senbon needles at Sasuke but the last Uchiha simply disappeared from her view. Kin blacked out as Sasuke simply moved passed her in one swift movement. Kin's body was violently propelled over to Dosu who saw that she had a bruise on the back of her neck. Sasuke had knocked her out with a chop to the back of the neck.

Zaku tried to move but with his fear and pain controlling his body he couldn't get out the way as he saw a black blur flank around his body to his blind spot. Zaku's entire body froze on the spot as he found himself in a submission by Sasuke. Sasuke was hyper-extending both of Zaku's arms while placing one of his feet onto the boy's spine pinning him to the ground.

"You seem to be very proud of your arms here. One could even say your pretty attached to them." Sasuke said as a devious and evil smile spread across his face. "No man! What are you doing?!" Zaku yelled in fear and desperation as he tried to worm his way out of Sasuke's grasp. It was no use. With so much chakra overflowing in Sasuke's body he was completely pinned with no way to escape. "Please don't do it!" Zaku screamed once Sasuke started pull back and wrench on Zaku's arms.

All of his classmates especially Sakura had horrified looks on their faces as they both watched and heard the snap and popping sounds of Zaku's arms not only becoming dislocated but actually breaking. Zaku screamed in agony as Sasuke dropped him to the ground. Zaku's convulsed on the ground in mind numbing pain before he blacked out because his body couldn't handle the trauma anymore.

"I guess your next. I hope you're more entertaining than your two teammates." Sasuke stated as he started to walk towards Dosu who was visibly shaking in sheer terror. _'No. This isn't right… who ever that is… it isn't Sasuke.'_ Sakura thought to herself in disbelieve as she saw the near psychotic grin on his face.

"STOP!" Sakura screamed as she found the strength to stand. She raced over to Sasuke and rushed into him from behind with a bone crushing hug. "Sasuke please stop! This isn't you!" Sakura implied as she squeezed her arms around Sasuke's body as hard as she could. Sasuke looked back at Sakura and a reaction happened. He didn't know why or what caused it but as he looked into Sakura's eyes Sasuke not only saw the tears that were freely falling out of her eye but fear as well. Fear not for him but of him.

When that final thought crossed his mind the curse mark seals across Sasuke's body started to rush back to their source at the back of his neck. The dark purple miasma of chakra dissipated which was a plus for Sakura since she was so close to Sasuke she could barely breath with how dense and cold it was. Sasuke gasped for breath as he dropped to his knees. With the power of the curse mark receding it was causing his body to react in a similar way as if his body was coming off a high. All the energy in his body was ripped away from him as he no longer felt like he could move again. Sasuke was completely exhausted.

"You're strong Sasuke. Too strong. We can't even dream of beating you with the way we are now but let us strike a deal. You let us go and we'll give you are Earth Scroll. It is what your team needs is it not?" Dosu propositioned as he pulled his earth scroll out of his sleeve. He placed it on the ground in front of Sasuke and Sakura and backed up to get some space between them. "But make no mistake if we ever meet in combat again this scenario will never play out with us retreating like this again. Mark my words." Dosu threatened as he picked up Zaku who was battered and bruised and Kin who also had some injuries. Sasuke and Sakura both looked at the earth scroll on the ground in front of them with temptation as they realized that this was a golden opportunity for them. Another Earth Scroll wasn't going to fall out the sky for them and after everything they've been through they didn't feel like having to fight to get another one.

Dosu who now had his two teammates slung across his body secured started to walk away from the clearing. There was something on Sakura's mind that was bugging her and she wanted answers. She realized it was now or never so she spoke up. "Wait? Why is Orochimaru back in the village? What did he do to my teammates? Why my teammates?" Sakura asked as this nagging questioned demanded to be heard. _'Teammates? Does this mean Orochimaru put a curse mark on that blond haired kid too? If he were to wake up alongside Sasuke then we would be dead right now.'_ Dosu quickly realized with a startling thought. _'Why would Orochimaru send us after Sasuke who he gave a curse mark too? It doesn't make sense. I don't know the answers to these questions. There's a lot that I don't know.'_ Dosu realized with a grim conclusion as he turned to address Sakura.

"I don't know. I was sent to target Sasuke and eliminate him. Beyond that I wasn't told a thing. I'm in the dark as much as you are and that is the truth." Dosu said as he saw no reason to lie to Sakura. He was going through some internal issues as of now and he was in no position to try and play mind games with his enemies. They won their victory today plain and simple. Even he had some form of honor. With that Dosu left the clearing with his teammates as Sakura turned to look at Sasuke with compassion and concern deep in her green eyes.

With the coast clear Team 10 rushed out from the bushes with Shikamaru and Chōji going towards Naruto's prone form and Ino going to check on Lee who was still unconscious. Shikamaru went to grab Naruto and the second they made contact Naruto's eyes shot wide open as his link with Chaos was reestablished. Taking a gasp of air Naruto slowly rose into a sitting position with the aid of Chōji while holding his head because of a disorienting headache he was experiencing right now. His memories from his vision was slowly tricking into his conscious mind and the feelings he felt because of them was making it hard for him to concentrate on the things going on around him.

"What happened?" Naruto groaned as he tried his best to orient himself. "It's ok I got you." Shikamaru reassured as he patted Naruto's back. The lazy Nara clan heir pulled out a bottle of water to which Naruto was grateful for. After drinking some of the water Naruto began looking around. "I sensed a dark presence out here with us, what happened, is everyone ok?" Naruto asked in concern as he looked over at his teammates who were a couple of yards away. "We have a lot to fill you in on Naruto." Shikamaru stated as he too looked at Sasuke and Sakura.

"Where is Iris? I can't sense her?" Naruto noted as he felt around his neck and couldn't feel Chaos's choker either. "Chaos is right here with me. I came across her in the forest when we were rushing to get to you guys. The crazy chakra being released from the area had us concerned. We knew it had something to do with you. What I'd like to know is why Chaos wasn't with you? As for Iris well Hinata has her but they haven't come back yet from their scouting mission. We still need our scrolls to pass so they volunteered to go deeper into the forest to find a team." Shikamaru explained as he helped Naruto move into a more comfortable sitting position. "We tried to have Iris and Chaos go back to you since they were unconscious but for some reason your body rejected them. They couldn't go back to you and so they latched onto me and Hinata. Keep in mind they were unconscious the whole time as well. One weird thing after another." Shikamaru added in for clarity.

"I see. Well it's quite the crazy story that I have to tell you guys about why the girls were separated from me in the first place." Naruto conceded with a tired and sarcastic smile as he tried to lighten the mood. The memories of the past day's events both in the real world and in his dream was taking its toll on Naruto and he was trying to reassure and comfort himself to help ease the pressure off of his mind.

"I bet it is Blondie. Nothing with you can be simple. You're such a drag." Shikamaru countered with his catchphrase which brought a chuckle out of Naruto that helped lift his spirits. "I wouldn't be your friend if I wasn't right Shikamaru?" Naruto baited with a rhetorical question while chuckling some more. Shikamaru scoffed at the notion but the slight smirk on his face said otherwise.

' _The chakra coming out of Sasuke Uchiha was far from normal. It was dark and oppressive. He is definitely someone I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on.'_ Neji thought to himself as he stood up in the canopy with his teammate Tenten. His face had a scowl on it as he gazed at Naruto being aided by Shikamaru and Chōji. _'Naruto was unconscious during this whole fiasco. Fate decided that he would be useless during all of this.'_ Neji thought as he saw Naruto reach up into the dense bush he calls hair and rub a certain spot. Neji's pale eyes widened when Naruto's hair moved on its own as if something inside of his hair was moving. Turing on his Byakugan Neji's scowl deepened when he saw some form of what he thought to be a Genjutsu over Naruto's hair. _'What are you hiding Uzumaki?'_ Neji scrutinized.

Neji's Byakugan wasn't sensitive to Yōki like Hinata's was so he couldn't penetrate the light illusion that Eva placed over Naruto's hair to help hide her. They've had that technique for many years as it was extremely easy to preform and it was the only Illusion based technique that Naruto could perform at the time. Of course he's been studying and working with both Shoko and Chaos in that field but progress was pretty much at a snail's pace.

Neji and Tenten came and retrieved Rock Lee with little opposition from the others as Naruto and Neji had a stare down the entire time. Naruto knew he was in absolutely no condition to fight or defend himself against someone of Neji's skill so he had to suck up his anger and general agitation with being in the Hyūga's presence as the boy spouted a few insults at Naruto before leaving with his teammates.

With the clearing and tree that they were using as a shelter annihilated during the battle and the fact that the area was no longer safe Team's 7 and 10 decided it best to abandon the clearing since it was no longer safe to stay in. More teams would eventually stumble across the area sooner rather than later due to all the commotion that just transpired so it as best to get moving. They planned to meet up with Team 8 so that they could all travel as one group. It was safer that way after all that has happened. It was their original plan so they were going to stick to it.

As Team 7 and 10 left the clearing a figure made themselves known from behind a tree in the think underbrush. It was Karin. She was gazing at the direction the two teams just left in with both curiosity and concern in her eyes for all of them but more or less for one in particular.

' _Naruto… Uzumaki… that name. Uzumaki… it can't possibly be… but his chakra. It felt so warm. So familiar.'_ Karin thought as she overheard Neji speak Naruto's full name earlier as he left with his own team. "I have to meet him again."

* * *

 _ **To be Continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Supersonic Slicing Sound Wave -** Using the air tubes implanted in his palms, Zaku can control the ratio of air pressure and sound via chakra. By propelling this combination, he can release supersonic blasts of air. These blasts are powerful enough to destroy stone, and can also be used to soften the ground. By increasing air pressure to 100% and reducing sound waves to 0%, the blasts can be used to deflect thrown kunai. This enhanced version of the base attack is powerful enough to level an entire clearing with one blast and completely destroy everything in its path.

2.) **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu -** This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner assaulting the enemy. In addition, the flames are controlled individually with chakra, so avoiding them all is extremely difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack. Like the flames, the shuriken can be controlled with chakra. For the most part, however, this technique is used as a distraction.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys how was that? This chapter is definitely different compared to the norm but I thought about the placement of this flashback and plot development device for a long time. It had to go here and I've semi implied why. With that being said we finally see the circumstances surrounding how Evangeline truly came into Naruto's life. Their is a tone to be inferred from that flashback scene but I'll leave that for you guys to talk about in reviews.

As far as the entire Sasuke Curse Mark scene I've left it as close to cannon as I wanted it to be with slight adjustments when needed.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 38 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 12/25/2016


	40. Ch: 39 Central Tower 46

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again and this time with Chapter 39. The teams are going to be getting out of the Forest of Death now and moving on to the preliminary matches. Their troubles are far from over but how will they handle the things to come? In the meantime both dark and light forces are busy converging on their chosen prey but what exactly are their intentions?

 _ **(Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and stays safe. This is my present to you!)**_

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Chapter 39

 _ **Central Tower 46**_

After leaving the clearing where the altercation between the Sound and Leaf Genin occurred Team's 7 and 10 were busy tracking down Team 8 who had not come back yet. During that time, Chaos finally rejoined with Naruto which was a good thing since with the amount of negative energy Sasuke was giving off earlier, it was more than enough for her to go into another psychotic black out. It took them awhile but since the disturbance that was keeping Naruto from being able to sense where Iris and Chaos were in the forest was lifted he could now sense out where Iris was. That in turn helped the group track down Team 10. However, it took them quite some time to actually meet up. They didn't run across Hinata and her team until the very next day due to some unforeseen complications.

It turns out that Team 10 was in an altercation with the Genin team from the Hidden Cloud. The team that Naruto scouted out right before the Exam started. It was the Genin team that had all three members carrying swords. The two girls and one boy. They managed to intercept Team 10 while they were out looking for a weak team to ambush. Hinata and her team had no choice but to defend themselves from their assailants but they were not expecting the skill level of the team to be so high. They were practically Chūnin Level already with their perfect teamwork and polished skills. They almost didn't make it but Hinata and her team managed to get away from their attackers while still maintaining their scroll.

It would take them until the next morning while constantly running and eluding their pursuers that Team 8 would reunite with the group. Naruto was ecstatic to see the team again especially Hinata and the cheery on top was having Iris back safe and sound with him. He couldn't ask for anything better but Naruto was put off by that fact that there was this unknown invisible tension between him and Hinata. In fact, he could feel a little bit of that tension from his other friends as well and he couldn't figure out why. He only noticed it in Hinata because of how close they are.

The group of nine traveled throughout the day and settled down in their ambush point they had already planned on before the exam. Together they managed to collect an Earth Scroll for Team 10 who played the role of support in the group and managed to subdue the unsuspecting team with Shikamaru's signature Shadow Possession Jutsu. The task itself wasn't too difficult since it was 9 on 3 and while the team who was from the Stone put up a fight it didn't end well for them.

The only difficultly for the group came in the fact that none of them were at 100%. They were all suffering from injuries and fatigue of various degrees and all together the group didn't have enough medicine to go around. Because of how expensive Chakra and Plasma pills are the group only carried a little on them. Sakura lost a lot of blood and had quite a few injuries on her as well as depleted chakra reserves so; she got a lot of attention when it came to getting patched up with the medical supplies. Naruto only allowed himself to take one chakra pill and with how large his chakra reserves are compared to his classmates the pill only restored a portion of his chakra which was taking a long time to replenish itself.

Seeing how everyone else needed the supplies more Naruto made that decision to not hog any of the medicine. Naruto also made a startling discovery that he was having immense difficulty in molding his chakra. It was nearly impossible for him. It took him a moment but he came to realize that it was his Yōki he couldn't access. Nor could he access Iris and Chaos's Holy aura either. He was completely cut off from them in that regard and seeing as how his chakra is mixed heavily with their energies it was causing the problem of his chakra reserves not replenishing itself at the abnormally high rate it usually does. He also discovered that Iris and Chaos couldn't use their powers either. Since he is their host and a conduit for their powers it would make sense that their powers would be affected by his current predicament.

With the Earth Scroll now in the possession of Shikamaru and his team the group of nine waited patiently while recuperating in their very concealed location for another unfortunate team to wonder through the passage. They didn't have to wait long as late that night into the early morning when it was still pitch dark out another team from the Hidden Leaf wondered through the area. They were an older team with the members being in their late teens but they were worn out and tired so they decided to make camp unknowingly near the group. After confirmation from Hinata and her Byakugan that the team did in fact have an Earth Scroll the group debated what to do. They were fellow allies and colleagues so ambushing members of their own village didn't exactly sit right with them.

Before they could make a unanimous decision on what to do with their unsuspecting neighbors the team was thrown for a loop when they saw the other Genin team out of desperation open the Earth Scroll in their possession. What happened next was something no one was expecting. An Ogre Demon was summoned from the scroll on top of the unsuspecting team. Because they were not expecting such a sight and the fact that they were all completely exhausted from what looked like previous encounters and battles the poor Genin Team could do nothing when the Ogre killed all three of them in a matter of moments. Do to their shock the team offered no resistance or counter attack so they were killed before they could even get the chance to run away or scream.

The group were shell shocked by this development and with the Ogre setting its sights on them they had no choice but to fight it in order to defend themselves. When the sun rose a few hours later on the third day of the Second Exam it was to see a dead Ogre in the middle of a man-made clearing of broken and cut down trees with nine severely worn out and injured Genin who barely managed to pull off a victory. Do to the fact Naruto didn't have access to his potent Yōki or his daughter's energies he was unable to fight the Ogre on equal footing. It was a powerful Ogre and much more powerful than Toiret who he faced many years ago, but if he had access to all his abilities than he knew he could have defeated the Demon with ease.

It took the 9 of them more than 3 hours to defeat the Ogre which was outrageous in their minds. To be fair none of them had any experience whatsoever with facing a supernatural creature except Naruto and Sasuke but the Tengu Demons were extremely weak in comparison and it was only one encounter for Sasuke. The Ogre was of a different breed compared to Toiret and its skin was much tougher than the blue skinned demon of Naruto's pass. This demon was of a slimmer body shape compared to Toiret's breed which afforded this demon far superior flexibility, stamina, mobility, and speed which was the deciding factors that made it so difficult for the group to bring it down. It was only thanks to Naruto's expertise and experience dealing with demons that allowed him to successfully lead and coordinate the rest of his classmates and keep them safe and ultimately alive. Dealing with a supernatural creature is far different than dealing with a fellow human and shinobi.

In the aftermath, Naruto and his classmates where alive by the skin of their teeth but they made it. The demon was dead at their feet and they were alive. A hard-fought victory but a victory none the less. After spending a few minutes recuperating the group collected the Earth Scroll that they rolled back up. Naruto took notice that there were two summoning seals on the scroll. One was geared towards summoning a supernatural creature which explained the Ogre Demon and another was a Reverse Summoning Array which would summon someone to them.

Naruto prayed that the scroll was still viable to use in order to pass despite the fact it was open. He never noticed the fact he felt a little bit better and rejuvenated after silently praying for that or that Iris's Teddy bear shaped pendant that was around his neck glowed a bit.

With all three teams having a compatible Scroll they decided to just head straight to the Tower without stopping. After their latest encounter, none of them were in any condition to engage in a full out fight with any competent team and they were all mentally and physically exhausted. After packing up their campsite and erasing all evidence that they were there the group was about to head off to the tower when an unexpected guess showed up. It was Kabuto Yakushi who they met in the classroom for the First Exam. He was with his two teammates and they all looked just a little ragged but they were in far superior shape compared to the rookie 9. Kabuto quickly expressed his need for a Heaven Scroll and seeing how good of a shape the opposing team was in the rookies quickly concluded that they were in absolutely no position to fight another team especially since Kabuto's team was far older than they were and they didn't know any of their abilities.

Quickly remembering that Chaos had acquired a Heaven Scroll from Team Oboro on the first day of the exam Naruto pulled out the spare scroll in a show of peace. Kabuto expressed his thanks and gratitude and in return offered to show the rookies to the tower. After a lot of debating with Naruto opposing the idea he was outvoted especially since everyone was tired and really wanted to go to the Tower. Only Naruto, Shikamaru, and Shino expressed a dislike to the decision when it was put to a group vote. In the end the rookies had nothing to fear as Kabuto kept his word and lead the group directly to the tower in under three hours. They all managed to reach the tower right before 12 in the afternoon so that reassured the group that they would have the rest of the day to rest.

' _We made it, the tower is right there.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he looked up at the impressive tower which was extremely tall. It towered over the surrounding tree line by a decent amount and it was red and cylindrical very much so like the Hokage Administrative Building in the village. They noted a few weak teams stalking around the area of the tower hoping to ambush a team with a set of scrolls but seeing the large group of 12 come into the vicinity of the tower had all of those teams back down. It wasn't worth the risk.

' _Hopefully this is all over now. But why do I feel like things are just getting started?'_ Naruto questioned himself as he and the rest of the group proceeded to go into the tower.

* * *

 _ **4 Months Ago, (Boarder between Land of Earth and Land of Wind)**_

"Scanning complete. This sector also shows no signs of our target." Gamma 1 stated while looking around the rocky valley she found herself in from her vantage point on top of a stone cliff. Her twin sister was besides her also peering out at the scenery around them with her sensors active. Gamma 1's sensors deactivated as she relaxed her disposition. Not far off the rocky terrain shifts into an endless sea of sand that marks the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.

She had short shoulder length blond hair with white exhausted fans on side of her head that also acted as her long-range sensors. Down below she had a black collar around her neck with a loose chain attached to it that looked identical to the one around Chaos's neck. For clothes the older twin Angeloid had on a skin-tight leotard that was pure white with black strips going down it. On her right arm, she had on a slim metal armor casting that extended all the way down to her hand where it was covered in heavy armor that formed their close combat weapon, Nemea. On her left arm were the long cannon that are her signature weapon, the Prometheus Cannon. Around her legs, she was wearing black stockings for footwear and over that was a thick metal armor casting that acted as support for her strong legs as well as an extra weapon for blunt force trauma via kicking.

The Angeloid's wings were medium sized with the top quarter portion of their wings being pure white and the bottom portion being pitch black. The harpies stood at around 5'5 so they weren't the tallest around but they did look imposing with their stature, physique, and the uniqueness of their biology. Their body size actually works to their favor since they are interceptor units. They were built with speed and maneuverability in mind.

"This is already taking too long. We found no trace of her energy signature anywhere in this country. Are you sure she is in this dimension?" Gamma 2 questioned in annoyance as she looked around at the desert ahead of them. "Check your scanners sister. Something with this dimension is very strange. The signature of that brat is prevalent here if a bit strange. The signature that is on our radar is something we've never seeing before. We have to investigate this." Gamma 1 insisted as she twitched her wings a bit.

"Well we know we won't find her by the ocean since we Angeloids can't swim. She must be more inland." G2 mused with a snarky attitude as she took off into the air. Her blond-haired twin rolled her eyes as she took off after her sister. "I suggest we make our way through the small chain of countries that separate the land of Earth and Fire. As we found out our long-range scanners don't work on this planet. We have to search manually." G1 stated as she kept pace with her twin.

"I agree. I'm just glad to be gone from that land. That woman we met, she was a strange human… she was unlike anything we've ever encountered." G2 complained while sending glances back at the Land of Earth which was quickly disappearing over the horizon do to their speed. "Yes, she was extremely dangerous for a human. The power she was hiding inside of her was staggering. Definitely something not too many common dimensions have, especially for one so young." Gamma 1 agreed with a frown on her face as she also looked back at the Land of Earth. "I should have added more scars to that collection she calls a body." G2 snarled as she flexed her incredibly sharp claws for emphasis.

Ignoring her sister's visible agitation Gamma 1 shifted through the digital data she's complied over the last 2 months they've been scanning the Land of Earth. It is a huge country with a lot of land to cover so it took them quite some time. But do to all that information gathering they discovered a lot about the planets history. Furthermore, it's given them insight and helped them narrow down how they would like to go about searching the world for their target.

"I suggest that we give the Land of Rice some extra attention. Based on the information we have it recently formed a Hidden Village. The country has gone through a period of rapid change and reinvention. It would be the perfect place for someone like her to hide. It would be the ideal place for her to spread her influence." Gamma 1 announced as she and her sister changed their course a bit. They were going to travel through the Land of Rivers and up into the chain of countries that house the Hidden Grass, Hidden Waterfall, Hidden Rain, and the Hidden Sound. It was a lot of ground to cover but they didn't have much choice.

"Don't forget the Hidden Rain. That would be an ideal place as well." G2 tacked on. "Yes, that land is also of interest but we will circle back to them after we check out the Sound. I have a feeling it will be interesting." G1 mused as her sister conceded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Whatever. I just can't wait until I get my hands on her. We'll show her what love is." Gamma 2 said vindictively with a cruel smile. "Just remember not to kill her. Master said he wants us to bring Chaos back alive." Gamma 1 informed.

"Alive but he never said in what condition." G2 quickly countered with her cruel smile not leaving her face. Her sister had nothing to say to this as she just focused on the flight ahead of her.

* * *

 _ **1 Month Ago, (Land of Waves)**_

"Thank you for your hospitality and assistance Ms. Tsunami. You have been very kind to us." A tall woman wearing traditional Japanese clothing said with a respectful bow. She had an otherworldly beauty to her visage that simply couldn't be human. She has black, long hair that she almost always keeps tied up in a traditional Japanese way with a decorative clip while wearing her kimono. The color of her eyes is light brown. She also wears red colored lipstick. Her attire is a blue kimono with a dark blue border lining the opening at the top. She wears the kimono over a white colored nagajuban. The obi that keeps her kimono tied is red in color, and it is tied in the front, unlike the normal practice to tie it in the back. For her footwear, she wears a pair of white jika-tabi. She also wears some accessories on her hair consisting of a brown decorative clip that keeps her hair tied, a white decorative piece of cloth, and a hairpin with a red decorative ball at the end of it.

"You're very welcome Ms. Hone. I've enjoyed you and your companions company these last few days. You're very talented performers. You've brightened up everyone's day around here." Tsunami complimented with a smile on her face. She was in her living room inside the house and before her were three prominent individuals. Hone, Ren, and Wanyuudou. "Of course, like I've been telling you. We're traveling performers. It wouldn't do if we weren't at least competent in entertaining people." Hone bantered back with a regal laugh that suited her.

"Of course, but it's time to say goodbye now isn't it." Tsunami said with a sad frown on her face. Hone nodded back in conformation to this. "But I must say Ms. Tsunami the tale you told us of your land and how it was subsequently saved was truly something to pass down to your children. It's quite remarkable." Wanyuudou added in with a shake of his head and a smile on his wrinkled face.

"I agree. I'm glad we had those remarkable shinobi of the Hidden Leaf here to protect us. Their selfless actions will be remembered in our country for years to come and I'm confident it will become a part of our history." Tsunami reassured with a grateful smile as she looked at the three individuals who she quickly befriended after they stopped by her village and started performing for the local townspeople. Many of the orphans would show up to the performances to seek laughter and entertainment which the team of three were all too happy in delivering.

"I agree wholeheartedly. But I must say you have quite the lovely home Ms. Tsunami. It's got quite the warm and inviting feeling to it. This is our first time here yet I feel like I've lived in this house for years." Wanyuudou graciously commented with his grandfatherly like smile. His old eyes were busy roaming around the room they were in taking in every last detail without missing a beat and while he was content to do so a particular photo sitting on a piece of furniture caught his eye. "Why thank you Mr. Wanyuudou I take that compliment with pride. I love my home and I make sure to take excellent care of it." Tsunami replied humbled by the elderly man's words. She had a bashful smile adoring her face and it looked like she didn't know what to say afterwards but the old man did.

"Is this them?" Wanyuudou asked while pointing to a photo of Tsunami and her family standing next to a large group of hidden leaf shinobi. But one person in the picture caught his eye the most. It was a little six-year-old girl that captivated his entire attention. "A little girl?" Ren commented offhandedly with a sideways glance. His black hair was covering half his face but that didn't stop the one eye that was exposed to zoom in on the picture. "Oh, yes she came along with the group. She and her twin sister are so precious. My son has a little crush on her. I think its adorable." Tsunami said with a giggle as she thought back to how Inari acted around Iris and how oblivious the princess was to the boys poorly concealed affection.

Hone sent a discreet look at her companions as she made a comment. "How sweet. She sure is a beautiful young girl. Your son certainly has good taste." Hone teased with a small smile. Tsunami laughed good-naturedly with a hand over her mouth. "He certainly gets it from his father and grandfather." Tsunami explained with a smile as she thought of her late husband and Inari's stepfather. "She has such an otherworldly beauty to her. It's almost as if she isn't even human." Hone commented with a laugh as Ren and Wanyuudou looked to Tsunami for a response but the woman just giggled some more. "I guess you're right. I find myself thinking the same thing." Tsunami commented as she led the trio towards the door.

They managed to take a look at Chaos who had her arm around Iris's waist and was hugging the princess in a tight hug with her face smashed up against Iris's. All three of them noticed that something was off about her and that the two of them were somehow connected to Naruto.

With that said and done the trio of 'performers' said their goodbyes to Tsunami and the rest of the citizens of Wave as they headed out of the country by taking the Great Naruto Bridge. At the same time on the other side of the bridge another individual was coming up to the bridge. He was a bear of a man standing at about 6'2 with a hulking figure.

A full head of spiky white hair flowed down his back in a large ponytail and the sound of wood clacking against the ground was heard as the man ascended a hill and came face to face with a large open clearing with a massive bridge connecting the bay to a far-off island off the coast. Due to the time of day and the fact this region is notorious for its dense fog the man could not see the island from where he was standing but that didn't stop him from marveling at the sight before him. The bridge was massive being just over 200 feet wide and at least a hundred feet tall. As the man got into a line to get onto the recently made bridge he looked up at the sign and his black eyes widened.

"The Great Naruto Bridge huh?" The man said with a whisper. His voice had a deep baritone to it that would be music to a woman's ears if he had the correct charm to pull it off. Sadly, this particular man didn't have that charm. "Well I'll be damned. Never thought I'd see this. I guess it's time I make a return visit to the village after this." The man said with a chuckle full of mirth. His eyes showed a deep pit of pride and nostalgia as he looked at the name carved into the stone of the bridge.

The man towered over everyone else around him but he didn't mind. He passed through the security checkpoint at the booth and was soon on his way across the bridge. _'That was quite some security station. The amount of seals in the booth alone was impressive but that's nothing compared to the amount of seals I sense beneath the surface of the bridge. It's mind boggling. Is he really capable of all this?'_ The man mused in deep thought as he aimlessly walked down the stone pathway without noticing the trio of travelers coming the opposite direction.

The two parties passed by each other with the man finally noticing the female of the group and with barely any concealment or discretion on his part started to ogle the stunning woman in her regal clothing. The woman glanced at the man and gave him a wink before continuing on her way. _'Hot damn! She is definitely going into the next chapter that's for sure.'_ The man thought with a perverse grin stretching across his face. _'That man. His fate is intertwined with our mistress. His death is a noble one.'_ Hone thought as she continued to walk without looking back. The moment their eyes met she saw his entire life up until that point and then from their brief meeting all the way into the future up until his death.

"You sensed it?" Hone muttered to her companions who both nodded in confirmation as they took a discreet look at the man who passed them by. Unbeknownst to them far off in the Hidden Leaf village an interesting reaction took place. Chaos was quietly stalking the hallway of their apartment looking for her dear twin sister with a cut open lemon hidden in her sleeve. It didn't take the mistress of mischief long in finding the location of Iris who was playing with her precious teddy bear John Paul. Chaos was about to pounce when she suddenly froze in place. Her eyes dilated and started to shift in concentric patterns as her scanners came to life for a few seconds before coming to a stop. "Jiraiya." Chaos whispered with a small smile adoring her face. With a new pep in her step Chaos entered the room where her sister was with a demented smile on her face. "Hey sis I found some candy for us." Chaos chirped with fake excitement in her voice.

"Really!" Iris shouted in glee as she was always too gullible to her sister's mischievous pranks. As soon as Iris turned around in excitement Chaos pounced and stuffed the lemon in Iris's mouth before turning tail and running from the room. Chaos could barely close the door fast enough before an explosion knocked her off her feet as she saw red and yellow feathers floating in her vision. "Hehehehe!" Chaos giggled.

* * *

 _ **4 Months Ago, (Land of Rice)**_

The light was dim but prevalent enough for the person to see. The person stood around 5'8 in height which was an average and respectable height for a grown up as he tooled around with some medical tools. A person was on the table but they were clearly asleep due to being under an operation at the moment. Everything was quiet in the room when a red orange magic circle opened up on the floor behind the man catching him off guard. The light filled the room for a moment before a being emerged from the magic circle that has the design of a sunflower on it.

The being that entered the room was not what you would expect. The person was tiny to say the least. Barely even six inches in fact. But that did nothing to detract from their overwhelming presence that slammed into the four corners of the room. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure Lady Lilith?" The man asked with a glance at the tiny fairy who floated into his line of sight. "I've come to discuss a matter of great important with you Orochimaru." Lilith informed with a tone of superiority in her voice. The person Orochimaru was actually talking to was Daylily. Her mint green hair and eyes stood out greatly in the dull rustic color of the room she found herself in. Her purple see-through dress added to the contrast and made her that much more noticeable.

"Of great importance, you say… and what might that be Lilith?" Orochimaru noted with a raise of one of his eye brows. "Yes. It has come to my attention that you are planning an attack on your former village in the coming months. What exactly are you after in this plan of yours?" Lilith questioned as she cast her gaze briefly down to the person Orochimaru was operating on. He had silver hair and a thin but lean body along with a strange mark on the center of his chest that looked like a tattoo.

Lilith didn't give the young man a second thought as she turned her attention back to Orochimaru who glanced at her. "I'm planning this attack with two goals in mind. One to watch my former home burn to the ground for all that it has done to me; and two to get my hands on a young boy with the Kekkei Genkai that I have sought after for a long time." Orochimaru simply explained. He didn't seem to interested in elaborating further but he didn't have to.

"Still after the Sharingan uhmm." Lilith said in a patronizing tone. It held amusement and arrogance in every word she spoke but the little Fairy didn't care to hide this fact. "The ability to master every Jutsu in the world. To learn and master anything that I desire. It is a power that I must have." Orochimaru insisted to which Lilith only chuckled. "All of that will be useless without that vaunted immortality you seek." Lilith commented offhandedly while panning her gaze around the room that had stone slabs for walls. The entire building the two were in right now was far underground. The musky smell of the earth filled the air with every breath the individuals in the room took.

"Perhaps you would be so kind to grant me that wish?" Orochimaru tested with a glance at the powerful being in front of him. "Tsk. I do not hand out miracles mortal. Go pray to that god of yours for such a thing." Lilith responded with a condescending attitude and a snarky tone of voice. Orochimaru frowned at this but he decided not to press the issue further. "Why do you wish to know of my plans for the Hidden Leaf?" Orochimaru questioned as he decided to bring the conversation back on track.

"Like you, I want to see that village burn to the ground, but as of this moment I have a person of interest that resides there. I want them very much but if I were to step foot back in that hell hole I would be alerting my old enemies that I'm back. That is why I want you to retrieve this person for me or at the very least aid me in their capture." Lilith proposed as she slowly floated around the operating table. Her voice gave nothing away to her real intentions and that made Orochimaru frown.

"This person must be important for you to want captured instead of just killed." Orochimaru probed while continuing his operation. He wanted to know what he was getting himself into. It wasn't every day that Lilith graced him with her presence and it was an even rarer occasion that she would even ask let alone imply that she requested his help in anything. "I've kept tabs on your little dimension for the last decade… I thought all of my ties to this placed were finally cut only to come to learn that my greatest nemesis youngest child lives and has the treasure I want most." Lilith growled in distaste as the temperature in the room started to rise.

"Neo's child is in this dimension?" Orochimaru asked as his interest was piqued now. Especially since Lilith implied that Eva had the one thing Lilith wanted. "Precisely. She saved her daughter and passed on the Aqua Stone to her. But what's even better is that fate seems to be either spiting me or smiling down on me." Lilith mused in contemplation. "What do you mean by that?" Orochimaru inquired as he was becoming more and more invested into the conversation between him and the powerful little fairy and less in the operation he was conducting.

"It appears as if history has repeated itself…" Lilith said with a half-smile, half snarl adoring her face. Tiny little fangs could be seen coming out of her mouth as she talked. At Orochimaru's inquiring gaze the little demon continued. "She has bound herself to Kushina's son." Orochimaru dropped the scalpel he was holding with a shocked look on his face. "Kushina's son lives?" The Snake Sannin questioned in shock and bewilderment. "Yes, he is indeed alive. He did not perish as reports would have you believe. I suspect the fact that people such as us were not aware of this would be because of the interference of your sensei and his cohorts. They were always too sharp for mere mongrels. To keep his existence a secret deserves some credit and recognition but it has tested my patience." Lilith said while huffing at the end to demonstrate her agitation at the news she learned.

Orochimaru was now fulling engrossed into the conversation at hand since finding out Minato and Kushina's son lived was major news to the Snake loving shinobi. He suspected his teammate Jiraiya had a heavy hand in scrubbing Naruto's information from the world. Only someone of his talent and shrewdness can keep such a crucial and important piece of information like that from him and other entities who would find that information useful.

"I want Evangeline in my possession. If you wish to have the boy, then you may but after I've made sure that I have the Aqua Stone. Their bond will allow them to sense each other out even over long distances and I'm sure they've been practicing. Then again, I'd want to torture the offspring of those two monkeys to bring myself some joy. Decisions… decisions." Lilith contemplated in the end as she floated around the room slowly. Underneath her was her mirror and she was using it as a platform for her and was having it transport her around the room.

"Seeing as how he is alive and it's been around 12 years without a sighting of the Nine Tails reemerging then it's safe to assume they made him into the villages Jinchūriki." Orochimaru hypothesized while cracking a smirk. "Only an Uzumaki can safely hold the Nine Tails as its Jinchūriki." Orochimaru mused as the smile on his face continued to grow. "Precisely. That boy is the Jinchūriki of the Nine tails. He will become a problem for anyone who becomes his enemy in the future. He is already too powerful for his age." Lilith pushed with a frown on her face.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Orochimaru asked as he wanted to know every variable possible. "Kushina's son has two small little girls with him. Twins. From an associate of mine I've already confirmed that one of them is an Angeloid… and a powerful one at that." Lilith informed as the frown on her face continued to grow steadily. "An Angeloid? My how rare indeed. Such beings never come to this dimension." Orochimaru salivated as he thought of getting his hands on one. "I know what your little mind is thinking human and no she is not for you. My associate specifically wants her and has already sent two of his own to this dimension to look for her. I don't particularly care for his plans so I've done nothing to interfere as of late, nor have I informed his subordinates of where their target is; but I might capture her when the time is right and deliver her to him… well if it suits me." Lilith said in a nonchalant attitude.

"And what of the other girl?" Orochimaru asked as he noticed Lilith didn't mention anything of the other twin. "The other one… she…" Lilith started but the snarl on her face had Orochimaru raising his eye brow in anticipation. "I don't know what exactly that other little girl is. I suspect she is some form of celestial being or perhaps an angelic one. Whatever she may be is not relevant. All I know is that she is dangerous and powerful. She isn't what she appears to be." Lilith growled in confusion and uncertainty as she thought back a few months prior when she has temporarily unleashed Evangeline's power. As the group was leaving Iris had inconspicuously turned her head to the exact spot Lilith was hiding in and her eyes were a powerful emerald green color. The amount of power she sensed in that one moment was more power than she's ever felt in her long existence. The whole clearing looked as if it had been set on fire and two large green eyes appeared over the girl's head.

It was an impactful moment for the powerful being and one Lilith hasn't forgotten. She's never in her long life sensed a presence like the one Iris gave off and she was ashamed to even feel that tingle of fear that crept up her spine when it happened. She couldn't even begin to fathom what on earth Iris could possibly be as she's never felt anything close to what she felt that day but she did know that she had to tread lightly around the apparent six year old because Lilith knew instinctively that Iris was not a small little girl. She was something much more… and that frightened her.

"Then what do you have in mind Lady Lilith?" Orochimaru inquired as his smart mind was already factoring in Lilith's involvement into the plans he's been brewing for the last few months. "Oh, nothing to elaborate…" Lilith trailed off as a cruel smirk crossed her face.

Whatever she had in mind Orochimaru knew that the violent little fairy in front of him would make sure to enjoy every last minute of it.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so what do you think of that? What exactly caused that little underlining tone of tension between Naruto and the rest of the group? The Ogre showing up harkens back to Anko's warning at the beginning of the test about not opening the scrolls under any circumstances or else it would make not only your life more difficult but for everyone else as well. Kabuto has given the rookie nine safe passage to the Tower in exchange for a Heaven Scroll. Lucky thing the group had one extra thanks to Chaos's earlier actions.

We again see the Harpies after all this time and they are leaving the Land of Earth behind after scanning the entire country top to bottom for signs of Chaos who they are still looking for. They are unknowingly heading straight for the Hidden Sound and Rain? What will happen to them because of that or will they end up picking up the trail or Chaos before then? Time will tell but they've already encountered the last person on the planet they want to make an enemy out of? How will that meeting affect the outcome of their mission?

The three mysterious servants of the black phoenix are in an all too familiar country befriending Tsunami and the rest of the citizens. It's safe to assume they are on the right trail since they now know where Iris is. But more importantly who was that man that they crossed paths with on the bridge? Just how important is he to naruto and the rest of his family?

Finally Orochimaru had an interesting meeting with none other than Lilith herself? What could this powerful Fairy want with Orochimaru and just what exactly is her history with him? Lilith wants Evangeline alive but the connection she has to the entire Uzumaki family is still not clear.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 39 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 12/25/16


	41. CH: 40 Second Stage Prelims: Elimination

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

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 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again. I know it's been a little bit of time since I've posted. Christmas in fact was the last time I posted and I posted two chapters as a special to celebrate but since then I've had a slowdown in my creative juices. Chapter 40 was a little tough for me to produce as well as me just feeling a combination of not being in the creative mood and just busy with other things. But Chapter 40 is finally done and here for everyone to read so I'm glad for that. A well deserved flashback is set in this chapter that explains something that happened a few chapters back. Some character interactions and dialogue as well as some action. All that and more is packed into this chapter.

But most importantly of all however, it's now time for me to give a very special and big shoutout to fellow Author who goes by the name of _**Yukigrewger2**_ for giving me the inspiration and advice on a cool scenario for Naruto's character. I don't want to spoil anything but he came up with this concept all on his own and proposed the idea to me. The second I read it I was super ecstatic like a kid in the candy store. So many ideas spawned off my head from that initial moment of reading it and dozens more have come since then. I immediately decided to use this in the story and after telling him I would he was happy. This was many months ago, damn well nearly a year ago and I am extremely sorry that it took me this long to finally implement this idea of yours into the story. I'm not even sure if he's still a reader, but if he still is or isn't I just want to give you a shout out and say this one is for you and the praise for this idea of his should go to him. He deserves the recognition. I humbly thank you _**Yukigrewger2**_ for all of your continuous support from back in my early days of this story and for sticking around for as long as you have, it truly means a lot to me as a fellow author and reader on this site. It's people like you _**insanemaelstorm**_ and **_R-king 93_** that makes me want to continue writing this story.

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Chapter 40

 _ **Second Stage Preliminaries: Elimination**_

"If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body to attack. When heaven and earth are open together the perilous path becomes righteous forever. This… something is the secret way that will guide us from this place today." Sakura read aloud for everyone to hear. The group was in a medium sized room with two overhanging balconies a floor above them and hanging up on the far wall at the same height as the balconies was a large frame with a parchment paper inside. On the paper was the same set of words Sakura just spoke. The paper was extremely old, decades old in fact as the corners of the paper was crumbling away and brown in color.

"What does that mean?" Kiba asked with a confused look contorting his face. Akamaru let out a little whine of confusion as well since the little puppy couldn't make heads or tails of what the riddle could possibly allude too. Sasuke looked at both scrolls and then the riddle on the wall with a frown on his face. "I think it has something to do with the scrolls." The Uchiha speculated with another glance to the scrolls. "I agree. I think it's safe to open the scrolls now. The riddle mentions the words Heaven and Earth a lot and the whole point of this test is to get to the tower with both scrolls." Naruto added on as he gave a nod to Sasuke's logic.

"Well let's open them then." Kiba suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "We'll open ours first." Sasuke said as he and Naruto each took a scroll and opened them up. The two Genin could see the Reverse Summoning Seal light up and knowing that something was coming they through the scrolls on the floor away from them just in time.

A large plume of smoke erupted from the two scrolls as the outline of a person could be seeing silhouetted by the white smoke between them. Everyone took a step back as the smoke cleared and the last person the rookie nine were expecting to see showed up. "Iruka sensei?!" The Genin exclaimed in shock especially Naruto who hasn't seen much of his favorite teacher in the last few months. They only saw each other briefly before the exams started where the Chūnin took the Uzumaki family out to eat but before then the contact that any of the classmates have had with their old-school teacher was close to zero. "Hey guys long time no see huh?" Iruka said with a warm smile on his face. "Sensei what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he was happy to see his old teacher once again.

"We Chūnin were instructed to welcome all of the participants that make it to the tower and I got the great fortune of being assigned to you guys… although it would seem it's more than just Team 7." Iruka noted as he gazed upon twelve individuals instead of three. "Well strength in numbers and all that…" Naruto trailed off with a small chuckle which died in his throat. The raised eyebrow and the disbelieving stare Iruka was casting his way wasn't helping the explanation. "Uh huh…" Iruka trailed off.

"Anyways I was sent here to tell you guys that you passed the Second Stage of the Chūnin Exams, congratulations guys!" Iruka exclaimed with a warm smile. Hearing that the Genin hopefuls had an immediate reaction. Sakura collapsed to her knees in exhaustion as all the tension left her body. She was glad that it was all over now. She didn't think she had enough stamina to go on anymore. Kiba shouted in joy and similar reactions were coming from many of the others however Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding and so did Sasuke as he showed a more simplistic reaction.

Seeing the fanfare coming to an end Kabuto opened his teams scroll and a Chūnin emerged in much the same fashion as Iruka did. Seeing Iruka in the same room with him the ninja was understandably confused. "It would appear that they came as a group." Iruka answered before his fellow colleague could begin to ask a question. "I've already explained things to them."

"Well it would appear this is where we part ways, good luck in the exams from this point going forward and thanks for the scroll." Kabuto announced as he waved to the rookies while walking out of the room. He had a polite and very honest disposition surrounding himself as he left the room and most of the rookies didn't think twice about the older boy as they watched him leave and even Naruto himself couldn't really detect anything wrong with Kabuto but a small agitated stirring in the back of his mind grounded him again in reality and reminded him of the fact that for some reason Iris didn't trust the boy.

"You guys might as well open your scrolls as well and get this over with." Iruka suggested with a wave of his hand. The next to go was Team 10 who summoned their guide who got a quick explanation from Iruka as well. Naruto passively noted that the Chūnin Team 10 summoned and the one Kabuto's team summoned were also two of the many Chūnin that participated as sentinels in the First Exam. They had the same sharp eyes as they did back in the classroom as they busted the Genin caught cheating. Although half of those instances were instigated and rigged by Chaos herself but there was no need to ever reveal that to anyone.

"Ok I guess we're up then." Kiba said with some enthusiasm dripping from his words. He was known for his optimism so this didn't surprise anyone. With the other scroll in Shino's hands the two boys tossed the scrolls to the ground after unraveling it but nothing happened. The Reverse Summoning Formula on the scrolls did not light up and activate like everyone was expecting it too. "Wait… what's going on here?" Kiba grunted in annoyance as he wasn't making the connection. The look on Iruka's face soured as he looked towards Team 8. "Guy's, did you open these scrolls while still out in the forest?" The rookie's former sensei asked in a disappointed tone of voice as he glared at Team 8.

"What… no! We didn't open these scrolls. We picked this earth scroll up from another team after they had opened it." Kiba said as he quickly shut down the idea that they had opened the scroll before they were instructed too. _'Then that means…!'_ Iruka silently thought to himself as his sharp mind started to connect the dots together especially after he looked at the group again and saw how beaten up and bruised they were. The truly looked like a veteran group of shinobi that just came back from a S – Rank mission.

Naruto saw where Iruka's thought process was leading him and he cut him off before the teacher could go on a panic filled rant. "We're all ok Iruka sensei. That trap was nothing we couldn't handle." Naruto said as he put a reassuring hand on the older man's shoulder. Iruka wanted to protest but the look in Naruto's eyes stopped him. Walking over to the scrolls on the floor Naruto took another look at them to see what was wrong and he immediately figured out what. Back in the forest when they had picked it up he was far too tired and exhausted to properly look over the formula written on the scrolls but now with a little bit of rest he could see the scrolls through a fresh pair of eyes so to speak.

This version of the Reverse Summoning Seal worked in two halves. Team 8's Heaven scroll's seal worked fine and there was nothing wrong with theirs. It was the earth scroll that was the problem. Because the other summoning array on the Earth Scroll was activated it caused the Reverse Summoning Array in the Earth scroll to lock itself and not connect with its Heaven Scroll counterpart. "So, what does this mean then Iruka sensei? If this scroll doesn't work, then what does that mean for us?" Kiba asked as a frown started to form on his face. Hinata already had a worried look on her face as she felt uneasy about her teams' fate.

"Guy's I'm sorry, but if you brought a scroll that has already been open then that means you can't progress any further than this." Iruka said with a sad and disappointed frown covering his face. He didn't want any of his students to fail in this type of way. "What!" Kiba screamed in outrage as the other rookies voiced their concerns as well. Naruto felt a lump form in his throat as he didn't want Hinata and by extension the rest of her team disqualified. _'I should have checked the scrolls more. Maybe we could have found them another scroll in time!'_ Naruto berated himself as he silently gritted his teeth in self disappointment. Realistically he knew that he and the rest of his classmates were in no condition to fight another team but Naruto didn't want to admit that to himself.

The rookies tried to argue against this verdict and while Iruka truly felt for his old students he couldn't bend the rules. Not even for them. "I'm sorry guys but rules are the rules and I can't bend them, not even for you." Iruka said with remorse laced in every word he spoke. _'I won't accept this. There has to be another way.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he turned away from the rest of the group and started walking towards the exits. "Where're you going Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern as she saw the look of anger on her best friend's face.

"I'm going to go get your team a new scroll." Naruto said in a short-clipped response. He was deeply bothered by this new development and his emotions were starting to run wild. "Hold on Naruto you can't, you're in no condition to go." Hinata pleaded as she started to walk up to Naruto to stop him. "I'm afraid I can't let you go Naruto. Once a team enters the tower they can't leave. Those are the rules." Iruka said in a sad but hard tone as his words and implications were clear. He wouldn't let Naruto back out of the tower. Naruto clenched his fist in anger as he felt powerless to help Hinata and her team. He didn't know what to do and it frustrated him to no end.

Before anyone else could speak the door to the tower opened and a person walked in. Naruto's eyes widen in surprise as he quickly recognized the new presence in the room. "Karin…" Naruto muttered as recognition was clear in his eyes. "Hello…" Karin whispered out as she slowly walked into the room. Her clothes were dirty from being out in the forest alone and having to sleep on the ground most of the time.

Hinata ever so slightly frowned as she took notice of the fact the same red headed girl from the first exam who Naruto was staring at was back again and they knew each other somehow. "What are you doing here?" Naruto questioned as he momentarily forgot his anger. "I needed to find a safe shelter. I couldn't stay in the forest any longer." Karin admitted but she left out the part about her following Team 7 to the tower.

"Who is this girl Naruto?" Kiba asked as he was not so subtly checking out the red headed girl that just walked into the room. Hinata couldn't identify the feeling that was starting to well up in her stomach right now but it was an ugly feeling that much she knew. "This is Karin. I saved her in the forest." Naruto explained as he waved his hand in Karin's direction. "Hello, it's nice to meet you all." Karin said as she bowed slightly to everyone present. The others made their greetings and the conversation quickly returned to the fact that Team 8 didn't have a scroll.

No one knew what to do until Karin herself pulled out the Earth Scroll they needed and passed it over to Hinata. That stunned Team 8 into silence since they didn't know what to do. Karin quickly explained that since her team was already disqualified she had no need for her scroll and since it was the scroll they needed she had no problems parting with it. The others were speechless at Karin's actions especially since she was a stranger to them but the glasses wearing girl insisted that they take it. The pit that was forming in Hinata's stomach stopped growing at Karin's selfless act but it did leave her confused.

"Sensei can we use this scroll?" Kiba asked as he wanted to make sure that this scroll was valid. His hopes were through the roof and he didn't want them to be shattered but he had to ask. The others looked to the young Chūnin teacher for his answer as well and seeing the hopeful looks on all his former students faces Iruka sighed as he thought back to a conversation he had with Kakashi.

' _They are no longer your students Iruka. They are my soldiers and more importantly they are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. You can't baby them anymore. They need to grow up and grow into their own.'_ Iruka thought as he repeated the same words Kakashi told him in his head.

Looking at Team 8 Iruka could see the hopeful looks on their faces… well except for Shino but the sentiment was there. "Yes, I don't see why not." Iruka said as he watched the hopeful looks on everyone's faces turn to happy expressions. Karin found herself swept up into the crowd as the entire group was led to a resting area within the tower. They were told to wait their until they were called. With nothing to do the group unanimously decided to all rest and relax after their hectic time out in the forest. As a general past time, the group decided to introduce themselves to Karin who was stuck in-between a diverse group of Genin. She was trying to inch her way over towards Naruto subtly but was stopped at every turn by the interactions of her new peers around her.

As for Naruto, he was laying down on a comfortable couch trying his best to rest and recover his chakra which was easier said than done considering the advanced seal placed on him. He also had a few things churning around in his head that was preventing him for relaxing. One of them being his encounter with the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Why would the rouge ninja who is wanted in every village venture back to his former home that he was banished from and why would he specifically target Naruto and Sasuke. It didn't make sense and if any part of his elaborate plan to find them had failed he would have had to fight his way back out of the village with a handful of shinobi on his heels that could fight him and potentially kill him.

That was Naruto's major concern now, but another minor one was also plaguing his mind. It was the almost unnoticeable tension that hung over the group that seemed to be centered on him. He didn't know what it was but it only sprung up after he awoke from being unconscious. It deeply bothered him especially since he noticed that something wasn't right with Hinata and the others. They all seemed to be pretty worn out. More so than what should have been possible.

Finally, his connection to his daughters was muted almost to a level of non-existence. He could barely feel them or their energy even though they were right there with him. He was seriously contemplating going into his mindscape to see what was up. He still wanted answers for the impromptu vision he shared with Eva earlier and what they saw. All of the many crazy things that have happened over the last few days was a lot for Naruto to take in. Closing his eyes, he prepared to do exactly that as he knew leaving the connection between him and his daughters alone in the state it was currently in would be detrimental in the long run.

"Naruto…" Hinata's soft voice spoke up as Naruto felt a weight settle down next to him on the couch causing his head to dip a bit. Panning his eyes up Naruto let a soft smile come across his face as his best friend's beautiful lavender eyes staring back down at him. _'Beautiful eyes? Where did that come from?'_ Naruto thought shyly as he adverted his eyes away from Hinata. "Hey… Hinata… what's up?" Naruto stuttered a bit as he adjusted himself in the couch. Hinata noticed this change in Naruto's behavior as well as the tiny tint of red on his checks. This caused a tiny jolt of elation to travel through Hinata as it filled her with feminine confidence to know that she inadvertently caused this reaction out of her friend.

"I wanted to see if you are ok. Everyone else is resting up, how are you feeling?" Hinata asked as her lavender eyes watched Naruto's facial expression change once again. "Yeah I'm ok. My chakra isn't regenerating nearly as fast as I would like. I think it's because of whatever Orochimaru did to me." Naruto explained with a frown as his hand instinctively trailed down to his stomach where his seal was. Hinata flinched slightly at Naruto's words which caused the frown that already was on the blond-haired boy to increase.

"Hinata… I've been meaning to ask you a question that's been bugging me." Naruto proposed as he added a spark of insistence to his voice. It was an indicator to Hinata that Naruto wasn't going to back down from his line of questioning. "What is it?" Hinata asked as she already had a good guess stirring in the back of her mind. "What happened after I blacked out?" Naruto asked as his deep aqua blue eyes pierced into Hinata's lavender ones. Hinata adverted her eyes and lightly clenched her arm which was an action he noticed her doing frequently ever since he woke up. Hinata hesitated to say anything as she tried to bring herself to meet her best friend' eyes but she was having a difficult time forming her words.

"I've noticed the way the others have been acting lately… the way they sometimes look at me. The way you've looked at me." Naruto said with downcast eyes as he watched a flash of guilt and regret cross Hinata's face and eyes. "It reminds me of the way the villages used to look at me." Naruto trailed off as he looked away from Hinata. Deep down the looks everyone was sending his way was getting to him but Naruto didn't want to admit it. Opening up to Hinata had always been a bit easier as his walls naturally fell when she was around. Naruto twitched in surprise when Hinata rested her hand on his head with a compassionate yet guilty look on her face.

"I'm sorry Naruto, it's just really scary what happened?" Hinata apologies as she scratched his hair absentmindedly which he wouldn't admit to anyone but it was one of the best sensations he's ever felt. He didn't even think Hinata was aware of her own actions. Her choice of words however brought Naruto out of his trance as his heart was filled with a bubble of fear and apprehension. "What happened?" Naruto asked as he looked into Hinata's eyes who had a look of resignation in them.

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 _ **Flashback Begin**_

A rush of frigid cold air chilled everyone's skins to the bone as an energy wave knocked everyone off their feet. _'What's going on?'_ Hinata questioned herself as she was knocked off her feet. Down below her she could see a cloud of mist and energy bands flooding out of a white ball of energy. Next to her Kiba was holding on to the tree with his fingers digging into the bark. Shino was latched onto a nearby tree with Iris held tightly to his chest with her clothes rustling in the growing wind. Hinata's Byakugan came to life as she gasped in shock. All this energy was coming from Naruto.

With her all-seeing eyes Hinata saw Team 10 was entering the clearing from the other side of the forest and piggybacking off Ino's back was none other than Chaos herself. She was unconscious just like Iris who went under only a few moments ago, A tall lanky man was standing near Naruto who was covering his face as he tried to hold onto his balance. A slimy grin was on his face as he watched the scene before him unfold.

Within moments the sphere of silvery white light dissipated and a sight that Hinata, nor anyone else has ever seen revealed itself. Naruto was standing there with a deadly look in his stormy navy blue eyes. Naruto's skin was deathly pale with no color in them whatsoever, all the while his vibrant golden blond hair turned snow white with a slight glistening sheen to them. His headband had icicles growing around it sticking up into his hair with two larger icicles spiking up to look like horns. All in all, it looked like he was wearing a royal crown made from ice and crystal. His hands grew sharp claws made from crystal clear ice that looked extremely deadly and as he exhaled a breath of air a smog of frigid cold mist flew out in front of his face showing just how cold the air around him was.

"Naruto…?" Hinata whispered out in worry as she put a hand over her mouth. She had very little training in sensory skills but she didn't need to be. Her Byakugan was extremely sensitive to Yōki due to the many years she's spent around Naruto. Currently she was seeing just a bright sun of Yōki encroaching in on her vision. Naruto's jacket was blown open and his stomach was exposed to the world. An aqua blue gem was sticking out of his belly button and his 8 Trigram Seal was shrunken down and imprinted on the surface of the gem. Evangeline had undergone her transformation as her wings turned a sickly black while spitting out black snow.

Naruto was currently staring down Orochimaru who had a sickly smile on his face as he returned the stare in full. "My, my, this day keeps getting better and better. You've turned into a full demon. I don't sense a single ounce of chakra from you." Orochimaru announced as he licked his lips. _'A full demon?'_ Hinata repeated in her mind as she gripped her jacket tightly. Hinata could see the others who could hear Orochimaru's words start to have a questioning look in their eyes and that caused fear to grip Hinata's heart.

Before anything could be done Naruto fazed out of existence as he crossed the distance between him and Orochimaru in under a second. Orochimaru's torso was ripped in two by Naruto's claw like hand as a shockwave of freezing air blasted the area behind Orochimaru's body. A shocked look was on Orochimaru's face as he looked down at his disconnected body that was falling to the ground. Naruto had a vicious snarl on his face as he watched Orochimaru's body fall limply to the ground. Hearing the rustling of the others in the trees surrounding him Naruto started to snarl even more as he took a menacing step towards who was closes to him.

That person just so happened to be Sakura who was on a nearby tree branch and not only was she freezing cold but she was terrified of her teammate standing across from her. The killing intent emanating from him was nearly at the level of Orochimaru's when he first showed up, but this felt darker and more primal. The tree branch underneath Naruto's feet were frosted over to the point that large icicles were forming on the bottom of the branch that would impale any unlucky soul if they were to fall.

' _He's going to attack Sakura! I don't think he's in control.'_ Hinata panicked in her mind as she felt the muscles in her legs tense. She was scared out of her mind right now since she's never seen Naruto release this much Yōki before, nor has he ever looked this menacing while doing so. With her Byakugan she could see that all this suffocating Yōki was originating from the gem sticking out of his stomach and upon seeing that very familiar stone the Hyūga princess was reminded of the time Evangeline lost control and the same gem stone was sticking out of her stomach in the same spot. _'That stone again. Just like last time, it's the cause for all the Yōki coming from their body. What is it?'_ Hinata questioned as she tried to rack her brain for an answer but its plainly obvious that she didn't have one.

Before Naruto could act on his current action he sensed movement behind him. Turning around he could see Orochimaru's severed halves fusing together using dozens of snakes that were connecting the body parts together. With a sick laugh Orochimaru rose to his feet while sending Naruto a look of well contained giddiness, interest, and respect. "You took me by surprise there. That was a very speedy attack. Perhaps…" Orochimaru started to monologue before he was quickly cut off by a powerful claw strike that nearly took of his head. He had to block the swift attack with his Kusanagi blade that hummed in vibration from the impact. 12 more unseen swipes by Naruto and blocks from Orochimaru followed in the next 3 seconds that had the old Sannin taking a few steps back as he was losing ground to the Uzumaki before him.

Orochimaru couldn't take this sitting down and knowing he had to leave before his presence became known to the village decided to take matters into his own hands. Gaining a few feet of distance from Naruto the snake Sannin swung his Kusanagi blade which was covered in a veil of purple energy at Naruto who had lunged forward with a claw strike covered in a trail of frigid mist. Orochimaru's strike overpowered Naruto's attack and sent him flying into a nearby tree where he splintered the bark with his ruff impact. The poor tree instantly froze the second Naruto came into contact with its surface all the way down to the splinters themselves turning them into tiny crystalline particles that flew away from the center of impact.

"Today has turned out to be one of the most successful days I've ever had. I must thank both you and Sasuke for that Naruto. I wish I could entertain myself with you a little longer but I've overstayed my welcome. It wouldn't do to become greedy. My patience will reward me with an invaluable prize in the future. Tell Sasuke I will be waiting for him. Until we meet again Naruto Uzumaki." Orochimaru said as his body started sinking into the bark of the tree branch he was standing on. The last thing anyone saw of Orochimaru was his snake like eyes boring a hole into Naruto's skull.

With the original object of his hatred and ire gone Naruto released a frustrated roar that vibrated off the nearby trees and sent shivers up everyone's spines. "Sakura! You need to move! Grab Sasuke and get away!" Kiba yelled in concern as the pink haired girl was still a little too close to Naruto who was now looking for a new target. "What's going on with Naruto? What happened to him?" Sakura questioned as the person before her was not her teammate. "Don't worry about that right now, just move!" Kiba barked as he saw Naruto turn his attention back to Sakura.

"Naruto don't do it!" Hinata screamed as she lunged from the tree branch she was perched on when Naruto tried to jump from his tree branch to Sakura's. The childhood friends collided in mid-air as Hinata tackled Naruto into a nearby tree with all her strength.

"Hinata!" Ino and Kiba yelled as they witnessed the shy girls bold move. _'This is so troublesome.'_ Shikamaru thought as he jumped down from his position to enter the fray. Chōji the ever-faithful partner that he is jumped down alongside Shikamaru without a second thought. Although the Akimichi clan heir was feeling scared on the inside.

Growling in pain and anger Naruto kneed Hinata in the stomach and sent her tumbling back with a strong thrust kick to the chest that nearly took the wind right out of her lungs. Coughing to regain some air Hinata had a look of fear on her face as she saw that her jacket was accumulating tons of frost all over it. She could feel that her skin was freezing cold from coming contact with Naruto and that was only for a few moments. With a snarl, Naruto was about to lunge at Hinata but instead a sharp pain shot through his head as he gripped his now snow white hair in his hands with an intense look of pain on his face. Hinata's Byakugan was still active so she saw what was happening inside Naruto's body and what she saw caused her to panic.

"No Kiba get back!" Hinata yelled in warning as she saw Kiba trying to approach Naruto from his blind spot. Hinata jumped away from the branch she was on as Kiba skidded to a halt. Seeing Hinata jumping back the rational part of Kiba's brain decided to take control as he dove off the path he was taking down to a tree branch a few stories down. It was just in time too as Naruto released a pain filled scream that accompanied a shockwave of pure Yōki. Everything within a 30-foot diameter of him was completely frozen solid in a thick layer of crystal clear ice. Black snow was falling on everyone and they could feel their skin burning at the touch of it. "What was that?" Kiba asked incredulously with his eyes wide.

"Shikamaru!" Hinata called as she beckoned the intelligent Nara over to her side. "Hinata what's going on?" Shikamaru questioned as he could tell Hinata had the answers he needed. "I can't explain everything in detail right now. We are running out of time. That pulse of power is like a timer. It's going to happen again and it's going to be bigger the next time. It's going to keep on escalating." Hinata explained as she gazed on worriedly as Naruto took his hands off his head as the pain receded. "How do you know all this?" Ino questioned as she along with Chōji stood behind the two. Chaos was laying limply across Ino's back and while the Yamanaka didn't want to voice it, Chaos was actually very heavy. A lot heavier than a girl of her age and physical stature should be. It simply didn't make any sense.

"You've seen this happen before?" Shino questioned as he joined the others with Iris securely in his arms. Kiba jumped onto the branch as well with Sasuke slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry with Sakura bringing up the rear. "Yes, and we don't have much time. I can stop him but I'll need your help." Hinata said as she could see Yōki stockpiling itself inside of Naruto again and this time just as she suspected it was of a greater quantity than last time. "Well then what's the plan?" Chōji asked as they watched Naruto search the area for them. Shino pass Iris over here to me." Hinata requested as her teammate did just that. Hinata plucked a strand of hair off of Iris's head and everyone gasped when that blond strand of hair turned into an orange and red feather. "Here's what we need to do." Hinata considered as she specifically looked to Shikamaru given his intelligence.

Naruto was scanning the forest for the ones who just attacked him and he wouldn't have to wait long. Two identical grey drills spinning at ridiculous speeds tore through the branches below him and forced him to leap out of the way. Landing on a tree upside-down Naruto growled in agitation as the twin human sized drills banked in midair as they came in for another attack run.

Hinata was scaling a nearby tree with all the speed she could muster as she was getting into position. Chōji and Shikamaru were nearby as they watched Naruto dodge Kiba's numerous attacks while attempting to strike Kiba and Akamaru down. Kiba wasn't making any progress but he was keeping Naruto off balance who was now starting to hold his head in pain again. Seeing this Kiba made a beeline straight for Naruto's prone form who noticed him coming. Swiping his hand in front of him a powerful shockwave knocked Kiba off his course and slammed him into close by tree. Naruto roared in anger as he lunged at Kiba's vulnerable form with his icicle claws ready to impale Kiba in the throat.

Before Naruto could kill Kiba his entire body stopped dead in his tracks. " **Shadow Possession Jutsu** complete." Shikamaru muttered with a bead of sweat rolling down his face. His hands were in a specific hand sign and his shadow was extending in a thin line from his feet all the way over to Naruto's shadow permanently connecting the two together. "Now Chōji, go!" Shikamaru advised as Chōji nodded in agreement. Making several hidden hand signs Chōji's body rapidly expands to nearly 4 times his original size. His body was completely round as he shrunk his arms and legs into his body like a turtle. Chōji was a complete sphere at this point. " **Expansion Jutsu!** " Taking off in a roll aided by a burst of chakra acting as a propellant Chōji was soon spinning at an incredible speed as he shattered several branches and other obstacles in his way. " **Human Boulder!** "

Naruto braced himself as Chōji smashed right into him and sent the both of them into the ground multiple stories below. The impact was so powerful that it left the ground cratered and shattered as spider web cracks shot out from the epicenter of the impact. Copious amounts of steam were pouring off of Chōji's body as the air was getting colder and colder. "Chōji get back!" Hinata called out as she dropped from the tree she was on. In her hand was a red and orange feather. A very familiar feather. It was Sōkyoku's feathers.

Seeing another attacker coming for him Naruto rolled out of the way at the last second as Hinata's fist slammed into the ground in causing a billowing cloud of steam and a min shockwave of white light shot out which managed to burn Naruto's skin causing him to scream out in pain. With a roar of anger from Naruto the temperature in the area plummeted to just a few degrees above zero. Taking off at high speeds Naruto shoulder tackled Hinata into a nearby tree causing her to scream out in pain. Steam was coming off of both Naruto and Hinata as Sōkyoku's feather was protecting Hinata against the copious amounts of Yōki Naruto's body was leaking off.

Hinata could see that another buildup of Yōki was starting to arise inside of Naruto as he took a swipe at her that she on sheer instinct managed to deflect with a block maneuver from her continuous training in the Gentle Fist Taijutsu art. She barely managed to defend herself with the speed Naruto was moving with. Pushing Naruto off of her which was easier than she imagined since he was weakening being in contact with Sōkyoku's Hinata slammed her palms into Naruto's chest with a burst of chakra.

Skidding back with a grunt of pain Naruto had to defend himself from an onslaught of fast and powerful strikes from his best friend who was trying her best to hit the gem exposed on his stomach. Blasting a palm strike past Naruto's head Hinata forced Naruto to duck down right into a quick strike that came extremely close to hitting the gem. Naruto was going to retaliate in anger but at the last second, he jumped away just in time to dodge an animalistic claw strike form Kiba who using his unique Inuzuka Clan Taijutsu was able to fend Naruto off for a brief moment causing him to retreat to the other end of the clearing.

Growing in a feral manner Naruto's claws started to grow longer as well as the ice around his forehead. A steady downpour of snow was flooding the clearing in a mini snowstorm like fashion. Despite the fact all of the Genin were holding one of Sōkyoku's feathers it didn't stop them from feeling the freezing cold winds bearing down on them which was hampering their movements and causing steam to emanate from their bodies. Sōkyoku's feathers were generating a protective field around each of the Genin while also generating its own heat which was causing all of the fog and steam to billow around them as it comes into contact with the freezing cold air around it.

Without warning Naruto dropped to his knees as pain ripped throughout his body. Hinata could see that Naruto was going to release another pulse of Yōki from his body again and knowing that it was going to be bigger than the last time she understood that now was her chance. After the first cool down period, she took notice of the fact Naruto's reserves had increased in size as well as the amount of Yōki currently circulating within his body. He was becoming stronger with each pulse of power he released. Hinata wasn't sure how long his body would last against the strain it was under but she had to remind herself that this was Naruto she was thinking of here and if he were to finally collapse it would be long after everyone else had already fallen.

Mustering up all her remaining strength Hinata took off with a speed she was not known for. Naruto tensed as he tried to move but a combination of the building Yōki within his body and the fact that unbeknownst to him his shadow was now once again trapped by Shikamaru's Jutsu who was in a nearby tree holding up his hand sign with a small scowl of concentration on his face forced the grim reality into Naruto's mind that he wasn't getting away.

Appearing in front of Naruto with a flourish Hinata slammed her palm directly into the gem with Sōkyoku's feather sticking directly to her outstretched palm. A crippling pressure rippled out from the epicenter of contact forcing both childhood friends apart in a violent explosion of Holy Aura and Yōki with Hinata and Naruto's screams being muted. Hinata thought she was going to serious hurt herself on impact with whatever was in her way but she found herself in the cushioning arms of Chōji who enlarged his arms just in time. Naruto's limp body slammed through a tree and fell to hard ground below with a muffled grunt of pain.

When the dust finally settled, it was to reveal a massive crater in the ground that caused the collapse of several trees in the area as well completely turning the clearing the group was in into an unrecognizable battlefield. As for Naruto, the ice that had built up on his body had melted and his frosty colored hair had returned to the vibrant shade of golden blonde that he was known for.

"Naruto..." Hinata struggled as she tried to regain her breath. Hinata could barely feel her chakra but somehow her Byakugan was still active. With it the indigo haired heiress was able to see that Naruto's chakra system was in turmoil. Sōkyoku's aura was trying to seep into his chakra coils but they were overflowing with Yōki.

With the battlefield cleared everyone came out of hiding with Ino carrying Chaos; Shino holding onto Iris; and Sakura carrying Sasuke over her shoulder. "Hinata what just happened here?" Shikamaru questioned simply with a straight face. He had a tad bit of sweat rolling down his face from exerting himself. He wasn't going to say it but actually holding down Naruto those two times actually used up the vast majority of his chakra. "We should find a place to rest and hide first Shikamaru." Ino added in as she gestured to the three incapacitated people the group was carrying. "Right."

The group settled down in a nondescript clearing far from the battle zone which ended up taking them a little off their chosen course but they decided to make do with the situation they were in. The campsite had a large tree with a hollowed-out trunk that was the perfect setup for a shelter. Naruto and Sasuke were laying down underneath the shade of the large tree. They had damp towels laid over their foreheads keeping their fevers downs; while bandages were wrapped around their bodies covering up their many battle wounds.

Everyone was huddled up inside the hollowed-out tree near the entrance patching themselves up from the few wounds they managed to incur during the battle. _'What's going on with them?'_ Hinata asked in her mind as she held both Iris and Chaos in her lap.

The two little girls were subconsciously clinging to Hinata like a lifeline and they themselves were running a fever. Hinata was trying not to show it but Iris skin was hot. It's naturally very warm on any given day like you were outside on a summer day but now it felt like the sun was on her skin. As for Chaos, her skin was always cold. The metallic materials beneath the surface of her skin had cooling properties that kept the Angeloid from overheating so easily, however that never stopped Chaos from overworking herself and overheating which is her equivalent of getting sick. Hinata felt her skin tingle from the dark energy and aura that Chaos naturally gives off but thanks to her many years of knowing Chaos it didn't really affect Hinata that much.

"Hinata…?" Shikamaru questioned as he sat down next to his fellow heir. He took note of how close Hinata was holding the girls and how she was silently gazing at Naruto's still form. He watched as her lavender eyes turned towards him and the lazy Nara could see the worry in her eyes. Shikamaru sighed as he didn't want to pressure a close friend of his in such a chaotic time but he needed too. Shikamaru and Hinata were actually very good friends as they've learned about each other over the long time they've been associated with Naruto. "It was Eva… her power completely overtook his body. Their Yōki was supercharged by whatever that crystal we saw on Naruto's stomach was. It possessed them." Hinata quietly said with a frown on her face.

"Do you know what that crystal is?" Shikamaru questioned as he thought about what he saw a little while back. "I don't and neither does Naruto. It's actually bonded to Eva's body, so I was quite surprised to see it show up on Naruto's body." Hinata explained the best she could while readjusting Chaos in her lap who as per usual was squirming around and not staying still despite the fact she was unconscious. Hinata wasn't even sure how that was possible but she's learned that anything is possible when it concerns Chaos. "What's all this talk about Yōki and crystals? What's any of that mean anyways?" Kiba asked with a grunt of confusion. Shikamaru and Hinata shared a quick look between each other before looking back to Kiba. Everyone else was paying close attention to the conversation as well judging by the inquisitive looks in their eyes.

"Yōki is a separate energy source that is similar to chakra but also different." Shikamaru started off while directing his attention to Kiba. "A different energy source?" Ino mumbled with a blink of her blue eyes. "It's an energy source that is not born in humans. We can't use it unless you have a bond with a being that does." The Nara explained with his usual lazy expression. "A being like Evangeline." Sakura plugged in as she showed her understanding of the concept. "Yes. Eva was born with Yōki but due to how she and Naruto have bonded over the years and the uniqueness of their relationship she can mold and create chakra as well, but at most she can only manipulate chakra that comes out of Naruto's body." Shikamaru finished with a predictable sigh escaping his lips for having to talk that much.

"So, Naruto can use Yōki too." Ino asked for confirmation. "Yes, it's a major factor that's responsible for his ability to create and use Ice style Ninjutsu. His Chakra and Yōki have blended together into a stable flow that is stronger that they are apart." Hinata took over with her whisper like voice. As always, her voice isn't very loud and even when she rarely tries to raise it you would still find that it's not that high in volume.

"Really?" Kiba blinked as he processed this in mind with Akamaru tilting his little head to the side in a cute manner. If Chaos were awake right now; Akamaru would be nowhere to be found as the little puppy is scared of the psychopathic girl. Due to Chaos's aura, she pushes away any animal she tries to get close to regardless of her actual intentions. They can sense the darkness and madness that constantly swirls around her and because of their natural instincts animals avoid her the best they can.

"Unlike chakra, Yōki is controlled by emotions. The stronger your emotions the stronger and more potent your Yōki becomes. However, that also means the harder it is to control and the more dangerous it becomes for the user and those around them. It's happened many times before over the years where Naruto has hurt himself by accident because of that very reason." Hinata stated as she again readjusted the girls in her lap. Iris's head was starting to slip off her shoulder. Hinata was lucky that Iris and Chaos were small for their age, Hinata herself was on the very small side for her age as well so she was having some difficulty with holding both twins in her lap at the same time all the while trying to keep them comfortable.

Hinata did wince in pain however since her left arm and shoulder was killing her. When Naruto shoulder tackled her earlier he plowed straight into her shoulder injuring her badly. Hinata also found it a little difficult to breath since every breath she took was extremely cold. Small wisps of cold air were escaping her lungs from the damage she took earlier when Naruto hit her in the chest. This had Hinata concerned as she checked herself over with her Byakugan and discovered that she had a lot of residual Yōki attached to her body. Sōkyoku's feather was doing its job in healing her but Hinata noticed that it was a very slow process. Most of her energy was focused on trying to enter and heal Naruto's body without harming him further with her conflicting energy.

"So, it's a double edge sword?" Kiba questioned as he tried to understand what was told to him. "In a way, yes if he gets too emotional it could affect his ability to control his power. But I'm more worried about what has happened to him now." Hinata mumbled as she looked at her long time best friend. The care and worry that was in her eyes was clear for everyone to see and her classmates felt for the heiress as they knew just how close the two best friends are. Kiba grunted as he turned away from his teammate. That look in her eyes was not something he wanted to see.

"We are in a bind right now. Team 7 is down and Sakura has to look after them. We still need to find our scrolls and carry out our plan." Shikamaru declared as he stretched his shoulders. Hinata nodded at this as she attempted to put Iris and Chaos down next to their father but something unexpected happened. Naruto's face twisted into a visage of pain the moment Hinata set the twins down next to the blond-haired boy. The girls themselves started to squirm and moments later small sparks of energy started to flash between the three blonds which scarred the others especially Hinata.

Hinata quickly took Iris and Chaos away from Naruto with a speed she usually doesn't show. "What was that?" Kiba nearly shouted while holding a hand over his heart. Hinata's Byakugan was on in an instant and she gasped at what she discovered. "His body is rejecting them. There's so much Yōki in his body right now that it's hurting him for the girls to be close to him." Hinata explained as she brought the girls back into her arms. They settled down quickly afterwards but soon that wasn't enough as smaller sparks were trailing between the family members. "I don't think they can be around him if this is what's going to happen." Sakura stated as she had a cautious look on her face.

"I don't think they can be around each other either." Hinata added on as she noticed that Iris and Chaos were starting to reject each other as well. Naruto's body was in so much turmoil that it was affecting Iris and Chaos as well. "Are they rejecting each other as well." Shikamaru questioned as he looked at the discomfort between the two sisters. "Yes. Shikamaru do you think you can take Chaos for me. I'm pretty sure she would behave if you were to watch her." Hinata suggested as she passed the tiny terror over to Shikamaru who had a look of annoyance on his face as he took the Angeloid into his lap. He wouldn't admit it but he did have a soft spot for the little apocalyptic Angeloid. His fascination on what made her tick turned into a steady but growing bond of friendship. Chaos looks up to Shikamaru like an older brother. It also helps that her advanced intellect actually surpasses Shikamaru's but she hints and teases him about it and rarely ever shows this ability.

"We need to find our scrolls and come back." Hinata stated as she channeled some chakra into Iris which prompted her to turn into a small teddy bear pendant. Doing the same to Chaos the little girl turned into a black choker with a small link of chains on it. Shikamaru picked Chaos up and placed her around his shoulder as a place to hold her while Hinata pinned Iris to her headband around her neck. With some more talking Teams 8 and 10 decided to spit up and find their scrolls with the promise of coming back to Team 7's hide out. None of the members of the Uzumaki family could be around each other for the time being so it was best to separate them for their safety. Hinata estimated that Naruto should wake up in a day or so given the state of his body.

After helping Sakura set up some traps and defenses in the area to protect their hidden camp her classmates gave her a final farewell before taking off.

 _ **Flashback End**_

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"So, that's what happened." Naruto mumbled as he looked towards his best friend with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you Hinata, for everything." Naruto said in a grateful tone as he didn't realize he placed his hand over Hinata's. He was so caught up in his gratitude that he glossed over that action. Hinata however felt this and her face grew cherry red as she panned her eyes down to their joined hands. A growl from near them caused both friends to jump as they saw Kiba with a scowl on his face. "I think you've thanked her enough Naruto." Kiba said as small ounces of jealously was crawling into his voice. Hinata backed away from Naruto as she tried to force the blush that was on her face down but Naruto grew a scowl on his face as he knew what Kiba was driving at.

"You've got to be kidding me, this is going to be such a drag." Shikamaru moaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Shadow Possession Jutsu -** This is the signature secret technique of the famous Nara Clan. The user extends their shadow on any surface even water and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

2.) **Expansion Jutsu -** This is the signature secret technique passed down in the Akimichi clan that increases the user's body size by converting their calories into chakra. The user can freely alter their size at will when using this technique, and can use it for an extensive period of time. A common application of the techniques gives the user a very round appearance by mostly increasing the size of the abdominal section, which is done in order to use the _Human Boulder Jutsu_. Other, more common applications increase the size of the entire body, turning the user into a giant.

3.) **Human Boulder Jutsu -** A threatening taijutsu trick that converts the user's large frame into a destructive weapon. The user first uses _Expansion Jutsu_ to make themselves into a human-sized ball, then they tuck in their limbs and use chakra to propel themselves into a powerful roll. Its effective use of weight and the force of rotation make for an even greater lethality than appearances would let on, enough to pulverise someone's hand with but a mere touch. It is difficult for the user to turn in this form. This technique has the added effect of plugging up the user's ears.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? A lot has happened in this chapter. The teams have all passed with a minor hiccup on Team 8's side. Karin shows up and manages to save the day at the last second (I bet you guys didn't see that coming). With all three teams now safe in the tower it gives Naruto the chance to finally rest after the stressful and taxing ordeal he and his classmates went through. Here he unwinds and has a conversation with Hinata that has a tiny side effect of causing him to delve into his feelings. (Puberty is kicking in for him). Hinata reveals what happened to Naruto after he passed out at the end of Chapter 37.

Naruto undergoes a transformation that **_Yukigrewger2_** dubbed **_Winter King Mode_**. In this mode Naruto is a full demon. Not a single ounce of chakra is in his system or any of Sokyoku's for that matter. His power dramatically increases but do to the fact that he is still young it does take a toll on his body even if it's not completely evident. His insane stamina allows him to hold this form longer than what his body should be able to handle. Just like Eva his powers slowly increases over time with each pulse of power he releases but with that the strain on his body is also increased as well. If hinata and the others didn't stop him he would have collapsed on his own a little while afterwards, but by then they would have been dead.

After the battle Hinata and the others set up shop in the small tree that Team 7 uses to hide in. Hinata and Shikamaru shed some light on what they all just witnessed as well as explaining a little bit about Yoki to those present. They also learn that because Naruto's body is in so much turmoil right now the girls can't be around him. Sokyoku's holy aura is hurting Naruto and this in turn causes his Yoki rich body to reject her. The same could be said about Chaos's energy as well. This conflict makes it impossible for the family to stay in contact with each other. In a sense you could say they've all been magnetized and they are rejecting each other.

Finally you can see that Kiba hasn't quite let go of his jealousy over Naruto and Hinata's close relationship. (Puberty) As Shikamaru would put it: It's such a drag.

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 _That's the end of Chapter 40 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 1/28/17


	42. CH: 41 Elimination Match: 1 Brutality

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys welcome back to a new chapter. I'm just going to come out and say it. I plowed through this chapter with a speed I didn't even know I still had. I completed 80% of this chapter in one sitting. I just kept chugging along without stopping. It was fantastic. From the time when I first created this document, which was the very next day after I published chapter 40 I can say it took me about 5 days to complete it and that 80% was all in one day. I finished the chapter on Thursday the 2nd. I'm really thrilled to be feeling my creative side buzzing right now.

Coincidentally enough it also coincides with my previous plans to get past the preliminary stage arc as fast as I can. As you will see throughout this chapter I placed my own spin on things but there really hasn't been anything for me to do that is original or outside the box with the fight. It is for that reason why that no matter how much I try to spin it the preliminary matches won't be as original and special as I want them to be.

That is why I want to get past them as quick as I can so that I can go straight into the original concepts and idea's that I have planned and also so that I can finally introduce Jiraiya into the story and have him meet Naruto and the girls. I'm itching so bad just to get there. I want them to interact so bad that it's killing me.

So with that out of the way. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 41

 _ **Elimination Match: 1 Brutality**_

' _Well this is intense…'_ Naruto thought with a straight face as he and every other participant were lined up in columns of three as per their members of the squad. Naruto was in front with Sasuke right behind him and Sakura bringing up the rear in their line. Every Genin team was lined up next to each other with Team 8 and 10 next to them lined up in the exact same way. Gaara was a few columns down and his deadly aura was disturbing the other participants around him. His dead eyes were staring directly into Hiruzen's who was on a raised stage that was a foot above the rest of the floor.

Hiruzen stood at the center of the stage with the nine Jōnin Sensei's of the teams who passed standing in a crisp straight line behind him. At the end of the line Naruto noticed the powerful teams from the hidden stone and cloud also passed as well. On the ground floor 8 shinobi stood in an inverted v formation with 4 notable ninja standing out to Naruto. Ibiki Morino was standing there with his imposing stature and standing at a whole head shorter was Anko Mitarashi who had a stick of Dango in her mouth. She had a small grin on her face as she glanced at her surrogate younger brother in the crowd but Naruto could see a small spark of concern and worry hidden in her eyes. She must have heard what happened. Iruka was also standing there with a proud look on his face which was no surprise to Naruto but a face he hasn't seen in a long time was Hayate Gekkō. He was a man Shoko introduced to him a long while ago who practiced Kenjutsu against him.

It's only been about one hour since the rookies got to the tower. When they got the call to assemble in the main hall a few minutes ago, the Genin were devastated since they barely had any time to rest. They still had scuff marks all over their clothes and cuts all along their bodies. They reluctantly came to the hall to see the other Genin assembling as well and they also had scuff marks on them.

"Lord Hokage please allow me to explain the rules." Hayate asked as he stepped up and bowed to Hiruzen who was in the middle of a speech about the true meaning of the Chūnin Selection Exams. "As you wish." Hiruzen conceded as he took a step back and allowed the Special Jōnin to take the spotlight. "My name is Hayate Gekkō and I will be your proctor for the third and final stage of the Chūnin Exams. However, I have to deliver to you participants some bad news." The Special Jōnin announced which grabbed everyone's attention immediately. "To be honest, there are too many of you here right now. The first and second stages were too easy on you guys as evident by the number of participants standing here now." Hayate said as he coughed several times throughout his sentence.

' _They are going to cut down our numbers again._ ' Shikamaru theorized with a sigh as he sent a look towards Naruto and Shino who both came to the same conclusion. _'My chakra is still recovering from all the crap that has happened. I won't be able to fight that well if what I think they're going to do is about to happen.'_ Shikamaru thought to himself as he sent glances at his fellow classmates such as Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke. _'Naruto isn't looking to good at all. He's trying to hide it but he's hurt. His chakra is at an all-time low and from what I've come to understand his connection to Iris and Chaos has been damaged. He's nowhere near one hundred percent. Hinata is hurting too. She took some damage from fighting Naruto off and from the things that happened before and after. She's not alright by a long run and so is Sasuke. This is going to be rough.'_ Shikamaru came to a grim conclusion as he looked to his friends and back to his superiors in front of him.

"So, with that in mind we will be holding an immediate preliminary tournament to bring down the numbers to a manageable number." Hayate stated which caused some of the participants to cry out in shock and outrage. The sick looking Special Jōnin wasn't fazed by the numerous outbursts the participants were blurting out so he continued right along without sparing them a glance. Getting a set of coughs out the way Hayate trudged on. "There will be rich and influential VIP's coming in from around the country and world and they only want to see the best of the best. You will be representing your country and your only purpose is to gain the attention of said cliental so that they will want to take an interest in your village do business with them." Hayate hammered in as he wanted to make sure the Chūnin hopefuls understood their purpose in these exams and he wanted the message to get across in a direct fashion compared to the softer tone the Hokage had used earlier.

"So, with that being said is there any among you who feel like you are not at peak physical condition and would not perform well in the upcoming exam?" Hayate asked as he scanned the crowed of 27 participants and among that group only one person raised their hand. It was Kabuto Yakushi.

A sharp pain went through Naruto's head which caused him to involuntarily flinch. A flinch that didn't go unnoticed by Hinata and Shikamaru besides him. Hiruzen eyes traveled over to the young boy from underneath the shade of his large Hokage ceremonial hat and he couldn't help but feel a tad bit suspicious about this development. "I would like to bow out proctor. I'm physically unable to continue past this point." Kabuto spoke up with a bit of a goofy expression on his face. "Ok then. If you are unable to proceed then you may step out of line and return to the recreational room." Hayate confirmed as the glasses wearing Genin bowed his head in thanks and stepped out of formation with the rest of his team. "Kabuto what's the matter? Aren't you able to continue?" Naruto suddenly asked as he felt compelled to by Iris who still had some form of control over him despite their damaged connection.

"Sorry Naruto, I'm in worst shape then you might think. There were some pretty nasty things out there in the forest. I know you and your friends know what I'm talking about." Kabuto explained and that sent warning flags off in Shikamaru and Naruto's minds. With a last glance, Kabuto started walking away from the assembled crowd of Genin with a dark smirk covering his face. _'My work here is done, besides with you here Lord Orochimaru there's no need for me to stick around. Besides if I fought anyone here I might accidentally kill them by mistake.'_ Kabuto thoughts to himself as he turned the corner once he made it to the entrance of the room.

"Keep an eye on that one Ibiki. If my old memory serves me right, then I've seen that young man before. He pulled the same stunt before." Hiruzen whispered to the bear of a man who towered over his Hokage by nearly a foot and a half. "Yes, Lord Hokage." Ibiki acknowledged as Anko slid up next to the Hokage and revealed what was known about Kabuto's backstory to her Lord which caused a small frown to overcome the Hokage's face. "If he is indeed the only survivor of the Kikyo Pass Tragedy and he's displayed such unusual behavior then that is all the more reason to keep an eye on him. Ibiki I want you to contact Shikaku after the preliminaries are over and have him run an investigation on this young man. He is not listed in our Anti-Spy Department's registry but that might have to change." Hiruzen stated as he closed his eyes and blew out a puff of smoke from his favorite pipe. "As you wish Lord Hokage." Ibiki complied as he was already thinking of several things in his head.

"Now if anyone else wishes to quit now is the time." Hayate insisted with a coughing fit accompanying his statement. A small commotion was happening with Team 7 at the moment mainly between Sakura and Sasuke which went unheard by the Hokage and his advisors but for Team's 8, 9, and 10 they heard it loud and clear. "Sasuke you need to quit. Whatever that mark on your neck is it can't be good. We all saw what it did to you. I know you're in a lot of pain right now. You're suffering." Sakura pleaded as her eyes teared up at thinking about what happened back in the forest.

' _I'm hurt too you know. I'm in a lot of pain.'_ Naruto thought with a small pang of annoyance as he felt passed over by his teammate but he understood exactly where Sakura was coming from. Naruto's chakra had a sever dampening field on it right now. His Yōki was completely inaccessible as well as the Nine Tails Chakra that Naruto could feel the tiniest hint of whenever he molds his chakra. It also had the unintentional side effect of damaging and nearly muting his connection with Iris and Chaos which was a big fat "NO" in his book. It was one thing for his Yōki to be gone, at least he could still talk to Eva if he wanted too but he could barely hear or feel Iris and Chaos in the back of his mind and that was a foreign and uncomfortable feeling for him.

From what Naruto understood Sasuke's situation was much different. Whatever that curse mark was that Orochimaru gave Sasuke it was harming him. His chakra was severely dampened and when it first activated it warped his mind and gave him a massive increase to his power. That was very similar to what just happened to him a but the difference here is from what Naruto was able to deduce when he took a look at the mark was that it was feeding off of Sasuke's chakra and the more chakra he molded the more powerful the seal became as well as its influence upon his mind. That meant that he couldn't use his chakra at all or he would quickly lose control.

"Sakura stay out of this. I will be competing in this tournament. I've come way too far to quit now." Sasuke retorted as he glared at Sakura who flinched back at the look she was getting. "But you're hurt. You can't compete while in this state. We still don't know exactly what that mark on your neck is. It could be dangerous for you…" Sakura pleaded as she tried to make her teammate see reason. "That's enough Sakura!" Sasuke warned while gritting his teeth.

"I am an avenger. The best of this generation is right here in this room. I need to prove myself and know just how strong I am… how much stronger that I need to become. I could care less about becoming a Chūnin. I will never know just how much stronger I need to become if I'm to forward my ambition and fighting the people in this room is a major step for me. So, I won't let anyone or anything stop me." Sasuke pleaded his case with a deadly look in his eyes. All his friends heard this and they all had various reactions to this but Naruto frowned at hearing what his friend had to say. _'He's talking about Itachi… his older brother.'_

"I'm sorry Sasuke… but I can't let you do this." Sakura said as she started to raise her hand to gain the attention of the proctors. Sasuke growled as she grabbed Sakura's wrist and yanked it down before her hand could get high enough for the others to see. "Don't you dare. Sakura this is my life to live and I will live it the way I want. I will fight these people today and you're not going to stop me." Sasuke said in a no nonsense tone. He was absolutely serious. A hand on his shoulder got Sasuke to look behind him.

"Are you going to stop me too Naruto?" Sasuke said as he looked into his friend's eyes. His hand was on his shoulder and a concerned look was seen in his blue eyes. "You're right… we can't tell you how to live your life. However, she's only doing this because she cares about you Sasuke. I do too." Naruto said in a soft voice.

A soft look flashed thorough Sasuke's eyes as he looked from Sakura to Naruto before that was wiped away by a challenging look in his eyes. "Naruto… you're one of the people in this room I want to fight the most." Sasuke said with a smirk crossing his face. Naruto was taken aback by this for a moment as he had nothing to say but something within him was stirred up by what his teammate said to him. "Well alright then. Just don't complain after you lose." Naruto retorted as he squeezed Sasuke's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Naruto! We can't let him…" Sakura started to protest but Naruto stopped her. "It's ok Sakura, this is a team decision. If anything happens to him I will step in and stop him myself. It will be our responsibility as his teammates, I know he would do the same for me." Naruto soothed as he understood deep down that Sasuke wasn't going to stop so it was best to support him and watch his back. He would appreciate that more than you trying to stop him.

Hearing the confidence Naruto had in him and the support he was willing to give him caused a small smile to cross his face. Sasuke shook his head in agreement that he would watch Naruto's back as well. Small tears were in Sakura's eyes as she wasn't as convinced as her teammates but the look in their eyes made her realize that there was nothing she could do. Hinata had a proud look in her eyes as she watched Naruto support her friend but she was also worried for the both of them.

"Sasuke I will step in and stop you as a friend… but I know that it won't come to that. That mark won't beat you because you're simply stronger than it. It doesn't have any power over you and as long as you believe that then it never will." Naruto said gently as he gave Sasuke the most reassuring and supportive grin he could make. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room nor did the small genuine smile that crossed Sasuke's face. "Thank you, Naruto." Sasuke said in a genuine tone as he bumped shoulders with his teammate. "I'm not the only one you should thank. Sakura is only looking out for you ya know." Naruto said as he pushed Sasuke's attention onto Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura." Sasuke thanked with a very small smile that caused a blush to spread across her face that matched the color of her hair.

Naruto felt someone looking at him and looking over his shoulder he saw Hinata with a small gentle proud smile on her face that caused a dusting of pink to form on his cheeks. Before anything else could happen, Naruto felt a tug in his hair that forced him to face forward again. It would appear Eva saw this interaction and was a little jealous. Hinata noticed this too and giggled quietly into her sleeve. It doesn't matter how supportive and friendly Eva is too Hinata, she's still a demon and jealousy is a part of the game.

"Alright if no one else wants to quit then we will begin immediately." Hayate announced as he nodded to Anko who whispered something into the microphone attached to her ear. One of the four large panels on the back wall behind the stage slid open and a large LCD panel revealed itself. At the very back of the stage was a large statue of a pair of hands making the classical Ram hand sign. It was large and imposing but it was a great symbol.

"The names of the participants will be randomly generated. Once your name comes up you are to report to the arena." Hayate explained as the screen came to live and green letters started to flash across it randomly. The letters were actually the names of the Genin and soon the screen stopped on to names that actually made the rookie nine all freeze.

* * *

 _[Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō]_

"Genin step forward. Everyone else please report to the balconies to the sides of the room." Hayate ordered as Sasuke stepped forward before any of his friends could stop him. "Sasuke don't lose." Naruto simply said with a small smirk on his face. A cocky grin crossed Sasuke's face as he simply turned his back to them. _'Sasuke.'_ Sakura looked unconvinced but Naruto placed a hand on her back and guided her along with everyone else. Hiruzen simply body flickered up to the balcony above them to avoid having to take the long trip up the stairs.

Yoroi was a tall young man in his early 20's which was kind of old for a Genin but besides that point he wore a purple bandana around his head with his metal plate in full view. A purple cloth was covering his entire face from the eyes down and as for his eyes they were covered by pitch black shades that completely obscured his eyes from everyone's view. Yoroi wore similar clothes to his two teammates once of which is Kabuto himself. Yoroi is wearing a high-collared, sleeveless, purple shirt with a short-sleeved, white one underneath, a simple obi around his waist, purple pants, blue sandals and purple fingerless gloves.

"This should be easy." Yoroi arrogantly stated with what Sasuke assumed to be a smirk underneath the long cloth across his face. "I won't go down so easily." Sasuke retorted as he craned his neck up to look at his much taller opponent. Sasuke was talking big but a jolt of pain from the curse mark on his shoulder took the wind out of his sails. _'It's already starting to act up? I can feel my adrenaline pumping and some of my chakra is starting to stir, but is that really enough to agitate this stupid thing?'_ Sasuke complained in his mind as he realized that this matchup was going to be a lot more difficult than he would like to admit.

"Having trouble over there boy? I hope it's nothing too serious." Yoroi taunted as his entire posture screamed arrogance and self-confidence. Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance as he forced himself not to respond to his opponent's obvious taunts. "If both Genin are ready, then let this preliminary match begin." Hayate announced as he threw his hand down between the two opponents as the signal to start fighting. Seeing the fighters tensing their muscles Hayate took a sizable leap back until he was standing on the raised platform a few yards away. This way he was out of the fighter's way but he would still have a great vantage point to monitor the match closely.

Everything was quiet in the room for a few seconds after Hayate announced that the match could begin and in those moments, everyone gathered their breath in anticipation. As one everyone exhaled as the two fighters exploded into action.

Yoroi with a hard-earned quickness took out three shuriken that he threw at Sasuke with impressive speed. Reacting as everyone would expect Sasuke grabbed his holstered kunai and deflected all three projectiles back at Yoroi in one smooth movement. In the very short time it took for this exchange to happen Yoroi went through a quick sequence of hand signs that caused his left hand to flicker and glow a dull blue. _'What is that?'_ Sasuke questioned but his mind wouldn't be able to focus on this for long. This rapid burst of action caused the curse mark to release a small jolt of pain into Sasuke's body which caused the young Uchiha to fall flat on his stomach, it was like his body had a mini seizure.

Yoroi dodged the deflected shuriken that was sent his way and with a burst of speed disappeared from Sasuke's view. _'Where is he?'_ In a quick blur Yoroi appeared directly over Sasuke and smashed his hand into to spot the last Uchiha's head was supposed to be. At very last second Sasuke managed to dodge this straightforward attack that cracked the concrete floor below them. Stabbing his kunai into the ground Sasuke using an impressive display of physical strength and flexibility managed to pivot himself around the small kunai stuck in the ground and kick Yoroi's legs right out from underneath him by nailing him directly in the shin and calf muscles simultaneously.

While this move impressed the spectators watching the match they would then further be surprised when Sasuke capitalized on the advantage he made. In a blur of limbs Sasuke managed to catch Yoroi's arm in a vicious armbar that he made sure to apply a lot of pressure to. "I've got you." Sasuke grunted as he yanked back on Yoroi's arm in an attempt to force him to submit. "Are you sure that was a wise move kid?" Yoroi taunted as he brought his free arm up from the other side of his body and grabbed a hold of Sasuke's collar. This hand was glowing blue and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and horror when he started to feel his strength failing him.

' _What's going on? I can't move.'_ Sasuke cried out inside his mind as his grip on Yoroi fell apart. Seeing his chance Yoroi slammed his previously trapped hand into Sasuke's chest causing the young Genin to cough up spit and gasp for air. Jumping to his feet Yoroi laughed arrogantly at Sasuke's wheezing form. "What's the matter kid can't breathe?"

' _What was that? He somehow took Sasuke's strength away?'_ Naruto analyzed in his mind as he wasn't quite sure what just happened. _'The_ _ **Chakra Absorption Jutsu**_ _? That is not an easy Jutsu to master. It's quite rare. This Genin is full of surprises.'_ Kakashi thought as he recognized the technique Yoroi implemented.

Yoroi laughed as he lunged at Sasuke with his glowing hand outstretched for an attack. Seeing this Sasuke attempted to jump away and his feet barely left the ground before Yoroi grabbed Sasuke by the top of his head and slammed him onto the unforgiving concrete floor below with such force that despite Yoroi's strong grip Sasuke's head still bounced a little bit off the floor. Grunting in excruciating pain Sasuke tried to pry Yoroi's hand off of him but it was no use. "My chakra, what are you doing to me? I can't move." Sasuke wheezed out as he tried in vain to remove Yoroi's hand. "Hahaha! Took you long enough to figure out kid. You must be a little slow." Yoroi taunted with an annoying laugh that grated on Sasuke's nerve as he could feel his strength leaving him. His arms that were putting up a struggle to remove the vice grip on his head limply fell to the floor as Sasuke's eyes started to slowly roll into the back of his head.

' _Sasuke's Chakra is being stolen. That's what that Jutsu is. You need to kick out of it.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he felt a little anxious about seeing Sasuke in the bind he was in. He understood just how dangerous it is for his teammate to be fighting right now. Especially against such a unique opponent.

Naruto blinked in surprise when with an exertion of physical strength Sasuke managed to kick Yoroi off of him and at least a few yards away. _'Well that couldn't have been a coincidence.'_ Naruto thought to himself in both shock and amusement. A tiny buzz in the back of his mind that he instinctively knew to be Chaos agreed with him. That raised Naruto's spirits to know that despite everything that was going on his daughters were ok.

"You got some fight left in you boy, that's good. I didn't want this match to be boring." Yoroi praised as he charged at Sasuke who narrowed his eyes in concentration. Once Yoroi was within striking distance Sasuke spun out of the way of his first attack with a spring in his step he shouldn't have. Stumbling a bit Yoroi corrected himself and launched himself into a vicious onslaught of attacks all in an attempt to grab a hold of Sasuke but the young Uchiha wasn't making it easy for the older boy. Sasuke had a plan but it would need to be executed perfectly which is why when Yoroi managed a tiny glancing blow by touching Sasuke's hair the young Genin cursed his luck as that was enough to bring him to his knees.

"All bark and no bite. Pitiful. Is this all the great Uchiha clan can do?" Yoroi taunted with a lazy hand on his hip. He was laughing blatantly at Sasuke who was struggling to get to his feet. "Shut up. Don't you dare mock me." Sasuke growled as he got into his Taijutsu stance. "This is a waste of time kid. But I'll be more than happy to put you down if that's what you really want!" Yoroi goaded as he took off in a dead sprint to reach Sasuke as fast as he could. _'I only have a few supplies left. We never got a chance to refill but I am thankful Naruto gave me one of these.'_ Sasuke thought as he rushed Yoroi in a seemingly reckless manner. "Sasuke what are you doing? You're going to get hurt!" Sakura shouted in panic as Sasuke completely abandoned all of his defense leaving himself wide open for any straight on attack.

' _What is he planning?'_ Kakashi thought to himself with his hands rested steadily in his pockets. His lazy eye was slowly narrowing down in focus upon Sasuke's recklessly moving form with curiosity. "Sasuke what are you up to?" Naruto whispered to himself as he saw Sasuke reach into his utility pouch at the last second before he and Yoroi would cross paths. In the blink of an eye Sasuke threw a small smoke pellet; the last of his smoke pellets to be exact, down on the floor right in front of Yoroi which caused a billowing cloud of smoke to rush out and cover both fighters just as they met in the middle.

After a few seconds both fighters jumped out of the cloud of smoke and faced each other. "And what was that supposed to accomplish? You never even attempted to touch me." Yoroi taunted yet again as he gripped his hand and caused it to ignite again in a visible blue glow. "Oh, don't worry you'll find out real soon. This match is about to be over." Sasuke taunted back with a cocky smirk on his face. "Don't get cocky kid!" Yoroi roared as he took off at Sasuke with all the speed he could managed. In the grand scheme of things, he wasn't that fast and certainly not the fastest Genin in the room by a long shot but it was still a decent speed.

' _I need a way to make this plan of mine work and I know just the thing.'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he sent a smirk directly at Rock Lee who was standing close to Naruto. Seeing this Naruto casted a sideways glance to Lee who also had a curious if not confused look in his face. Turning back Naruto managed to catch the tiniest glint of light the flashed between the two competitors and that had his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. _'Ninja wire. He tied Yoroi up with ninja wire when they passed each other in the smoke.'_ Naruto realized as Sasuke initiated his plan.

He disappeared. That was all most of the Genin in the room thought as Sasuke simply disappeared a quarter of the distance between him and Yoroi. A harsh and violent smack that resonated throughout the walls of the room was heard as everyone saw Sasuke kicking Yoroi straight up into the air with a rising kick while propped up on his back leg. "But wait! That's my move!" Rock Lee exclaimed in shock as Naruto widened his eyes in complete realization. _'Sasuke copied Lee's moves with his Sharingan back during that spar they had. He actually did it.'_

Blood and spit flew out of Yoroi's mouth that stained the cloth covering his face. Flying up into the air at an uncontrollable speed Yoroi could do nothing as he felt Sasuke's presence show up behind him. "That's the **Dancing Leaf Shadow**. Kakashi did you teach that boy one of my techniques?" Might Guy questions with a semi hard glare, as he instantly took notice of Sasuke's actions and now looking at their shadows on the wall they were completely overlapping one another.

Sasuke was about to proceed with his plan when a searing bolt of pain tore through his body nearly crippling him in midair. _'The seal it's starting to spread. It hurts!'_ Sasuke panicked as he felt the mysterious seals spreading across the surface of his skin. They were glowing red and they were as hot as they looked as the tiny markings crossed over his left eye.

' _The seal it's activated. Sasuke don't lose to it.'_ Naruto thought through gritted teeth as he gripped the metal guard rail in anxiety. His muscles were coiled and it looked like he would jump over the banister at any moment. _'The curse mark activated. I need to have Hayate call the match. Damn that thing!'_ Anko sweated as she reflexively clamped a hand over her own curse mark. She was about to reach for her microphone attached to her headset when something miraculous happened.

"Sasuke you have to stay strong!" Sakura shouted out as she also saw the mark activating. She had a haunted look on her face as she recalled what happened back in the forest and she did not want to see that happen again at any cost. Her eyes were misting over with moisture and if left unchecked it would look like she was crying. Sasuke turned his head towards Sakura after hearing her call out to him and seeing the state she was in caused something within him to shift. The final nail in the coffin was the look he saw on Naruto's face. It was pensive and full of anxiety but overshadowing those emotions was one of trust and encouragement.

Sasuke remembered the words Naruto said to him right before the match and they resonated within his soul in that very moment. _'NO! I will not let this thing take over. It can't control me and as long as I believe that it never will.'_ Sasuke reaffirmed within his mind as he exerted his will over the curse mark and aggressively forced it to recede back into its sealed state.

' _He overpowered the Curse Mark!'_ Anko shouted in her mind as her hand fell away from her microphone in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. _'Way to go Sasuke. Good job.'_ Kakashi thought as he felt a small pang of pride well up in his gut. He himself thought he would have to intervene and seeing the tense look on Naruto's face he realized he wasn't the only one feeling the same way. _'Impressive. That boy has a powerful will.'_ Hiruzen praised as he silently watched what was happening. He already instructed his shinobi to step in if things got out of hand so he wasn't worried but he was relieved to see things play out the way they did.

' _This boy. He truly is worth it.'_ The Jōnin of team Dosu thought as he slowly licked his lips. He looked oddly familiar but he was dressed in the foreign combat armor of the Hidden Sound. Naruto felt proud of his teammate for overcoming the curse mark but he couldn't celebrate for long as a soft pang in the back of his subconscious that belonged to Iris opened up his senses briefly to the surge of negative emotions in the room with them. He couldn't tell where it was coming from at all because it was masked but it left him feeling uneasy since he could make out that they were directed towards Sasuke.

"I'll admit I borrowed that technique from someone else but from here on out it's all me." Sasuke declared as a smirk came to his face. In one swift movement, he slapped a Paralyzing Seal onto Yoroi's back that caused his entire body to spasm and convulse. With his opponent paralyzed and with no way to fight back Sasuke threw his kunai up into the air which had the ninja wire attached to it and watched as the small knife embedded itself into the ceiling of the room. Ripping his body into an acrobatic assault well beyond his skill set Sasuke stunned the onlookers by roundhouse kicking Yoroi to alter his trajectory and then spun around in the air to deliver a powerful elbow straight into Yoroi's sternum that sent the purple wearing Genin on a crash course with the ground.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Sasuke shouted as he forced his body beyond its physical limits to deliver his final combo. When Yoroi violently stalled in midair because of the ninja wire reaching the end of its length it made this next attack all the more brutal. With a vicious close line Sasuke slammed Yoroi towards the ground with enough force that it also ripped the kunai that was acting as Yoroi's leverage out of the ceiling and along with it a chunk of thick concrete. Sasuke against better judgement had channeled chakra into the kunai knife so that it could not only support Yoroi's weight but also pull part of the ceiling down with it using the basic principles of the tree walking exercise.

Right before they both hit the ground Sasuke again performed another spectacular vertical reverse roundhouse kick that drilled Yoroi into the ground with such force that Yoroi's body folded in two and the concrete below fractured under the pressure. Several simultaneous cracks were heard as almost half of Yoroi's ribs were either cracked or completely broken as a huge glob of blood and spit flew out of his mouth that stained his shirt and facial cloth.

" **Lion's Barrage!"** Sasuke roared out the name of his impressive Taijutsu technique for everyone to hear as the force of the attack bounced him off of Yoroi and several yards away were he had a rough landing. The final icing on the cake that sealed the fate of the match was the piece of concrete that fell and hit Yoroi on his head instantly knocking him unconscious with absolute certainty.

Everything was quiet in the room as Sasuke slowly got to his feet and Yoroi sprawled out motionlessly in a small indent in the floor. Blood was pouring from his head as his nose was broken from the concrete hitting him directly in the face. Not to mention the back of his skull smacking into the ground.

Hayate barely spared a glance at Yoroi as with his experience and eagled eyed vision he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Yoroi was finished. It also helped that he never spotted the man use any kind of Jutsu or technique to escape his fate so it made the decision on calling the match a lot easier on the Special Jōnin.

"Yoroi Akadō is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injuries. Therefore, the winner of this first preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate announced through his severe coughing fit but his voice was heard loud and clear for everyone in the room. The large battle arena had good acoustics so that was also a bonus if anyone wanted to have their voice travel the distance of the large and cavernous room.

Sasuke's classmates started to cheer for him and congratulate him as the young Uchiha fell back to the ground from exhaustion. He would never hit the ground as Kakashi appeared behind him in a cloudless **Body Flicker** and used his knee to prop Sasuke up by his back. "That was quite the performance you put on out there. I'm proud of you for overcoming the curse mark." Kakashi praised his student while reading his favorite orange book. He rubbed Sasuke's hair in a proud way that secretly the young boy didn't have a problem with as he hasn't had much affection in a long time but he shook the silver haired Jōnin's hand away to keep up appearances.

"I agree." Naruto said as he appeared besides Kakashi. To avoid any suspicion Naruto had Kakashi bring him along for the ride. It also helped Naruto save up his chakra that was still slow boating itself with recharging. "I told you you're stronger than that thing." Naruto said with an encouraging smile. "Hn. I guess you're right about this one Naruto." Sasuke conceded as he closed his eyes to rest.

"Thank goodness he's ok." Sakura whispered to herself as all of her fears and restlessness was put to bed with the end of the match concluding in Sasuke's favor. Not everyone was happy however. _'In just one viewing he copied my moves perfectly. Not a foot out of place. So, that is the power of the Sharingan. I don't know how I should feel about this. It's unsettling.'_ Rock Lee thought with a small frown on his face. His Taijutsu technique that he spent untold amounts of time pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into was just stolen and modified by another ninja right before his very eyes. In a world were stealing, lying, cheating and underhanded tactics were everyone's bread and butter it shouldn't be much of a surprise but even then, in some small ways Rock Lee still felt slighted and offended. He just didn't know exactly how to process these emotions he was feeling right now since they are ones he doesn't deal with often.

Might Guy had somewhat similar thoughts but his were a lot less emotional driven and more from a critic's point of view. _'It takes much more than just the famed Sharingan to perform high speed Taijutsu like ours. It takes guts, determination, passion, and the will to tear your body apart to achieve superhuman levels of physical prowess that would leave your peers and enemies in both awe and envy. He kind of reminds me of you when we were kids Kakashi.'_ Guy thought with his large eyebrows furrowing together.

Two people in the room were shivering in anticipation. One was Gaara who was clenching his forearm harshly while subtly shaking. His dead green eyes were boring a hole into Sasuke's skull and he also had Naruto in his sights as well who was helping Sasuke back to his feet. _'Oh, no not again.'_ Kankurō thought to himself with small tinges of fear snaking its way up his spine. He subtly inched his way a couple of paces away from Gaara who looked ready to murder someone. Unknowingly to everyone else in the room Chaos was reacting to this behavior as evident by the fact Naruto now suddenly had a hard time concentrating. Chaos was metaphorically jumping around the walls in the back of his mind. It was an unsettling feeling.

The second was the Sound Jōnin whose long tongue snaked its way out of his mouth and slithered back in. _'Magnificent.'_ Back on the arena floor Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Ok, now it's time for us to go seal up this Curse Mark. We've left it unattended for long enough." Kakashi remarked as he wanted to make sure the mark would not be a problem in the future.

"Now? But I wanted to watch the rest of the matches." Sasuke complained but a bolt of pain from the Curse Mark had him rethink this line of thought. While this was going on Naruto was having a mini identity crisis. He could feel his body being controlled by Iris who despite the damage to their connection was somehow overpowering this setback. She forced Naruto to reach up and unhook her teddy bear shaped pendant from around Chaos's collar and discretely placed it in Kakashi's hand who blinked in surprise.

"Naruto what…?" Kakashi began to question but the words died in his mouth as he saw Naruto's eyes were not the striking ocean blue color everyone's so used to. They were a familiar powerful emerald green. "Kakashi's sensei, take care of Sasuke for me ok. Make sure you deal with that thing." Naruto said but right away Kakashi detected the tiniest hints of an accent in Naruto's voice that he naturally doesn't have. An accent Kakashi is quite familiar with since it belongs to Iris who was now in his hand. _'Ok, this is definitely a situation to discuss for another time. One task at a time Kakashi, one task at a time.'_ Kakashi reassured himself as he saw Naruto's eyes change back from green to blue and his body which was somewhat rigid straighten out. Sasuke was the only one to notice this phenomenon and it caused him to look at Kakashi's hand in weariness.

"Ok Naruto will do. Go stay with Sakura and keep her company. She must be so relieved now that this is all over." Kakashi said as he helped Sasuke out of the room while Naruto returned to his position next to Sakura who did indeed look relived. "Naruto, where…?" Hinata whispered as she made a gesture with her hand near her headband to indicate the question she wanted to ask. She noticed that Iris wasn't around Naruto's neck anymore so she could only make assumptions but she would rather hear it from her friend.

"Kakashi sensei is taking Sasuke to the infirmary. So, there is nothing to worry about." Naruto answered Hinata's question in secret code. However, while his mouth said one thing his eyes conveyed another story altogether. Neji who was a few yards down took notice of the very subtle exchange and the brief moment in which Naruto's body went rigid. _'What was that? Naruto Uzumaki what are you hiding?'_ Neji thought as he couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that Naruto was hiding things from the rest of them.

* * *

With the commotion now over everyone's attention was drawn back to the board where two new names were randomly selected. The screen cycled through the names for nearly 15 seconds which instilled some anxiety into the participants who were forced to wait. It could be any one of them.

 _[Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame]_

Naruto instantly frowned as he recognized that this was the person Shikamaru informed him about. It was his team that ambushed Team 7 while they were hiding and viciously beat Sakura until she could barely move. From what was told to him this boy was the hot headed one the Sasuke broke the arms off after he lost control. Naruto couldn't find it in himself to have any sympathy or compassion for the Sound Genin.

"Shino be careful ok. This guy might have a few tricks up his sleeve." Naruto warned but he unintentionally made a pun since Zaku's arms were in a sling from the damage he sustained at the hands of Sasuke. Hinata silently giggled at this since she caught on to her friend's little unintentional joke. "Thank you for your concern Naruto. But I will be fine. This match will be over shortly." Shino declared as he began walking to the staircase that would take them to the area floor. "I know you will, but it doesn't hurt to look out for ya." Naruto reassured. Shino paused as he adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. Your warnings are noted." Naruto chuckled since that was Shino's way of speaking.

Shino wasn't kidding when he said the match would be over quickly. The clan heir to the very well respected Aburame Clan had the entire match under his control since the moment it started. They sized each other up and threw light attacks to become accustomed to each other but when Zaku felt that the match was starting to stagnate he unleashed his unique air pressure attack from the tube in his one good arm that Sasuke didn't managed to completely cripple. Seemingly taking the advantage Zaku gloated that the match was in his favor but Shino revealed that Zaku had attacked his **Insect Clone** instead.

Shino with his calm and calculating presence went on the offensive and cornered Zaku between an entire swarm of insects and himself. A classical pincer maneuver that Zaku couldn't get out of. If he was to go on the offensive, then he could only attack one target due to only having one arm available to him. Feeling himself backed into the proverbial corner Zaku revealed his trump card by pulling out his other arm which everyone thought was completely crippled. This shocked the spectators including Naruto and Shikamaru but it didn't fool Shino.

With a loud roar of cockiness Zaku pointed his palms at both Shino and his swarm of bugs and fired. When nothing happened, everyone was understandably confused. Shino calmly ordered his swarm of bugs to return to his side where they formed a seamless wall using chakra to interconnect themselves just in time. While the spectators were confused as to why Zaku didn't fire and Shino's odd decision to form a defensive barrier in front of him they soon wouldn't need to ask questions.

They could see the answer swelling right in front of them. Zaku's arms bloating up to two times their original size as miniature holes started to break out all over the skin of his arms. Blood, cartilage, and muscles started to spurt out of these multiple holes making Zaku's arms look like swiss cheese. Right after that Zaku's arms exploded in a shower of blood that was thankfully blocked from getting on Shino's clothes thanks to his forethought to use a barrier. A blood curtailing scream tore through Zaku's throat as he felt to the floor with two large sprays of blood on either side of his body on the floor and more blood starting to pool around him.

"How?" Zaku moaned out in agonizing pain. "I plugged your windpipes with my insects the moment you first touched me at the beginning of the match. Engaging me in Taijutsu was your fatal mistake." Shino explained as he walked up to Zaku's defenseless form.

"This is retribution for what you and your team did to my comrades back in the forest." Shino softly whispered for just Zaku to hear. It would be the last thing the crippled Sound Genin would hear as he passed out from the pain since his body just simply couldn't handle it.

Hayate blinked in surprise as he was far enough away that the blood never splashed up on him but he sighed at how this match came to such an abrupt and violent end. Coughing into his hand both as a way to draw attention to himself so the Genin in the room would stop staring at the prone body lying on the ground and the fact that he has severe coughing problems Hayate waited for everyone to give him some attention.

"Zaku Abumi is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injury. Therefore, the winner of this third preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Shino Aburame." Hayate announced which generated mixed reactions from the spectators watching.

After congratulating Shino on his victory the bug user was told to return to the stands. His friends had mixed reactions to his brutal and efficient take down. Shino didn't let this verbal and nonverbal criticism faze him as he simply gave a nod to Naruto and Sakura. Sakura didn't understand the meaning behind the gesture but Naruto did and he slightly widened his eyes before kindly returning the favor as he simply couldn't think of any other way to respond to his silent friend.

' _Well damn. Remind me never to make Shino my enemy. I'm just glad he's my friend.'_ Naruto thought as a tiny sweat drop of fear rolled down his cheek.

 _[Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankurō]_

This shook Naruto out of his deep thoughts as he saw the next two participants make their way down to the floor. It would seem that he had spaced out for a moment. To say this match went as quickly as Shino's match would be an understatement. Just like with Shino in his match Kankurō dominated his match and was the superior thinker and shinobi. Misumi had the rare technique of dislocating every bone in his body using his chakra so that he could squeeze his way and constrict any target much like a snake but when push came to shove Kankurō delivered.

Misumi fell into the simple trap of trying to constrict and suffocate Kankurō but the one he was attacking turned out to be a puppet of all things that Kankurō kept wrapped up in bandages. It was the object he hauled around all the time. Seeing this puppet made Naruto think of his colleagues and teammates in Section 2. It brought his mood down a notch as his friends live a very difficult live with most of their body replaced by those metallic prosthetics. It's not as appealing as some would have you believe. Kankurō used the **Substitution Jutsu** with his own puppet sometime during the match while simultaneously controlling its actions using invisible chakra threads he was producing from his fingertips like a real puppeteer. After this was revealed the match came to a quick and brutal end as Kankurō opened up his puppet whose body has a cavernous opening big enough to fit a human body and trapped Misumi inside. The puppet crushed everyone of Misumi's bones just leaving his neck intact.

"Misumi Tsurugi is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injury. Therefore, the winner of this third preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Kankurō." Hayate announced as he took a mental note of the fact he had to call the first three matches with the exact same results. It unnerved him how brutal this Chūnin Exam was becoming especially since they are supposed to be in peace time.

' _This is getting intense. I never would have expected such brutality from these Chūnin Exams. I'm glad Iris didn't see any of this. I wouldn't want her poor mind exposed to any of this.'_ Naruto thought as he hypocritically ignored the fact that Iris is no stranger to violence having taken out 5 full grown Chūnin all by herself and while she wasn't particularly brutal with any of them, she wasn't exactly gentle with them either. The third degree burns from just being near her flames and the fractured bones was evidence enough. Naruto's hypocrisy extended to is other daughter as well since it's no use shielding her from violence when she can simply absorb the energy it gives off. As for Chaos, well Naruto was actually afraid his cover was going to be blown. If Chaos was jumping around inside his mind before she was pretty much bouncing off the walls now on a sugar rush. The brutality was resonating with her and she's been steadily and greedily eating up all of the despair and negative energy polluting the air. It was a feast and Naruto could faintly feel her power returning to her.

"Ok then moving on to the fourth match will be…" Hayate announced as the screen lit up again with everyone's names. It flashed for about 15 seconds which felt like an eternity to Naruto and everyone else but when it finished its selection the rookie nine all froze.

 _[Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka]_

No one knew what to say as the two former friends turned rivals/ frenemies locked eyes with each other. No one spoke as the two silently made their way down to the arena but the commentary for this match made in hell came from the most unlikely source. "Oh, here we go." Eva whispered as she spoke her first words in quite some time. Naruto couldn't help but agree with his lifelong partner and other half.

' _In the immortal words of Shikamaru himself. This is going to be such a drag.'_ Naruto thought to himself while unbeknownst to him Shikamaru was saying his signature catch phrase in him mind as well. He didn't want to say it out loud less Ino hear him and get on his case.

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To be Continued...

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Chakra Absorption Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to absorb the chakra of another individual - usually an opponent's - and utilise it as if it were their own. Those who have had their chakra absorbed have reduced options in combat due to the lost chakra, and if enough chakra is taken they may be too weak to move. Conversely, those who have absorbed the chakra have expanded combat options due to the increased chakra reserves and their physical condition may improve as result. However, users must be able to process the chakra they absorb; if they absorb _senjutsu-chakra_ but do not have the required training in _senjutsu_ , they will turn to stone.

2.) **Dancing Leaf Shadow -** A technique where a shinobi follows the opponent, closely matching his or her body's movement, just like a leaf that dances in the air is followed by its shadow. The technique is usually preceded by a swift upper kick that will launch the target into the air. It is mainly used to position an opponent into a vulnerable aerial position. This move by itself is harmless, but it is usable as a stepping stone for many powerful techniques like the Front Lotus and the Lion Combo. That being said, it also has a rather high degree of difficulty.

3.) **Lion's Barrage -** A taijutsu unique to Sasuke Uchiha and a variant of the _Primary Lotus_. Sasuke develops it after using his Sharingan to copy the first part of the move. It is an ultra-fast combo attack that requires an advanced physical condition and a certain knack for it. The opponent is first kicked into the air and shadowed with the _Dancing Leaf Shadow_. Upon inflicting a blow, one takes advantage of said opponent's counterattack to spin around and rise again for further assaults. Since the fall is increased in velocity with each blow, the damage when one is eventually struck to the ground is inconceivable. All variations end with the opponent being thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach. However, like with the _Primary Lotus_ , there is a drawback in which the user gets fatigued right after the technique is performed. Though, this drawback isn't as severe as with the _Primary Lotus_. Also, it holds an advantage against the _Primary Lotus_ as it does not require the user to perform the _Eight Gates_.

4.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

5.) **Insect Clone Jutsu -** A secret technique exclusive to the Aburame clan, where thousands of kikaichū are gathered in one place to take on the appearance of the user or anyone else the user wishes. The technique is elaborate enough to be mistaken for the original, and therefore may be used as a decoy or as part of a diversionary tactic. Furthermore, since one can put the insects in standby somewhere beforehand and then have them assume the form of the clone, this technique is arguably even more effective than the Shadow Clone Technique, depending on the task. When struck, the clone falls apart into its component, bugs. It can be risky for the foe to go into close combat with an insect clone since the kikaichū can drain their chakra on contact. Also, because it's made of bugs, it can reform almost instantly.

6.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys, so how was that? I altered some aspects of the Sasuke vs. Yoroi match to really put an emphasis on the Lion's Barrage. This chapter very much had a focus on Sasuke and his development as well as his relationship and interaction with his teammates. I wanted to convey that his relationship with Naruto at this period in time is different compared to the Manga.

Major eyebrow raising actions happened with Iris somehow taking control over naruto's body to hand herself over to Kakashi. What was her motive for doing something like this. That answer is coming soon. As for Shino's fight I added a tiny bit to his reasoning for his tactics against Zaku.

Just an idle thought but I never once understood how despite the fact Orochimaru was under a transformation Jutsu no one especially Hiruzen himself never thought that the _Sound Jonin_ looked weird and suspicious. He has amber colored snake eyes and his skin to my knowledge is just as pale as Orochimaru's. Furthermore his hair is just up in a ponytail. If you take one look at him he looks exactly like Orochimaru did when he was still a shinobi of the Leaf. How could any of the shinobi in that room especially Hiruzen, Kakashi, and Anko not recognize or be suspicious of the guy standing a few feat away from them, let alone his other student who is the Jonin sensei to Team Kabuto. He was in the room to and never batted an eyelash. This was a completely weird and off topic rant but it was just an idle thought that plagued my mind and I felt like talking about it. Nothing too serious here.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 41 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 2/4/2017


	43. CH: 42 Sōkyoku's Warning

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again and with a new chapter. Now right off the bat this chapter is super short. Way shorter than any chapter I've posted in a very long time. My usual limit in my chapters is around 8000 words and once I hit that threshold I start to wrap up my chapter and bring it to either a close or a cliffhanger. A lot of times the chapter then ends somewhere around 9000 words or if it's an important chapter it will end somewhere in the 10,000's which happens more often than nought especially when you add on the footnotes and annotations I have on to the top and bottom of each chapter.

The reason we have such a short chapter today is because the other day me and my best friend sat down and had a conversation about how the next few chapters of the story should go and he told me to give Sakura and Ino's fight it's own chapter. We sat down and rewatched their episode where they had their match to refresh our memories of how it went and we decided that this would be a very good place to add in some much needed character development for Sakura and Ino and help push Sakura along and shine a better light on her. It would also be a great way to give her a bit more of a fleshed out backstory. He told me of an interesting twist we could go with her backstory and when he explained it to me while we were watching the episode it had me begging for more. The idea is very simple and not complex at all, yet if I can pull it off correctly will hopefully add a few extra layers to Sakura's character.

At the time I only had what this entire chapter consist of written down. At the very end of the chapter it kind of feels like I was going to transition into Sakura and Ino's fight right away which was my plan until we had that conversation. So I decided to just end the chapter there resulting in approximately 4155 words of actual content. Next chapter will be Sakura vs. Ino. I'm very glad we had that conversation, he helps me out big time with this story so a shout out to my best friend as well as a pat on the back goes to him. Thanks bro.

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Chapter 42

 _ **Sōkyoku's Warning**_

"This room will suit our needs perfectly." Kakashi stated as he walked Sasuke into a dark room in the basement of the combat tower. The room had thick columns arranged in rows that helped support the many floors above. Since it was a maintenance room and not many people go down their it was poorly lit with not a lot of light. In fact, there was no electrical lighting anywhere in the entire room. No windows for natural light since it was the basement level and no outlets for small lighting fixtures either. Instead the room had small torches hanging from certain columns.

As a Shinobi one is expected to be able to see well in the dark as that is an environment in which a ninja works best so the low light wasn't really a problem for them. Walking into a wide-open space between a group of pillars Kakashi told Sasuke to stand off to the side. Taking out a kunai from his pouch Kakashi streamed his Lightning Nature Chakra into the small knife and traced a perfect circle in the floor and then traced a second one inside the first one. Kakashi then proceeded to stab the kunai in his hand into the groove of the circle. Taking nearly a dozen more kunai out of his pouch Kakashi stabbed several more kunai into the groove of each circle.

Taking a scroll out Kakashi opens it up to reveal a complicated sealing formula written down on it. The unique thing to note was that the formula was written in blood. Going through several hand signs Kakashi activated the sealing formula which leapt off the scroll and arranged itself on the floor in a pattern while leaving a small space in the center for a person to stand.

"Ok it's ready Sasuke, come over here and take off your shirt. I want you to sit down in the center of this sealing array." Kakashi instructed as he stepped off to the side. A rustling in his pockets got Kakashi to focus in as a bright golden light shined through the fabric of his pants. Taking it out it was Iris's teddy bear shaped pendant. Once it was in his hand Kakashi saw the pendant give off a brighter light and in its place stood Iris holding onto Kakashi's hand while her other was holding onto her precious teddy bear.

"Iris why did you come here? What's going on?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke took his shirt off and sat down as instructed. His curse mark was in plain sight. "I wanted to see something about Sasuke's curse mark. There is something that I must confirm." Iris spoke but she didn't exactly sound like a little girl. Her accent was a lot thicker but her eyes remained blue. Her mannerisms were not completely the same either. It was as if someone was speaking through Iris or feeding her lines to say. She was in a halfway state so to speak.

"Something that you have to confirm?" Kakashi repeated as this didn't sound good in his mind especially with the suspicious glances Iris was sending towards Sasuke's shoulder. "What's going on?" Kakashi asked with caution in his voice as he watched Iris walk up to Sasuke. Iris had a frown on her face as she reached out with her tiny little hand towards Sasuke's shoulder. "What are you doing Iris?" Sasuke asked as he wasn't sure where this was going. This was the same question Kakashi had in his mind.

Iris's perfectly manicured hands touched the curse seal on Sasuke's shoulder and immediately Sasuke screamed in pain as a dark mist of energy flowed out from the mark. Sparks of light surrounded Iris's hand as she pulled away from Sasuke's shoulder.

The frown on Iris's face increased tenfold as a tiny growl left her lips. Iris glared at the mark on Sasuke's shoulder as she clenched John Paul in her arm. "What was that?" Kakashi demanded as he pulled on Iris's small little shoulder and pulled her to him. "This mark is special. It was imbued with the power of a God. A mortal is running around, blessed with the power of a God and now he is taking a special interest in Sasuke." Iris explained and by the sound of her voice she didn't seemed pleased.

"Iris what are you talking about? How do you know these things?" Kakashi questioned with caution in every word he spoke as he watched the anger in her eyes not match the youthful face she had. "Kakashi seal up Sasuke's curse mark immediately. Unfortunately, I can't aide you or do it myself in the condition I'm currently in." Iris stated and this time her voice was very different. It was thick with an accent and it had a commanding tone to it. For some reason Kakashi felt compelled to listen to Iris even though he didn't know why.

"Sasuke before I do this I just want you to know that this Curse Mark on you is a very powerful one. This Jutsu that I'm about to use won't be strong enough to completely suppress it. Therefore, what's going to happen is this suppressing seal will be powered by your will. The stronger your will is, the strong the Seal becomes and the better chance it has of stopping the curse. However, should at any point you doubt yourself the seal will fail and the curse will be unleashed on your body. Do you understand?" Kakashi warned as he wanted to make sure his student understood exactly what was about to happen to him. "I understand. Do it." Sasuke agreed as he braced himself. He was ready.

Going through a long sequence of hand signs Kakashi placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and once again the boy screamed in pain. **"Fūinjutsu: Curse Sealing."** This time however, all of the seals that were on the ground passed through the kunai Kakashi previously placed down and traveled up Sasuke's body where the condensed themselves down until they formed a ring of symbols around the original curse seal.

"It's done." Kakashi sighed as he watched Sasuke pass out from the pain. Iris watched Sasuke's still form with an unreadable expression on her face but the sound of hissing caught her as well as Kakashi's attention. The sound grew louder until the two-conscious people in the room found out what was making that sound. Hundreds of snakes were surrounding them and they were all letting off a chorus of hisses. A large horde of snakes appeared next and coalesced into a human shape.

"Humhmmhmm…" A creepy laugh vibrated off the columns of the room as a person walked out from behind a nearby pillar. "My look how you've grown. You're now strong and skilled enough to use the Curse Sealing Jutsu. Time sure does fly huh Kakashi." Orochimaru stated as he walked out of the shadows wearing the uniform of the Hidden Sound Village.

"Orochimaru… what are you doing back in the village traitor?" Kakashi growled out as he stood protectively in front of Iris and Sasuke's prone form. "Oh, it's simple really… I've come with the intention of taking that boy behind you. And apparently to meet that mysterious little girl as well." Orochimaru answered as he took notice of Iris who was peeking at him from behind Kakashi's leg. "You won't be getting your hands on either one of them. Whatever plan you have will fail." Kakashi forcefully replied as he watched Orochimaru start to walk in his direction which caused sweat to form on the silver haired Jōnin's face.

"And I suppose you will stop me from taking the boy right now?" Orochimaru questioned as a dark purple sickly miasma radiated out from his body in waves that washed over Kakashi like a harsh gale. "STOP! Don't take another step closer! I don't care if you are a member of the Three Legendary Sannin. Take one more step towards these children and one of us will die here!" Kakashi snarled as he held out his hand and a massive field of electricity surged around him before condensing into a small orb of pure lightning that was so potent and packed with chakra that Orochimaru could feel it from where he was standing.

"My, would you look at this… you truly have grown. I've heard stories of this famed Jutsu you had created. The **Lightning Blade,** was it? Said to be able to spilt a real lightning bolt in half with its raw power. Your talent and fame never ceases to amaze me Kakashi. But you're still far too inexperienced to be of any serious threat to me." Orochimaru chided as he unleashed a potent blast of his killing intent mixed into the miasma that was permeating the air which had the effect of making the veteran Jōnin shake like a leaf. Kakashi's breathing was erratic as he tried to keep his hand holding his powerful Jutsu steady.

Orochimaru kept his slow and calm deliberate steps the same as he slowly closed the gap between himself and Kakashi who was trying to keep his composure. "I have so many questions for that little girl behind you. She is a very big mystery and she's managed to upset and capture the attention of some very powerful individuals. I would very much like to study her as well as her sister. Angeloids are pretty much unheard of in our little world." Orochimaru let slip purposely as he eyed Iris who was hugging her precious teddy bear to her chest. She was scared right now since she couldn't even use her powers to defend herself. Even then, if she had her powers she wasn't so sure she could beat the man in front of her. The amount of power she would need to exert would be more than what she was capable of as well as the strain would be too much on Naruto. It might kill him if she was to go over her bodies limit.

' _Angeloid? He knows what Chaos is? Even after all this time Naruto really hasn't spoken much about what the girls are. I know he knows but he's kept that close to his chest. But I've never heard that term and from what Orochimaru is saying even he doesn't know what Iris is. Neither do I for that matter.'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he would be the first to admit he doesn't know what Iris is at all and while he's seen some of the odd stuff Chaos can do with her body that never really explained what she was. If anything, it just raised more questions. It could be said that while it was common knowledge that Chaos was very dangerous and powerful there was just something about Iris that made the hairs on the back of Kakashi's neck stand on end. Iris was something entirely different and much more powerful.

"You're not getting your hands on the girls Orochimaru. I will never let that happen." Kakashi said as he found his focus and drive. Not only was his student in mortal danger right now but also Naruto's children. They're barely even seven yet. Kakashi tightened his grip on his hand as more electricity sparked to life.

"I'm curious… what will you do if I back you into a corner?" Orochimaru said from right in front of Kakashi. The far more experienced shinobi had one hand on Kakashi's extended arm holding it down in case he tried to lift it completely cutting Kakashi off from using his Jutsu while his other hand was in front of Kakashi's face near his eyes. Kakashi tried to leap away but he couldn't, at his feet were dozens of snakes and they were pinning his legs to floor with a vice grip he just simply couldn't escape from. "Maybe I should just take your Sharingan now. It would be a worthy specimen to add to my collection." Orochimaru hissed as his tongue slid out of his mouth.

"Iris take Sasuke and run! Go get Lord Hokage now!" Kakashi yelled as he tried desperately to struggle out of Orochimaru's grip. Quickly trying to do so Iris went to grab Sasuke's body but a horde of snakes surrounded her cutting her off from even moving. "No stay back!" Iris shouted as she sounded very much like a scared little girl instead of the proud and mature young lady she would have you believe. She swung her arms out hoping that she could generate some wind or produce any of her fire but with her connection to her father blocked by Orochimaru's tampering of his seal it was useless to even try.

"Iris no!" Kakashi yelled as he tried in vain to struggle out of the bind he was in. Whatever Orochimaru was doing to him it was preventing him from using his chakra. His lightning Blade fizzled out of his hand which shocked Kakashi deeply. He could see a dark purple energy surrounding Orochimaru in a haze and that same haze was surrounding his snakes and engulfing the entire room. "Let me give that little girl a gift. I'm sure she will thank me for it in the future." Orochimaru taunted as he looked from Kakashi over to Iris who was being trapped by a large snake nearly five times her little size. It's ability to constrict a target wasn't what Iris needed right now. "NO! Get off of me. Kakashi help!" Iris screamed as she felt her entire body being squeezed by the large snake.

"IRIS!"

The snake without mercy bit down into Iris's neck causing the child to scream out in pain but soon everything stopped. Iris's eyes turned a powerful emerald green color as the snake constricting her was literally disintegrated in Nano seconds.

 **["How dare you!"]** Sōkyoku screamed as Iris's face twisted into a nasty snarl. Without any kind of warning the entire room was suddenly engulfed by a raging inferno of red hot fire. Meanwhile Iris's hair was burning with embers of white fire that contrasted against the blinding radiating emerald color of her eyes. A presence and pressure unlike anything both veteran Shinobi have ever felt in their entire lives slammed into their shoulders with the force of an avalanche and it brought both men down to their knees in an instant. For Kakashi, this unimaginable force felt a hundred if not a million times more powerful than the night the Nine Tails attacked the village. However, he could feel that power pressing down on his body start to lift and not affect him anymore.

"What is this?" Orochimaru wheezed as he tried to get back to his feet. **["How dare you try and touch me with your tainted power child!"]** Sōkyoku questioned as she raised her hand and a wall of flames separated Orochimaru from Kakashi and Sasuke's unconscious body. "What are you?" Orochimaru questioned as he backpedaled away from the flames. **["I'm the one asking questions little snake."** ] Sōkyoku said as she lowered her hand and Orochimaru fell to his knees. **["You will not take this boy today is that understood child!"]** Sōkyoku demanded as her power spiked and Orochimaru felt as if he was going to throw up. "Tell me what are you? Are you a God?" Orochimaru questioned as a hint of fear could be seen in his eyes. Kakashi wanted to know the exact same thing as even though Sōkyoku's power wasn't directed at him anymore he still felt frightened of what he assumed Iris was capable of.

 **["I am much more than just a God child, I'm more than what any deity can possibly conceive."]** Sōkyoku responded with the glare that made Orochimaru feel really small. "How could a child be more powerful than a god?" Orochimaru wheezed as he attempted to stand. The power rolling off of Iris was immense. It was unlike anything he's ever felt before. What Orochimaru didn't know however was that outside the room not a single drop of her power could be felt. The entirety of her presence was confined to the inside of the room.

 **["Don't let my vessel's appearance fool you my boy, the entire length of not only you and your ancestors but of any of your descendants will pass by me with a simple blink of my eye. Just a grain in the endless sands of time."]** Sōkyoku said with a dispassionate voice as she shook her head slowly at Orochimaru who was sweating bullets right now. **["Now leave."]** Sōkyoku commanded with a stern glare as Orochimaru now found that he could now rise to his feet.

' _This little girl is beyond dangerous. Lilith is right to fear her; this power is unlike anything I've ever felt before.'_ Orochimaru assessed as he slowly backed away. "My, this is certainly an interesting development. You are full of surprises little one. What is your name?" Orochimaru asked as he tried to save face with his creepy aura returning to him. **["You may not know my name mortal. None can speak it, especially without my permission."]** Sōkyoku stated as she saw Orochimaru's jaw twitch in annoyance.

"I see… I will take my leave then, but I must warn you I always get what I want and the Uchiha boy will be mine. Watch yourself child, you and your sister will soon belong to me as well." Orochimaru stated as his body started to turn into snakes that slithered away in different directions. "Kakashi I want you to reinforce my warning to Sarutobi Sensei. If he cancels the Chūnin Exams I will destroy the leaf." Orochimaru jabbed in as a final parting shot before his entire body disassembled himself and exit the room. The fire was still in the room and the hard stare Sōkyoku had on her face was still very much there as well she panned her eyes up towards a certain spot on the ceiling.

 **["You should leave as well little girl, you've already crossed me once."]** Sōkyoku spoke as a small golden mirror could be seeing floating far off near a column and while Kakashi initially didn't know who Sōkyoku was referring to his sharp eyes managed to catch a glimpse of a small little girl, a fairy to be more exact standing on what appeared to be a mirror. Just one look at her and Kakashi knew she was bad news but from what he was seeing she had a look of loathing and weariness in her eyes as a magic circle opened up with the pattern of a sunflower on it and swallowed her up teleporting her to the unknown.

Once the room was calm and secure the fire started to recede and dissipate as Iris's hair which was glowing with fire returned to normal. The powerful presence she wielded also disappeared as well. "Iris what was that? What are you?" Kakashi quietly asked as he gently and cautiously placed his hand on Iris's shoulder. **["You may call me Iris if you want young one but know that isn't my true name. Unfortunately, mortals can't even speak my name, it's forbidden. The vast majority of the Gods and deities that exist don't even know of my existence. A pity really, how time makes you forget your humble beginnings."]** Sōkyoku spoke in a much softer, warmer tone to Kakashi while grasping the hand that he placed on her shoulder and transferring it to her tiny little hand. Now they were holding hands as the much smaller girl leaned into the silvered haired Jōnin's leg.

"What are you?" Kakashi reiterated as he listened to Sōkyoku ramble on, she sounded like an old woman reminiscing about the past. Unknowingly to Kakashi but that thought is a huge understatement. **["It's as I've already stated little one. I'm much more that what can simply be comprehended. Thankfully my little ruse worked. I wouldn't have been able to defend myself should that little snake decided to attack. His lust for power is most concerning."]** Sōkyoku revealed as her breaths were starting to come in shorter waves. This was something Kakashi only now noticed. Sōkyoku was holding her breaths in during the entire conversation when in reality she was growing more and more exhausted as time passed.

"You were bluffing? But that power…?" Kakashi asked as shock was the least of the emotions he was feeling right now. **["…Was just a ruse. I squeezed out what little power I was willing to exert in order to scare those assailants off. My avatar is currently blocked from using my powers normally thanks to that dreadful seal placed on my host. Once it's removed Iris as you call her will regain the ability to use my powers. Even then if that was the case she wouldn't have been able to handle the two of them. Even working together with you. My power is not to be taken lightly. I only acted as if I was using a lot of power but in reality, it was almost an illusion. Neither my avatar or my lovely little host can handle a single ounce of my actual power. They would die."]** Sōkyoku explained as her body slumped down against Kakashi's leg. Her eyes were fading to blue ever so slowly as Sōkyoku relinquished her control back to Iris.

Kakashi closed his eyes as he took in all that Sōkyoku had to say as he tried to process the craziness that unfolded before him. "When you say host… you mean Naruto don't you?" Kakashi asked for clarification. He already suspected he was right but he wanted Sōkyoku to confirm it for him. Iris shook her head yes solidifying Kakashi's earlier suspicions. "Do you intend to harm Naruto?" Kakashi asked with an edge in his voice. Sōkyoku's eye briefly lit back up as she craned her neck to look at Kakashi.

 **["I would never. Trust me child. I'm the living impediment of good. You don't know evil like I do. That boy will never come to harm by me."]** Sōkyoku stated as her eyes faded away quicker this time. **["Take care of my avatar for me Mr. Kakashi and make sure you watch over the young Uchiha. His destiny will take him down a dark path. Evil is not yet done with him, be very careful of the moves you make. Farewell Mr. Kakashi until we speak next."]** Sōkyoku gave her final warning as her eyes returned to blue as Iris took back control.

"Mr. Kakashi…" Iris whispered as her body went limp against Kakashi's leg. Iris had passed out. Picking the small child up Kakashi noticed how warm Iris's skin was. It was way warmer than anybody he's ever touched before but he put that thought aside as he grabbed Sasuke and left the room. _'There are many strange and powerful things out there in the world that I don't understand. But why are they centered around my students? I just hope I can protect them.'_ Kakashi silently thought to himself as he carried out his business.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Mindscape**_

Sōkyoku opened her eyes as she took a deep breath. _'That was close.'_ She thought as her massive emerald green eyes peered out of her bird cage to the surrounding clouds and mountains in the distance. "For a being like Lilith to be present alters future events. Then again it is my fault for choosing this dimension to escape too…" The ancient entity thought to herself as she gazed passively out at the world. "I think it's now time for me to start teaching my host a thing or too. His body should be able to handle some of the strain… besides with that eccentric old man soon entering his life it truly marks his humble beginnings on his rise to power." Sōkyoku mumbled to herself as she twitched and ruffled her majestic feathers like a bird would normally do.

"Oh, what is this… oh… it looks like his teammate is about to have her match. Let's see how this differs from the original…" Sōkyoku rambled to herself as she sat herself down and got comfortable. Sōkyoku pulled one of her gargantuan sized tail feathers out in front of her and on the surface of the large feather was an image of the real world through the vision of Naruto. She could see that Sakura was making her way down to face her rival and frenemy Ino Yamanaka.

"She' still going to lose you know, nothing differs that much." Chaos said from the very tip of Sōkyoku's beak. The Angeloid was like a tiny speck compared to the massive Phoenix but she didn't care. She had front row seats right now. "Be that as it may that is still not a nice thing to say young one." Sōkyoku reprimanded as she watched Chaos giggle with that ever-present smile on her face.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Fūinjutsu: Curse Sealing -** This technique is used to suppress technique-induced marks on a person. Marks of weaker power can be completely suppressed by this technique alone, but for marks of higher power, it will cause the seal's power to become dependent on the recipient's own willpower to some extent, especially if the sealer is not experienced enough to strengthen the seal with his own power. It is also capable of holding back certain kekkei genkai. This seal requires a high number of hand seals to be performed and consumes large amount of chakra from the user. Preparation for this technique requires two concentric circles with kunai placed in intervals along the circumference, in addition to a number of characters written in blood that radiate out from the center of the cursed seal.

2.) **Lightning Blade -** A technique that was created by Kakashi Hatake. It is a S-Rank Jutsu that is made for one hit kills and assassinations. It is so powerful that it was said Kakashi split a real lightning bolt in half with it. It is a more concentrated and enhanced form of the _Lightning Style: Chidori Jutsu_ the parent Jutsu to the Lightning Blade and also a Jutsu that Kakashi created. It is also the very first and his only original technique that he has credit for using. All derived Jutsu from the Lightning Blade was also created by Kakashi unlike the hundreds of Jutsu that he knows that he did not create.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So guys how was that? Sasuke gets his curse mark sealed up but Iris has a lot to say about this whole situation. A lot was revealed during this chapters with quite a few little hints dropped here and there for other characters and their backstories. A mortal running around blessed with the power of a God? I think we can all take a guess at who that is, it isn't that much of a mystery. Again we get another mention of both Angeloids and of this being called Lilith.

We also see an inkling of how Sōkyoku acts when angered or enraged. She has a dispassionate and pessimistic outlook on events because of her knowledge and experience. She speaks and acts her age which is unknown to all including Naruto. She also reveals tiny snippets about herself and others, as well as history through her dialogue and we get to see a tiny (as far as she is concern) drop of her power and just how much it dwarfs everyone and everything. We also she her speak to Kakashi for a brief moment which further expands upon her character and her intentions.

Finally we see what she thinks of the future and how she plans to handle it.

Ok guys I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I had a lot of fun making it. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can make it. It will be called: _**Elimination Match: 4 Kunoichi Power**_. That was the original name of this chapter before I had that conversation with my friend and decided to change up the game plan.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 42 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 2/16/2017


	44. CH: 43 Elimination Match: 4 Kunoichi

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back. I'm real sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I had no intention of taking this long with the production of the chapter. A combination of writer's block and creative speed bumps held me back. It also didn't help that my Microsoft Account ran into some problems.

Now onto the chapter. Ino vs. Sakura.

* * *

Chapter 43

 _ **Elimination Match: 4 Kunoichi Power**_

' _I can feel the tension building up all the way from here. I hope Sakura will be ok.'_ Naruto thought to himself as a reflective shine of worry could be seen in his blue eyes. He was watching both his teammate and friend go down to the arena to face off against her former best friend. Ever since they graduated Naruto hasn't been around to see all of it but from what he understood Sakura and Ino were still antagonistic towards each other at every opportunity they could get. The never let up in their seemingly unending quest and life mission to gain Sasuke's attention and bury their rival underneath their foot. It honestly disappointed Naruto greatly to see two of his classmates act that way when they instead should be focused on their Shinobi career.

"Of all the people for Ino to fight in this room… it just had to be Sakura, didn't it?" Shikamaru sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Naruto was silently agreeing with his longtime friend in this regard as the sheer coincidences of those two being pitted against each other was just too good to be true.

Naruto even went as far as to suspect Chaos of somehow tampering with the outcome of this match. He didn't know how she would do it since she's been with him the entire time, but then he reminded himself that Chaos doesn't need to physically do anything or go anywhere to naturally or unnaturally depending on how you view it alter the space around her and the people within it. She's done it numerous times for him to even count. Upon having this line of thought Naruto felt a tiny buzzing in the back of his mind that he instinctively knew to be Chaos. Even though his connection to his two daughters was being jammed at the moment it still didn't affect his ability to differentiate between the two of them.

Naruto sighed a tired sigh to himself as while he didn't have any proof without being able to directly question Chaos herself he just felt like she somehow had something to do with this. Whether she did or didn't Naruto determined that it simply was just best for his mind and sanity to blame Chaos which he knew made her happy given the fact he felt another tiny buzz in the back of his mind.

"So, what did I miss?" Kakashi's voice spoke up as the man appeared behind Naruto is a Body Flicker. He had his laid-back disposition back in place and his ever-present orange book was pushed up into his face but for some strange and inexplicable reason Naruto felt as if something was wrong with his sensei. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was just a fleeting thought that plagued his mind. But he had no proof so he decided to just drop the subject.

"Nothing much, this is the fourth match now. The last two matches ended very quickly and violently. Shino took his opponent out in a pretty devastating way and the Hidden Sand Genin over there in the black jumpsuit completely crippled his opponent's entire body by crushing all his bones except his neck. But other than that, nothing much." Naruto explained to his Jōnin sensei in a nonchalant tone. He was mentally and physically exhausted and tired after all the events that transpired during the last few days. Other than the time he was forcibly knocked unconscious due to Orochimaru's seal Naruto has had no time to actually rest and it was taking a toll on his body. It was almost unnoticeable but he even had some small dark rings underneath his eyes signifying his tired state.

Kakashi had a sweat drop fall down the back of his head at hearing his student's apparent lack of apathy to his fellow competitors but the silver haired Jōnin would give his student some slack since he could see the exhausted state he was in. "Well it sounds like I missed a lot then huh." Kakashi said as he rubbed Naruto's head. In reality he was discreetly giving Iris who was transformed into her tiny little bear shaped pendant back to Naruto who understood the gesture. He put a fake annoyed look on his face as he fixed back his hair while discreetly placing Iris back around his neck alongside Chaos.

Naruto took a few seconds to look around the room as he saw Sakura and Ino reaching the combat arena below him. Looking across the great hall he saw the Sound Jōnin leaning against the wall with a straight face and went he felt someone looking his direction he stared directly into Naruto's eyes with a tiny smirk cracking his otherwise stoic expression. Naruto averted his eyes after this as he recalled that shortly after Kakashi left with Sasuke the Sound Jōnin also left the room and returned about two minutes before Kakashi did.

"I wonder if Ino will be able to overcome this? Will she be able to give it her all against Sakura?" Asuma Sarutobi rhetorically questioned as he took a puff of his cigarette. His gruff appearance hasn't changed much in the years that Naruto has known him and he wasn't really surprised. Being the son of the Third Hokage who is hailed as the God of Shinobi it has gained Asuma a lot of recognition in the world as well as the reputation that he has built for himself. Asuma is a part of a group composed of Elite Jōnin called the Guardian Shinobi Twelve. This group's mission is to guard the Fire Daimyo of the Land of Fire with their very life's. It is an extremely important task that only these skilled elite Shinobi can manage.

The screening process just to be selected is intense as well. Around Asuma's waist below his dark green Flak Jacket was a waist cloth with the symbol of the Land of Fire printed on it. This was their symbol. "Only time will tell. From what I understand they have a lot of history between them. It turned ugly halfway through their time in the academy." Kakashi choose to answer while sending a sideways glance at his colleague. Asuma took this into consideration with a soft hum as he inhaled more of his cigarette.

"Ok the fourth match between Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka of the Hidden Leaf will now begin." Hayate spoke as both combatants were a few yards away from each other in a ready position. The sick looking Special Jōnin threw both his hands down to signal the start of the match and then jumped back a safe distance to stand on the raised stage section of the arena.

Immediately the two 12-year-old girls exploded into action as they both rushed at each other to get in close. Sakura unleashed a roundhouse kick that Ino deftly dodged all the while swinging a right hook that Sakura pushed off course with a slap of her palm. Crouching low Sakura attempted a leg sweep that Ino jumped over and then proceeded to jump away to get some distance. In the blink of an eye Sakura pulled out three kunai and threw them at Ino who saw this coming from a mile away. Dodging the first one Ino then with amazing skill plucked the second kunai out of the air and tossed it back at the third and final kunai and knocked both of them out of the air.

' _They aren't going all out yet.'_ Naruto noted as both girls moves while clean were still light hits. They weren't serious yet. "Is this all kunoichi can do in Taijutsu?" Neji Hyūga muttered with a shake of his head. He was not impressed in the least. Naruto frowned at this as it was plainly obvious that they were testing the waters between them, but not only that but there was some emotional baggage in the ring with them as well. Shikamaru sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had come to the exact same conclusion as Naruto.

Neji's teammate, Tenten reprimanded him for his lack of insight as she explained to him that they were still fighting with their kiddie gloves on. Sakura and Ino exchanged more hits with each other as the slowly move around in a circle orbiting each other. They were peppering each other with straightforward combos and feints but they weren't being aggressive enough with pressing any advantages they would gain throughout their little bout. It was more reminiscent of their sparring matches they used to have back in the academy.

The deciding factor and opening in the fight came when Ino with boxer like skills and precision hammered Sakura's right forearm that she was using to block Ino's attacks with several powerful punches that made Sakura's arm fall limply to the side from the punishment. With the right side of Sakura's guard broken temporarily Ino invaded Sakura's disabled guard and landed a devastating punch to Sakura's stomach that stunned the pink haired kunoichi and caused her to fold over in pain. With Sakura now completely stunned Ino saw her chance to completely take the advantage in the match and so she cocked her right fist back for a powerful haymaker that if landed would take Sakura off her feet and possibly leave her semi-conscious.

That was supposed to be the plan until Ino hesitated at the last second upon seeing the brief look of pain and fear cross Sakura's face as she watched her opponents strike heading directly for her face. Ino lost all of the force and momentum she originally had as she ended up slapping Sakura across the face instead of taking the girl off her feet like she originally planned. Both girls stood in stunned silence as Sakura touched her now red hot cheek and Ino held her own stinging hand with shock and confusion.

The rest of the rookie nine lost their composure as they had shocked and stunned looks on their faces. "Oh wow. Didn't see that coming." Eva mumbled with her little blue eyes widening in surprise. Sakura and Ino completely stopped moving as they stared into each other's eyes. Both girls were starting to think of their shared past and how they got to the point they were at now. They were constantly at each other's throats and competing for Sasuke's attention, all they while neglecting their training although in recent months Sakura has been more conservative in her attempts to win over Sasuke's affections which the silent Uchiha was grateful for.

* * *

 _ **Flashback Begin**_

It was a bright and sunny morning as one of the many first year kunoichi classes were out in a nearby field close to the Academy. The teacher Ms. Suzume a Chūnin Instructor was guiding the class out to a small opened field where she had the young girls sit down. In the large class of about 30 children there were a few familiar faces. Sakura and Ino were seated in the front row of the group of girls and were eagerly looking to their teacher for the upcoming lesson. Hinata herself was in the far back well hidden in the mass of girls as she didn't really want to be noticed. She was hiding in the large coat Naruto had got for her not to long ago. Other familiar faces included the future Team 6 lead by Anko which was the three girls. The bully Ami, the silent Fuki, and the lackey Kasumi.

Suzume was teaching the girls how to arrange flowers and how to blend into crowds while out in undercover missions. After handing out her instructions Suzume sent out the girls to gather distinctive flowers to form an arrangement with. Ino whose family owns a flower shop instantly knew what she was looking for but her friend Sakura didn't. Turning to her friend Ino watched as Sakura ran to catch up to her. She took notice of Sakura's clothes which were not as stylish or as clean as everyone else. Her clothes were worn out, dirty and tattered, which was reason enough to attract unwanted attention.

As the two girls were picking flowers they struck up a conversation that would change them for a long time to come. "Sakura why did you want to become a ninja?" Ino asked as she was instructing Sakura on which flowers to gather. The content smile that was on Sakura's faced dimmed a bit at hearing this question as she averted her green eyes from Ino's curious blue ones. "Well… I want to be a ninja because… sometimes I go hungry and my mom and dad need help." Sakura revealed after a few seconds of hesitation as she stumbled through her words while her voice dipped down a few octaves.

Ino's eyes softened as she heard this. She didn't know Sakura for that long but the girl was sweet and kind to everyone she met and Ino natural found herself drawn to the meek girl. She reminded Ino of the indigo haired Hyūga Heiress that was also in her class, she was also a very shy and meek girl who stuck to herself that nobody really knew much about but unlike Sakura's condition Hinata was in a much better standing than the pink haired civilian girl.

"Do you not have a lot of money?" Ino asked and she saw Sakura flinch a bit at she hit the nail on the head. "No." Sakura whispered lowly as she averted her eyes further from her friend. "I'm sorry to hear that; but that's no reason to feel down. You can still make the most of your situation. You made it into the Ninja Academy so it can't be that bad." Ino countered as she tried to cheer Sakura up. "The thing is my dad earns his money from gambling in this place called a casino. He isn't really good at it though. He only makes a little bit." Sakura explained as she dimly pulled on some weeds in the grass.

"My dad says gambling is bad though…" Ino mumbled out loud and in thought as she decided to gloss over what Sakura said. "My dad retired as a Genin after his lungs got injured. There were no good doctors back then and my dad once told me that some famous kunoichi named Tsunade wanted to have ninjas be trained as doctors to make everything better but she was turned down and so a lot of people got sick and died during battles. My dad was one of those people to get sick." Sakura explained as tiny tears were welling up in her eyes.

Ino frowned as she placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "My mom works as a waitress at a local restaurant but she also doesn't make much. We live in a small apartment a few blocks away from the Slums District where they are doing all of that construction on all of those abandoned and destroyed homes." Sakura sniffled as she's never had anyone to talk to about these things. The stress was starting to build up for the young girl and the fact that she now had a friend to confide in made her want to unload everything that was on her chest.

Ino's eyes glazed over in contemplation as she made a mature decision within her young mind. "Hey Sakura how would you like to work in my family's nursery?" Ino offered as she watched the bubblegum haired girl perk up. "Nursery?" Sakura questioned. "Yeah, my family owns the biggest nursery garden in the entire country. We have a huge garden that a bunch of workers tend to everyday as their job. They're all professional gardeners and the pays really good. Our business is really booming, especially now since it's spring." Ino proposed as she rolled with her sales pitch.

"You'd really do that for me… like really…?" Sakura questioned with disbelieve written all over her face. "Of course, silly. That way you can make a little money on the side, your dad can have a real job… probably as a clerk or something that way he doesn't have to move around too much and hurt his lungs and your family can make a good amount of money." Ino said with confidence dripping off of every word she spoke. She looked like a superhero in Sakura's eyes as Ino smiled back at her.

"We can get you out of those horrible clothes, I swear they have bad fashion written all over them. We'll get you everything a young girl like you needs. I'll have you set in no time and the best thing is it will all be with money you earned. That will make you feel extra proud of yourself then." Ino added in with a bit of girlish sassiness rolling off her tongue. Ino winked in a teasing manner to her new best friend who had silent tears streaming down her face. Sakura tackled Ino to the ground below them with laughter and a continuous stream of gratitude coming from Sakura whose face was buried in Ino's chest.

The two new best friend's moment was ruined with the arrival of Ami, the classes resident bully and her two friends Kasumi and the quiet Fuki who looked like she didn't even want to be bothered with what was about to happen. She was rather distracted with scratching her back. She looked uncomfortable.

Ami did what any bully did. She bullied Sakura with cruel words and actions that really got under the pink haired girl's skin especially now in her emotionally fragile state. Ino saw this and instantly came to her friend's defense. Throwing several flowers into Ami's mouth Ino tricked the purple haired girl into believing them to be poisonous. Fuki seeing this dragged Ami away who was panicking with a sigh escaping her lips.

After the three girls left Ino stuck her tongue out playfully with a giggle escaping her lips. "I forgot to tell her only the root is poisonous." Ino giggled with a hand over her lips. Sakura looked at Ino with awe as she saw the confidence in her friend. It was at this moment that Sakura realized she had found a lifelong friend and companion.

 _ **Several Months Later**_

"Hey Ino who is that boy?" Sakura questioned her new friend with curiosity shining in her eyes. Looking over Ino's eyes lit up a little as a tiny blush came to her face. "Oh, that's the new boy, his name is Sasuke Uchiha. He comes from the famous Uchiha Clan. Isn't he cute?" Ino gossiped with a little whisper into Sakura's ears towards the end with a giggle as she looked at the cute boy who had a pleasant disposition on his face as he dutifully took notes in his notebook while Iruka droned on with his lecture.

Sasuke was originally enrolled into the academy in a different class which was being taught by one of Iruka's seniors whose name was Daikoku Funeno. He is a fellow Chūnin who decided to settle down in an administrative position such as teaching instead of being a front-line soldier. He was a fairly large man with a goatee and brown hair. He wore the standard uniform of all Leaf Shinobi with his headband being in the form or a bandanna. When Sasuke first enrolled, he reminisces about Sasuke's prodigious older brother Itachi's time as a student. He states that Itachi was the most gifted student he had ever had, and expected great things from Sasuke as well.

However due to some not so subtle pencil pushing and bureaucracy from the higher ups in the government Sasuke was soon transferred over to Iruka's class that had all of the future clan heirs of all of the Leaf Village's strongest, wealthiest, and most powerful Ninja Clans. All of these clans had a seat in the Shinobi Council with the clan leaders acting as the Councilmen. It was soon to be expected and Sasuke found himself switching classes along with many other clan heirs during the middle of their first semester until all of the clan heirs found themselves under the guidance of Iruka Umino and Mizuki.

Iruka's class was further supervised directly by the administrators in the Academy with some Jōnin and Elite Jōnin stopping by to intern and teach select classes throughout the next four years. Anko and Kurenai were permanently assigned to the Academy with Anko taking over Physical Education and Kurenai teaching a class on Genjutsu. Once Kurenai put in her time as a teacher she was then finally promoted to Jōnin just in time to receive the next batch of Genin which just so happened to be full of Clan Heirs. Anko who was already a Special Jōnin found herself assigned a team from this batch as well. It didn't take a genius to see the obvious tampering going on when it came to that particular class Sasuke and all the other Clan Heirs were placed into. It was pretty much favoritism at the end of the day.

"Yeah he is pretty cute?" Sakura acknowledged with a tiny blush on her face as well which was matching the color of her hair. This was her first time gossiping about boys with another girl, especially her best friend. "I hear he has straight A's across the board and he's really smart. But other than that, nothing much is really known about him." Ino stated as she gazed at the boy out the corner of her eye. "Wow he really must be smart." Sakura awed as a more curious shine reflected off her eyes. Her interest was piqued. "Interested…" Ino whispered with a cattish sly grin on her beautiful face as she wiggled her eyebrows. "…because I know I am. A cutie like that won't stay on the market for long." Sakura's face turned cherry red as she quickly denied everything Ino tried to imply.

Several weeks later Sakura and Ino overheard in gossip that Sasuke likes girls that are thin and that going on a diet would be the best way to gain that body shape. Ever since meeting Ino and working at her family's' nursery Sakura has had enough money to buy whatever foods and clothes she wants. Currently the pinkette was eating extremely healthy and had gain a healthy body shape. Sakura over the last few weeks has had a chance to speak and interact with Sasuke. She learned quite a bit about him as he had an inviting aura. They quickly struck up a fledgling friendship with each other and Ino managed the same. Sakura however quickly came to realize that she was gaining a crush on the Uchiha. It was in fact her first crush which made it even more special for her but upon discovering Ino also liked Sasuke it formed a conflict within Sakura.

So, when she heard the rumor about Sasuke liking skinny girls Sakura decided to start dieting to selfishly get ahead of Ino. This would be a mistake on Sakura's part since her immune system after so long was finally doing well now that Sakura was eating healthily and so when she started to deviate from that path she quickly fell ill. Ino was of course concerned for her best friend and tried everything to help but Sakura was only getting worst. Even with the new job her family had it would take all of their earnings since they hadn't been working for long to cover Sakura's hospital bill.

Desperate Sakura's father turned to gambling once again but stepped on the toes of a few people he shouldn't have while at the casino. The very next night afterwards two mysterious people dressed in suits showed up at their small apartment. One was a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes and the other was a tall woman with purplish hair and purple eyes. The man roughed up Sakura's father a little bit to get the message across until he told them the reason of why he did it. Upon hearing his story the woman went to Sakura's room and with a few hand signs placed a glowing green hand on Sakura's chest and after a few minutes the little girls fever broke and it looked like she was going to recover.

"Are you a Medical Ninja?" Sakura's father asked in earshot of his daughter who was now awake. "I was trained to be one by my master. She fought hard to implement the Medical Corps into the village but she failed. We will forgive you for your actions last night Mr. Haruno and as a sign of good faith I have healed your daughter free of charge but you must give up gambling and never come back to the casino understood. Get an honest job." The woman said with a kind look crossing her face. The male had a gruff look on his face as he simply exited the house with both of Sakura's parents on the floor bowing to the two agents who they heard stories about who were called Mafia.

That event stuck with Sakura for the rest of her life as the notion of a Medical Ninja was implanted into the far recesses of her mind. After Sakura's return to health Ino was ecstatic but friction started to arise between the two best friends when it became publicly known between the two that they both liked Sasuke as well as many of the other girls in the class. Sakura wanted to break away from Ino's shadow and so thought that by getting Sasuke which no one has done yet would be her end goal but that line of thought drove a wedge between the girls until came to a boiling point where they broke off their friendship. Sakura quit her job at Ino's nursery and instead got an internship at the local library and this infuriated and offended Ino who felt betrayed by Sakura which started the bitter rivalry between the two that lasted throughout their time in the academy.

One day after their graduation ceremony Sakura and Ino met in the same field they had their flower picking assignment a few years back. Sakura returned her red hair ribbon that Ino had gotten for her on that fateful day they became best friends. "I won't lose to you Ino." Sakura said as she passed the ribbon to Ino. "That was a present… besides that headband is supposed to go on your forehead." Ino retorted as she again felt offended by the gesture. "The day I put this headband on my forehead is the day I will have become a true kunoichi." Sakura declared with determination burning in her eyes. Ino's scowl slowly melted off her face as the same fire was lit in her eyes as well. "Sounds like a plan. Then I will do the same." Ino agreed as the two girls shook hands with the ribbon in between their palms.

 _ **Flashback End**_

* * *

Standing across from each other the same fire ignited in Sakura's eyes once again as she took her headband off the top of her head and tied it ceremonially across her forehead with an exaggerated pull at the end as she tied it firmly in place. Ino's eyes widened as she recalled the significance and meaning to this as she slowly smiled. Doing the same Ino grabbed her headband from around her waist and tied it to her forehead in the same manner that Sakura did. "I'm ready for you Sakura." Ino declared as the same fire burned in her eyes now.

"So am I." Sakura declared as her body tensed before both girls took off far faster than they were ever going before and met in the middle with a thunderous clash as their shaking fists met each other with surprisingly enough a small shockwave rippling out across the floor which shocked most of the onlookers up in the balcony. Just when everyone thought it was going to be a stalemate Sakura shocked the whole room when with a cry of exertion, she punched Ino's fist back with brute strength which forced the Yamanaka Clan heir back almost twenty feet.

' _No way… when did Sakura get so strong…?'_ Ino thought in sheer disbelief. _'She's starting to get it… Sakura you're doing great.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he witnessed the display of strength Sakura demonstrated. Over the last few months Sakura has actually stepped up her training and accidentally discovered that she actually has some deceptive physical strength hidden away within her body. She landed a punch on Naruto at the very climax of their fight in one of the few spars that they had together and that sent him reeling almost ten feet.

"This is going to be different Ino, don't underestimate me!" Sakura announced as she charged at her rival who gritted her teeth in anger. Jumping back Ino performed several backflips to widen the gap between them. Going through the basic hand signs Sakura performed the classical **Clone Jutsu** that created two clones who ran with her. Visually they were solid but they were not real like Naruto's Shadow Clone technique. Rapidly switching places with her two clones Sakura didn't give Ino enough time to discern one of the techniques most glaring weaknesses. The clone created from this technique lack shadows or any other physical indicator that they are interacting with the environment around them. By rapidly darting around Sakura made it difficult for Ino to determine off first glance which individual had a shadow and which one didn't.

Forcing Ino into hesitation Sakura capitalized on Ino second guessing herself at the last minute and managed to land a powerful blow to Ino's jaw that threw the platinum blond haired girl into the arena wall where her back bounced off the wall with a thud. Getting back to her feet with shaking legs Ino let a low growl escape her lips. "So, that's how you want to play huh? Fine then!" Ino yelled as she took off at a speed she hadn't demonstrated before. Caught off guard Sakura took a kick straight to the chest that sent her flying almost half way across the arena. Tossing several shuriken at her prone form Ino continued her assault. Landing roughly on the floor Sakura quickly rolled out of the way of the shuriken at the last second with the very last one even cutting off a few locks of her bright pink hair.

' _I have to step it up a notch if I want to win.'_ Sakura encouraged as she created more clones to confuse Ino. _'Now try this.'_ Going through some hand signs that were masked by her clones Sakura activated her Jutsu. **"Genjutsu: False Perception Delay."** Sakura whispered as she zeroed in on her opponent. "This Jutsu again… that won't work on me twice Sakura, even you should know that!" Ino taunted as she took out several kunai and was about to throw them at the approaching group of clones, until Sakura suddenly darted past her with a speed she's never seen her old friend use before. However, what Ino didn't realize was that from everybody else's perspective she abruptly slowed down tremendously in her bodily movements. It was like her reaction time was completely stripped away from her. It was basically slow motion. Outmaneuvering Ino and getting behind her Sakura dropped a sealing tag onto the ground behind Ino's feet. It was a simple **Entrapment Seal** that the academy students are taught how to use but usually it's a skill many of the students tend to forget.

It was at this moment that Sakura's Genjutsu timed out and Ino resumed her actions and threw her kunai into the crowd of clones. Jumping back to give herself more space to work with Ino stepped right on top of the seal and activated it. Four long cords of rope summoned themselves out of the seal and wrapped themselves around Ino who was taking by surprise at this. Falling to the ground with a startled yelp Ino hit the ground in a heap as she found herself tied up securely within the ropes. "What the? Sakura, how did you?" Ino started to question in surprise. "Genjutsu… I nailed you with one when you weren't looking. And as for these ropes… well you know what they say. It's always good to go back to the basics. They can save your life in a pinch." Sakura gloated as she pulled out a kunai.

Kakashi nodded in approval of the simple but very effective tactic. _'Wow, even I would fall for that trick. Genjutsu was never my strong point but maybe Chaos would help overcome that if I fell into that situation.'_ Naruto speculated as he smiled in pride at what his teammate just did.

"So, you want to come at me with Genjutsu huh? Well two can play at that game Sakura!" Ino declared as she used the **Rope Escape Technique** that is taught in the first year of the academy to the students. The ropes surrounding Ino slid off her body as she jumped to her feet and kicked the kunai out of Sakura's hand while also injuring said hand. Jumping back both girls tried to gain distance with Sakura holding her sprained wrist and Ino forming several hand signs. **"Genjutsu: Flower Profusion."** Reaching into her back pouch Ino pulled out a yellowed colored flower that had a paralysis liquid secreting out of it. All Sakura saw was a storm of multicolored flower petals assaulting her as they washed over her in a tidal wave.

She never saw the flower until it was too late as it hit her in the arm. Snapping out of the Genjutsu due to the outside stimulus Sakura grabbed her arm in pain as she looked behind her to see the flower on the floor. "You poisoned me?!" Sakura exclaimed in shock and an undertone of hurt. "Oh, no it's just a paralysis flower. The more adrenaline your body releases the more your body becomes paralyzed." Ino explained with a smug aura around her, though you could tell by the look hidden in her eyes that she would never poison Sakura.

"Now it's time for me to win this match!" Ino declared as she raced at Sakura with her fist ready. Meeting the challenge Sakura and Ino entered a slugfest that lasted nearly three minutes straight where both girls demonstrated some impressive flexibility and martial arts that had most of the onlookers impressed but on a more technical standpoint the girls were evenly matched still. Sakura had a sprained hand and she slowly felt her body slowing down and she knew Ino was forcing her to expend a lot of energy and adrenaline to make her poison work faster but she had no choice but to defend herself. However, Ino never anticipated that Sakura would be so good at Taijutsu even one handed and that was because Sakura has been training with both Naruto and Hinata with the Hyūga Heiress being a powerful Taijutsu expert. Ino never received this kind of specialized training so it left her about even with the severely handicapped Sakura.

Ino growled in anger as she couldn't understand why Sakura was able to keep up with her despite the handicaps she was inflicted with. ' _When did she get so good at Taijutsu? She's not completely using the Academy Style either. I don't know what she's mixing in._ '

"That's it! I don't know how you're this strong Sakura but I won't let this stand. I don't need this anymore!" Ino yelled as she took her kunai and cut her ponytail off. Sakura's eyes widened in shock at this but she soon composed herself. "You think that will help?" Sakura taunted. On the inside, she was a little shaken up that Ino would do this. Many rumors spawned during their time at the academy. Some of the most popular being Sasuke's preferences to skinny girls and girls with long hair. To see Ino cut her hair was just as significant as when Sakura cut her hair in the Forest of Death.

Ino threw the bundle of hair on the floor between them with a screech of anger. "This will help more than you think Sakura." Ino rambled as she put her hands into a unique hand sign. _'Is that?'_ Sakura questioned in shock. "Is Ino out of her mind. What is she thinking using the Mind Transfer Jutsu here of all places? Especially without us there to back her up." Shikamaru exclaimed in shock. He was thrown for a loop with his teammates reckless tactic.

' _Oh, this is so funny. What a good prank.'_ Chaos said with a giggle from next to Naruto's ear. Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at suddenly hearing his daughter's voice. Shikamaru noticed Naruto suddenly go stiff like he was just startled but instead of asking what was wrong his attention was drawn to the Uzumaki's shadow which seemed to be shimmering ever so slightly. _'Chaos?'_ Shikamaru thought with a raised eyebrow. "Sweetie what are you doing?" Naruto whispered while trying to look as natural as possible. "Don't worry Dada. Nobody can see me or hear me." Chaos assured with her patented giggle. "How?" Naruto questioned but all he got was another mysterious giggle from his deranged daughter which didn't really surprise him after all this time.

"What are you doing Chaos?" Naruto questioned as he could feel the Angeloid's excitement growing under her skin. "This is the good part… it's such a funny prank." Chaos added on with a giggle as she focused in on Ino's hair. Seeing her line of sight Naruto noticed the strange way the hair was deliberately laid out between Ino and Sakura. _'It's a trap. Ino's laying some kind of trap for Sakura.'_ Naruto realized as he noticed the fact that the bundle of hair Ino threw landed inconspicuously in a straight line all the way up to Sakura's feet.

"Sakura! You have to move!" Naruto shouted as he tried to warn his teammate but it was far too late. Hearing her teammate shouting out a warning for her Sakura tried to move away but it was at that moment that she realized the trap she was in. "I can't move…!" Sakura shouted as she struggled against a seemingly invisible force holding her to the floor. "That's right Sakura, you're trapped. My chakra is being streamed through my hair on the floor. You won't be able to dodge this attack." Ino declared as she aimed her hand sign directly at Sakura's face.

" **Ninja Art:** **Mind Transfer Jutsu!"** In that exact moment Ino's body slumped to the ground and Sakura's body went completely rigid. "Did it work?" Chōji mumbled in anticipation as he leaned more over the railing. "Success." Ino said through Sakura's body as she grinned. "Oh no…" Naruto whispered as his eyes showed worry. "Sakura's going to lose." Hinata mumbled in her soft voice as she placed a hand over her heart. _'It's all over now Sakura… you lose.'_ Ino thought as she initiated her plan.

"Proctor… I Sakura Haruno would now like to for…" Ino using Sakura as a mouthpiece started to speak up. It was plainly obvious what her plan was. "Sakura don't give in! You can still beat her!" Naruto suddenly shouted startling his friends around him. "Naruto… what are you…?" Shikamaru started to question but with one look at his friends face the lazy genius instantly knew Naruto wasn't the one talking. _'Chaos what are you doing?'_ Naruto questioned in surprise as he was not expecting his unpredictable daughter to highjack his body at the last minute. "Just following the script daddy!" Chaos said with a happy go lucky laugh at the end that left Naruto both confused and concerned. He could feel Chaos influence recede back into his body as the tiny terror transformed back into the choker that is on his neck. The shimmering of his shadow also stopped as well.

' _Naruto… he's right I can't lose here.'_ Sakura thought as she started to fight Ino off inside her subconscious. "Get out of my head Ino!" Sakura yelled as she grabbed her head in pain as the audience could see her visibly struggling. _'How is this possible? How can she fight me off? My Jutsu is supposed to be invincible.'_ Ino exclaimed in shock as a manifestation of Sakura's subconscious trapped Ino within her grasp. "Release!" Sakura yelled as she forcefully took control of her body and formed the release hand sign.

Both girls had reached their limit as they were huffing and sweating profusely. "How can you have such a strong spirit. That's not possible." Ino mumbled as she got to her feet with barely any strength left. "A girl has got to be strong if she's to survive in these times, right?" Sakura retorted with a smirk as she herself got back to her feet on wobbly legs.

' _Sakura's grown. She's displayed a level of strength here that she's never shown before.'_ Kakashi thought with pride as he looked at his student getting back to her feet. _'They don't have any chakra left. So, this battle is going to come down to pure strength.'_ Kakashi added on as he watched both girls charge each other with everything they had left.

' _I'm going to give it everything I've got!'_ Sakura thought with determination. _'This ends now Sakura!'_ Ino declared as both girls slammed their fist into each other's faces with everything they had left. They were ripped apart from each other with tremendous force as the two kunoichi's slid across the arena floor. They tried their hardest to get up but they both couldn't. They were unconscious.

Hayate took a look at both girls and deemed that they couldn't go on. "Due to the condition of both participants, and the fact that they are now incapacitated I deem the fourth round of the preliminaries a draw." Hayate announced by raising both his hands and this left some of the audience shocked as they were not expecting this outcome.

"It's over… and it's a draw…" Naruto mumbled as he saw his teammate unconscious on the floor. Kakashi and Asuma jumped down to the arena floor and picked up their students respective. Returning to the balcony the experienced Jōnin placed their students against the wall right next to each other. "Are they going to be ok?" Rock Lee asked as he was close by. "Yeah they will be just fine. They won't need any medical care… just a little rest." Kakashi said in reassurance which worked as a visible sign of relief could be seen on all of the Genin's faces.

"I'm glad they're both ok." Hinata said in her soft voice. "Me too…" Naruto agreed with a nod of his head. "…but I have a feeling they'll have a lot to talk about once they wake up." He commented as he could feel the animosity and emotional baggage the two girls were carrying with them into the fight. With the conclusion of the fight being a draw, they would then need to sort out their feelings and move on from there.

 _[Tenten vs. Temari]_

"Ok now we will now move on to the next round. Will Tenten and Temari please step forward." Hayate requested with a coughing fit nearly interrupting his speech. The bundle of hair Ino had left on the floor was quickly swept away by one of the Chūnin in the room.

The two girls in questioned quickly dropped down to the arena floor ready to face off against each other. Temari's hand was on her delicate hip as she watched Tenten who was a year younger than her take her position about 10 yards away. _'This should be easy. Then again, the person who I really wanted to fight was that boy. Naruto Uzumaki. The mystery surrounding him is just too enticing. Especially with his strange younger siblings.'_ Temari thought to herself as she casted a glance at Naruto who was quietly chatting away with Hinata and Rock Lee who was enthusiastic to see his teammate perform. He was casting Tenten a look of general curiosity and sportsmanship since she is a fellow Genin of his and he secretly wonders what her fighting style would be like.

When he felt a pair of eyes on him he looked across from Tenten to see Temari staring directly at him. Naruto rose an eyebrow at this and so did Shikamaru who caught the look. Temari's eyes held suspicion and curiosity in them and that got Shikamaru thinking that maybe she somehow knew one of Naruto's more guarded secrets. Hinata was a little uncomfortable with the look the older girl was sending her best friend as she wasn't sure what to make of it. A sheen of worry and apprehension reflected in her lavender eyes.

"Ok the match may begin." Hayate announced.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Clone Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. The Jutsu creates a fake image of yourself next to your body that is identical to you in every way except that they are not real and are purely just images or illusions. There are many limitations and setbacks with the Technique. For one the clone is not real and as such can be noticed right away. They cannot speak or make sounds. Finally, and worse yet they can't interact with the environment around them. When they walk they don't make a sound, they don't leave a shadow of themselves whenever they find themselves in light, and they can't physically touch something and no one can touch them.

2.) **Genjutsu: False Perception Delay -** A basic genjutsu that causes the target's perception of reality to slow down. The target will feel everything going in slow motion. However the effectiveness of this jutsu depends on the skill of the caster. This technique like most genjutsu are mainly used as tricks and delay tactics as well as distractions.

3.) **Entrapment Seal -** This is a basic seal that all Academy Students are taught how to use early in their curriculum. This is the gateway technique into the Trap Making Subject that teaches ninjas how to lay successive and complex traps. The seal once activated ejects four long cords of rope that automatically ensnares and ties up whoever sets the trap off as long as they are in a predetermined radius of about three feet.

4.) **Rope Escape Technique -** A basic technique taught at the Academy. It allows a ninja to free themselves if they have been tied up.

5.) **Genjutsu: Flower Profusion -** Ino casts an illusion that tricks the enemy, causing them to see a storm of flowers. This technique has different variations ranging from a field of flowing petals to an overflow of petals surrounding the enemy. Once Ino has a clear shot, she throws the poisonous wolfsbane flower at the enemy hitting them in the head.

6.) **Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu -** This is the signature technique of the Yamanaka clan. Originally, this ninjutsu was suited for intelligence-gathering missions rather than battle. With it, a ninja sends his mind as spiritual energy into a target's body supplanting the target's mind with their own. The user transfers their consciousness to the target, giving them complete control of the body for a short period of time. While in control of the body, the user is able to communicate with the target. Since the user is in another body, they are also able to use that body's chakra. Conversely, however, the user's original body is left defenceless while this technique is active, leaving it susceptible to attack until they return. The mind transfer moves slowly in a straight direction and takes some time to return to the user's body if it misses. Similarly, if the opponent's will is strong enough, they can force the user from their body. Also, if the user's chakra level is low, the technique will be harder to maintain. Furthermore, should any physical injury befall the victim's body while the mind link is active, it would cause the user's body to also receive those same injuries.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? It was still a draw but just what kind of influence did Chaos have in regards to the match? I started the match between them exactly the same way it was in the anime. However my friend and I decided to spice up Sakura's and by proxy Ino's backstory. It shouldn't be rocket science to recognize who healed Sakura as a child. Beyond that point I added to their fight a bit to spice it up.

Other than that I've laid the seeds to move the story forward.

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 43 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 3/30/2017


	45. CH: 44 Elimination Match: 5-7 Domination

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back and with 3 more matches to sate your appetite. How will Tenten fair against Temari when the odds are stacked so heavily against her and how will Shikamaru handled Kin with her debilitating Genjutsu? Will he come up with a plan or will he get some help? Finally our third match... but wait what third match? Who's facing off against each other?

Hey guys I hope you enjoy this chapter and the matches I put together. I took my time on this one as it was quite interesting to write. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 44

 _ **Elimination Matches 5 – 7: Kunoichi Domination**_

The match was officially underway but both kunoichi weren't moving. They were sizing each other up and waiting for the first one to crack. _'Oh boy… why is it so tense already?'_ Shikamaru thought to himself with a sigh. "What are you waiting for, are you scared?" Temari asked with a taunt. Her sea green eyes were carefully watching Tenten's every move, every facial expression, and every twitch of her muscles.

"As if... I've got no reason to be scared of you." Tenten retorted with a frown on her face. "Oh… I see. Then you must be waiting for me to make the first move. That is a big mistake because the first true move that I make will be the last move you see. So, come on I'll give you the first shot." Temari baited with an arrogant smirk plastered across her otherwise beautiful face. Tenten felt a twinge of annoyance sweep through her at her opponent's casual dismissal of her so she decided it was best to make the first move.

"Ok then you asked for it." Tenten declared as her muscles tensed. _'She's baiting Tenten in? What's her power?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he watched with careful eyes what was about to happen. _'No Tenten, do not fall for your enemy's taunts. You know better.'_ Might Guy black eyes narrow down in focus towards the first move of the match.

Jumping up into the air Tenten with a simple flick of her wrist sent four shuriken at Temari with more speed than any other Genin has shown before. The accuracy was there and they looked like they were going to hit since Temari wasn't moving but inexplicably the four-shuriken diverted off course and clattered to the ground at Temari's feet. "No way! There's no way I missed her." Tenten exclaimed with her eyes wide in disbelief. "What was that?" Naruto whispered as he leaned a little bit over the railings. "You saw that too?" Shikamaru mumbled as he casted his close friend a side glance. "Yeah, but I have no idea what she just did. Right before the shuriken came close her whole body and the area around her blurred for barely a second." Naruto described back to Shikamaru who adopted an analytical gleam to his otherwise bored eyes.

' _That was Wind Style Manipulation. It makes sense since she is a Genin from the Hidden Sand Village. But still… to see chakra control and manipulation of that level in a Genin is astonishing. What are you going to do Tenten?'_ Might Guy theorized as being one of the Leaf Village's top tier Elite Jōnin he was very well versatile and knowledgeable in all types of shinobi combat and elemental Chakra manipulation even if he himself sticks solely to Taijutsu as his primary form of combat.

' _Textbook Wind Style Manipulation. But for a Genin to reach a level like that is still really surprising.'_ Asuma Sarutobi thought to himself privately as he leaned against the concrete wall. He breathed in the nicotine from his cigarette in his mouth while casting a semi- disinterested look to the match going on before him. As one of the only Wind Style Chakra Nature users in the entire Land of Fire, it gives Asuma the distinct and overwhelming advantage of being able to identify any use of the Chakra Nature ahead of most of his colleagues.

"Maybe you got a little nervous and it affected your aim? Or perhaps you just aren't that good?" Temari taunted with the same arrogant smirk permanently stained on her face. _'Something isn't right here with this girl's personality. When I first met them; she was really calm, cool, and collected. She was actually trying to deescalate the situation that was happening between us. She wanted peace instead of conflict. Was that an act or is this right here an act that she uses in battle to get under her enemy's skin?'_ Naruto contemplated in his mind as he couldn't understand the strange from his perspective shift in Temari's overall demeanor from outside of a battle to inside of one.

' _She must have either blocked it or dodged it with small precise movements somehow. She was standing right there and three tiles away from that is where I'm standing. So, she never even moved but how? She would have to in order for my Shuriken to miss.'_ Tenten theorized in a vain attempt to understand exactly how Temari managed to somehow not get struck by her pinpoint accurate throws. But she wouldn't be able to understand what happened. It was too fast for the naked eye.

' _Look at her. She's strategizing in her head and measuring her distance. Now she'll make her big move.'_ Temari thought but to make sure Tenten went through with her next attack she thought it best to give the girl a push. Placing her hand on her giant metal fan Temari got herself ready. _'So, that's it. That is a Metal War Fan. Used in the Land of Wind by many of their shinobi. She's using that to block my attacks.'_ Tenten scouted as she recognized the weapon Temari was carrying. As a weapon enthusiast and working in one of the most famous and well known weapon shops in the entire country Tenten has a vast knowledge on weapons from all over the world. This however, was the first time she's seen one of the Land of Wind's War Fans up close in real life.

"Are you ready to get serious now… or are we still playing with kiddy gloves?" Temari asked as she saw Tenten's demeanor sour. "Oh, the kiddie gloves are coming off!" Jumping back Tenten pulled out a scroll from her pouch before unraveling it. On it were dozens of storage seals containing what could only be assumed to be numerous amounts of weapons. Jumping into the air with the scroll in her hand Tenten started to spin at blistering speeds. Enough so that any normal person would get dizzy.

Several small puffs of smoke could be seen and heard for everybody and seconds later dozens of weapons ranging from Kunai and Shuriken; to Sickles; Swords; Senbon; Spiked Balls; Hammers; Spears; and more could be seen flying out of the whizzing tornado that Tenten turned herself into. "She's throwing all of them with such precision and accuracy. Incredible." Hinata whispered as with her sharp eyesight she could actually see Tenten spinning inside the vortex of her own scroll. She was throwing each and every weapon by hand and she was doing so with laser like precision as all of them were thrown in a narrow tunnel arc that would rain down on Temari and only Temari.

Temari smirked as a distortion in the air could be seen for a brief second and all of Tenten's weapons were blow away to the floor surrounding the Sand Genin in a ring of metal weapons. "No freaking way. All of them. You blocked all of them?" Tenten asked in shock as she landed back on the ground without displaying any signs of dizziness or equilibrium loss.

"Take a quick look honey. You see this. This is the first moon. Once you've seen all three this match will come to an end." Temari declared as she sat her massive fan on the ground next to her and it was partially opened showing one large purple circle that was representing a moon in this case. "Hinata take a look at her fan for me… what do you see?" Naruto requested to his best friend. With a short nod Hinata discreetly zoomed in with her Byakugan and scanned Temari's Fan. "I see seals written on those moons." Hinata revealed.

"What type of seals?" Naruto quickly asked as he gave a curious glance to the weapon. "Storage Seals, Chakra Storage Seals, low level barrier seals and a few more." Hinata described as she could see the tiny hard to see seals written out on the surface of the purple circles. "Interesting… so I assume that with each moon she reveals her techniques become much more powerful by using the Chakra Storage Seals to increase the power of whatever technique she's using." Naruto theorized with a hand on his chin in thought. Thinking back on all his knowledge of Fūinjutsu this was the only theory that made any sense to him.

"I think you're right Naruto. With each moon revealed her Jutsu will get stronger. I think it's some type of Wind Style Jutsu she's using." Shikamaru added on as he leaned his body against the railing with a seemingly disinterested look on his face. This look was a front as he was studying Temari extensively in his mind. "Makes total sense. She is from the Land of Wind after all." Naruto conceded as he brought his attention back into the match to catch what was about to happen.

"I'm not done yet!" Tenten declared as she rushed in with surprising speed. Tensing a bit Temari grabbed her fan and folded it up to use as a club. Reaching into Temari's range Tenten quickly grabbed several weapons off the ground and slammed into the older Genin with all of her strength. Pushed back a bit Temari's eyebrows rose at Tenten's ferocity as she was blocking a sword that the weapon specialist was holding. Blocking and deflecting several of Tenten's very accurate and masterful swings Temari managed to knock the sword out of Tenten's hands with the superior weight of her fan but had to immediately block a hail of kunai that Tenten produced in the split second Temari's eyes were off of her. Attempting to open her fan Temari was further cut off by the twin bun haired girl who wrapped a chain and weight around the weapon and pulled Temari towards her.

Rolling with the pull Temari attempted to smash Tenten into the ground but the girl grabbed a mace of the ground and smashed it into Temari's swing creating a horrible metallic clang sound. Growling Temari's whole form blurred as she produced a gust of wind strong enough to untangle the chain attached to her fan. Most of the weapons not wedged into the ground slid across the floor away from the Sand Genin. Skidding back Tenten's body smacked into the wall with a low thud. "Got to hand it to you girl. You've got guts, I'll give you that." Temari applauded with a nod of her head.

"I'm not done yet!" Tenten retorted with more emphasis than last time as she took a deep breath. _'I have no choice but to use this move.'_ Opening her eyes Tenten took out two identical red scrolls that she placed vertically on the ground. Going through a sequence of hand signs Tenten began molding her chakra. "Whatever you are doing it's not going to work and if it's any more of those weapons then you should just quit while you are ahead." Temari warned as she started to open her large fan again. She knew Tenten was playing her trump card based on the way she was molding up a considerable amount of her overall chakra.

"I won't know if I don't try! **Bukijutsu: Twin Rising Dragons!** " With a burst of smoke reaching up into the air like a column two dragons made out of the smoke rose into the air in a helix like formation. In the center of the cloud of smoke was Tenten who started to spin at inhuman speeds. Dozens upon dozens of weapons of all kinds started to litter the air and Temari who was the target of these weapons frowned as even she would secretly admit that that was an impressive number of weapons.

"It won't work!" Temari exclaimed as she opened her fan up to the second moon and swung it with some impressive physical strength considering she only used one hand. This time the gust of wind that came out of the fan was nearly three time more powerful than the first few times she's used it. A whirlwind blew all of Tenten's weapons away towards the floor and far away from Temari's position who was now carefully watching Tenten. "She's so strong. But I've still got one more trick up my sleeve." The Chinese themed girl whispered to herself as she flexed her fingertips.

"That blast of wind was at the same level as my Great Breakthrough." Naruto commented with a frown as he thought of what that meant. "That was only the second moon. The final one will really be big." Chōji said as he munched on his chips.

Making a last-ditch effort Tenten yet again jumped up into the air as high as she could go and through the lights in the room everyone could see thin metal wires attached to her fingertips lifting the discarded weapons off the ground for another round. "Oh boy, I guess you just don't learn, do you?" Temari stated with a negative shake of her head. "This match ends now." Opening her fan up to its third moon Temari actually started to channel chakra for a Jutsu. **"Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"** Swinging her giant fan around the weapon created a gale so strong that it suspended Tenten and all of her weapons in the air inside a visible cyclone of slicing air currents. Her weapons which had its wires attached to her fingers started to wrap around Tenten's prone form which were cutting into her body alongside the sharp air currents Temari's Jutsu was creating.

"No way!" Naruto grunted as he grabbed onto the railings for support. The winds off of Temari's Jutsu was so strong that it was threatening to push the others up on the balcony into the walls behind them. "So, this is the full power of her weapon." Shikamaru commented as he was also holding onto the railings while covering his face. The winds soon died down as Tenten's suspended body fell to the ground. In an act of spite Temari folded her fan up and positioned it directly in Tenten's path.

A crack was heard as Tenten's back folded over on Temari's fan. Lee's eye widens in shock at the un-sportsmen like action Temari just committed and Naruto was much the same. The others watching were in the same boat as they were not expected that uncalled for ending. "TENTEN!" Lee yelled in concern for his teammate as Temari threw the weapon's enthusiast off of her fan and towards the ground where all of her weapons were littering the floor. If she landed on them she would be seriously injured.

Disappearing in a burst of speed Lee appeared on the arena floor and caught Tenten in midair before her limp and unconscious body could land on the pile of weapons below her. "What was that for!?" Lee yelled in righteous anger. "She was weak. No originality in her performance at all. She should have taken a hint and forfeit." Temari replied as she leaned on her fan. "How dare you! She was a fellow competitor who was just trying her hardest!" Lee defended with a harsh glare at Temari who had a dismissive glance at him. "Don't encourage her, she should learn to do better. Besides you don't look like much either." Temari taunted as Rock Lee sent her another harsh glare as now his pride was hurt as well.

"Oh really!?" Lee challenged as he disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared at Temari's side. **"Leaf Hurricane!"** Lee's heavy roundhouse kick landed with a resounding clang against Temari's fan which didn't budge an inch. "Not even close. Pathetic." The sand kunoichi said with a shake of her head. "Lee that's enough! It's over!" Might Guy called out as he didn't want the situation to escalate further. Appearing down by Lee's side in one smooth motion Guy placed his hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Temari you've one already. Don't waste time with that pathetic loser and his mentor." Gaara spoke with his raspy voice which instantly caught the other's attention. Gaara hasn't said a word all day so to hear him now definitely got Naruto and the others paying close attention to him.

"You sand Genin should stay on guard. Lee still hasn't fought yet and you have no idea just how powerful he truly is." Might Guy spoke up in defense of his apprentice as he led him back up the stairs with Tenten being carried out of the room by two Medical Ninja.

Feeling eyes on him Gaara lifted his eyes from Lee who he was staring down merciless and diverted his attention to Naruto who was across the balcony. Gaara didn't say a word but his eyes said everything that he needed too. His eyes on the surface were cold and desolate but shimmering below the surface was cold burning hatred and malice directed at Naruto only. Frowning at this Naruto looked away as to not antagonize the obviously anger prone boy.

"These Sand Genin are going to be a problem. They're no joke." Shikamaru commented with his default disinterested look on his face but this time it looked like stress was also a factor as well. "I agree. They're going to be nothing but trouble." Naruto sighed as he tried to clear his mind. "Under normal circumstances I'd bet your next response to me would be we should keep an eye on them and if they act up we'll take care of it, but given your current physical condition that's going to be quite the issue isn't it Naruto?" Shikamaru patronized slightly in jest as he sent his longtime friend a side glance.

"Trust me I don't like the situation either. As I am now I would probably be able to handle Kankurō and that's a maybe given that he's a puppeteer, Temari seems very intelligent and smart. Very much like you and when you combine that with her Wind Style Abilities that are way more powerful and advanced compared to my own and you have a recipe for disaster. Then theirs Gaara. I know I don't stand a chance against him as I am now. If only I had the rest of my abilities." Naruto analyzed with a frustrated sigh towards the end as he felt helpless without the use of all of his abilities. "That's something you need to get looked at as soon as possible. It wouldn't do to have you handicapped like this." Shikamaru finished off as he focused back down on Hayate who was getting ready to speak again. "I know Shikamaru, I know."

After the arena floor was cleared of Tenten's scattered weapons Hayate called for the screen to choose the next opponents. After a few seconds the screen flashed two names. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Shikamaru moaned in displeasure as his name appeared on screen.

* * *

 _[Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi]_

"…and it's a girl too. Man, this is such a drag." The boy genius sighed as he put his hands in his pockets and started to head for the stairs. "Be careful Shikamaru." Naruto warned with some of his other friends doing the same. "Yeah, yeah… I got this. I already know about her from the altercation back in the forest." Shikamaru retorted as he took the stairs to the arena floor below where Kin was already waiting for him with a frown on her face since she didn't bother wasting time and instead just chose to hop the railing of the balcony.

"Alright let's get this over with already." Shikamaru lazily stated as he got into position a few yards away from Kin who seriously looked like she didn't even want to fight the shadow user. _'I'm well aware of what these guys are capable of from our encounter in the forest. If it wasn't for Sasuke going all berserk on them things could have ended differently. The only problem is during the altercation I had to reveal my Jutsu to save everyone and while I saw what the two guys are capable of I never saw her skills. I'm at a clear disadvantage.'_ Shikamaru analyzed as his small beady eyes watched Kin's every move.

' _There's no point stressing it now. I'll figure something out.'_ Shikamaru reassured himself as Hayate called for the match to begin. Both combatants tensed as Hayate jumped away to give them space. "You're not trying that stupid Shadow technique are you. It's pointless if it can't touch me." Kin began as she waited for Shikamaru to make his first move. Gritting his teeth in sheer annoyance the lazy preteen tried to block out the older girl's taunts.

"It's all I've got, so let's give it a try." Shikamaru stated as he placed his hands in his family's signature hand seal. **"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu!"** Shikamaru's shadow darkened as he flooded chakra into the floor and stretched his shadow out over to Kin who saw it coming from a mile away. "As I said it's pointless little man." Dodging the straight forward attack Kin threw two Senbon with bells attached to them at Shikamaru who reacted quickly enough to duck out of the way. The lodged themselves into the wall were the bells started to jingle a bit which was heard throughout the room.

' _Bells? Why would she put bells on the Senbon? I don't get the feeling it's to trick me and get me to only pay attention to any Senbon she throws that has a bell on it. I'd focus in on the sound from the bells while she'll sneak in a regular Senbon that I won't be able to hear. Something tells me she's a little smarter than this. She has a trick up her sleeve.'_ Shikamaru quickly theorized as it was a tactic he remembered the teachers at the academy covered one week. However, in Shikamaru's mind that tactic is too basic especially for an older Genin to employ. It's best used during the middle of a battle when the opponent is frazzled and not on top of his game.

"What are you planning?" Shikamaru asked in a low voice as he prepared for what his opponent might due. "Oh, you'll see." Kin taunted as she threw two more Senbon that Shikamaru avoided without trouble. He took notice that those two needles didn't have bells attached to them but he became startled when he still heard the sound of jingles behind him. "What?" Turning back to the wall Shikamaru saw in the gleam of the light from the room two thin wires attached to each of the bells that lead back to Kin's hands.

"To late!" Kin threw another pair of Senbon at Shikamaru who was to slow to dodge out of the way. Taking the hit the boy skidded back a few feet in pain. "So, that's how you want to play huh? Fine now it's my turn." Shikamaru countered with a smirk as he started to form his hand sign again. He had a plan.

"Sorry but you don't get a turn." Kin retorted as she tugged on the wires next to Shikamaru. Everyone heard the sound of the bells jingling but the only one who felt its effects were Shikamaru who suddenly fell to the floor on his knees. "What just happened?" Kiba asked as he along with Naruto and Chōji leaned over the railings in suspense.

"Genjutsu." Shikamaru suspected as he lost all motor skills in under five seconds. "Precisely. It's called **Harmonic Delirium**. Sound waves on a peculiar frequency that is mostly inaudible to humans enters your ears and travels to your brain allowing me to cast my Genjutsu on you. First comes the disruption of your equilibrium and soon you'll start seeing illusions of me and you won't know who to cast your shadow to." Kin boasted with an arrogant smirk on her face as she pulled out several more Senbon.

"Covering your ears won't help either. Once you've heard the sound once then you're already under my Genjutsu. It's over little man." Kin stated as she launched several Senbon at Shikamaru who couldn't dodge at all. Taking them head on Shikamaru crumbled to the floor in pain as he was helpless at his opponent's hands. _'I can't do anything now. I can't move and I can't get this ringing out of my head. Not to mention I can't get my shadow to touch hers since I'm seeing at least several dozen of her. Oh, man this is such a drag.'_ Shikamaru complained in his mind as he tried desperately to think of a counter.

"If you're so strong just get it over with already. This is more of a hassle than what it's worth." Shikamaru complained as he wanted to see what Kin would do. "Oh, I'll finish you off. Next I'll throw five Senbon then escalate from there until you look like a hedgehog." The sadistic girl threatened with a grin as she pulled out five Senbon from her pouch.

' _What is he doing. I get the sneaking suspicion that this boy is very intelligent so why is he biding his time?'_ Temari thought to herself as she watched Shikamaru struggle with his opponent who if Temari was facing she would have beaten already. Sound based attacks like that wouldn't work if Temari surrounded herself in a vacuum using her strong affinity for Wind Style. _'Come on Shikamaru do something. You should've come up with a strategy by now. What's taking… huh?'_ Naruto thought to himself in a slight bit of anxiety and frustration as he didn't want his close friend to suffer at the sadistic girl's hands. She was purposefully dragging the match out. Naruto's thought process was halted when he felt Chaos shift within his subconscious.

Over the nauseating sound of the bells Shikamaru heard an all too familiar echoing giggle. A signature giggle that he's heard many times before. _'Chaos?! What are you doing?'_ Shikamaru questioned within his mind as he couldn't see the tiny terror anywhere. _'Oh nothing. Just reminding you of something important.'_ The Angeloid responded back inside of Shikamaru's mind. She was using telepathy which was something Shikamaru didn't even knew she could do. _'And what might that something be?'_ Shikamaru asked as he knew that Chaos's seemingly random actions are never in fact random. She always has an ulterior motive in mind. Her intrusion into his brain right now wasn't just on a whim.

"I'm reminding you that this is nothing new." Chaos whispered with a giggle as her presence faded out of his mind. _'Nothing new? What does that even… wait a minute. She's right. This isn't anything new since this happens to me and everyone else all the time. Chaos's voice is actually one of her signature Genjutsu or her equivalent to one. Once you hear her giggle that usually indicates that she has activated her abilities. She does it so she can confuse a person and mess with their senses. If that's the case, then this is no different.'_ Shikamaru realized as he came to an epiphany.

With Chaos's impromptu invasion into Shikamaru's mind it brought the genius boy back into the game. _'I've got this.'_ The boy thought as he went on his counter offensive. Shikamaru slightly shifted his chakra in an ever so minute way, it went undetectable to almost everyone in the room. Only some like the Hokage and the Jōnin caught it.

"Are you ready for another round… huh!? What's going on? I can't move my body?" Kin started to taunt again as she brought out more Senbon to throw but her entire plan got derailed when she suddenly found herself unable to move a muscle. "Heh, it looks like my **Shadow Possession Jutsu** was a success." Shikamaru said with a smirk as he stood to his feet.

"No way! I double checked! You never casted your shadow anywhere." Kin refuted in denial as she tried in vain to move her body but it wouldn't respond to her commands. "Are you so sure about that? You might want to take another look around. Maybe at the wires you're holding." Shikamaru stated smugly as Kin looked and saw shadows casted from her wires. "No way…" Temari whispered with eyes widening in awe and respect. "How?"

"I bet you'd find it strange your wires would even be able to cast a shadow with how thin they are and how far off the ground they are but every time you use them to vibrate those bells back there they move around just enough that for a split second they create a shadow." Shikamaru explained as Kin paled knowing that she didn't have many options left to her. Her offensive capabilities were cut off now and they were never really outstanding to begin with. She was a support type kunoichi with skills geared towards supporting her teammates and their offense.

"So now that our shadows are connected what do you plan on doing? What's your angle?" Kin questioned as she was trying to think her way out of the situation she was now in. "Oh, shut up and watch troublesome woman." Shikamaru grumbled with a smirk as he pulled out a shuriken from his pouch which forced Kin to do the same thing. Cocking his arm back to aim and throw the smirk on Shikamaru's face never left. "Are you insane. You'll hurt yourself too if you throw a shuriken!" Kin exclaimed as sweat started to appear on her face.

"Oh well. I guess this is like a high stakes game of chicken." Shikamaru said merrily as he threw the shuriken at his opponent. _'Man, what's got me all cheery all of a sudden. Is this Chaos's influence since I don't feel like I'd come up with this particular strategy, especially with the outcome?'_ Shikamaru questioned himself idly as he saw the two shuriken pass by each other in midair. "Now time to duck." Shikamaru said aloud and this time he felt a ghost of a presence within him that felt like Chaos.

In the final seconds before the shuriken would hit their targets Shikamaru yanked his body back forcefully into a backwards lean dodging the shuriken that sailed right over his face by a good couple of inches. "Ha! I'll just do the same moron, piece of ca…" Kin boasted as she started to lean back as well at the same speed Shikamaru was which the others noted to be quite fast for the lazy boy. A loud and prominent thud resonated throughout the hall as Kin smacked the top and back of her skull into the hard-concrete wall that was directly behind her. The impact was so strong that her eyes rolled into the back of her head while her body slid slowly to the ground unconsciously.

"Kin Tsuchi of the Hidden Sound is unable to continue due to a solid K.O. The winner of this match is Shikamaru Nara of the Hidden Leaf." Hayate officiated with a hand raised in Shikamaru's direction indicating him as the winner.

Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding as a small smile came to his face. "There we go. Textbook Shikamaru strategy." Chōji said while opening up a brand-new bag of chips. Hinata agreed with this by shaking her head with a small smile adorning her face as well. She was happy one of her closest friends won their match with relative ease.

One minute later Shikamaru was back on the balcony and Kin was removed from the arena on a stretcher. "Good match Shikamaru." Naruto said as he bumped his elbow into Shikamaru's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Yeah, yeah. Such a drag." Shikamaru mumbled. "How was your match Shikamaru, did you find it easy?" Chōji asked out of simple curiosity. "Yeah, but when that girl hit me with that Genjutsu of hers I swear I heard little voices in my head. It's what snapped me back to reality. I must be losing my mind in my old age huh?" Shikamaru stated in sarcasm but the discreet look he sent Naruto and the phrase of words he used was anything but light hearted.

Naruto's eyes were focused on the screen on the wall but the narrowing of his eyes and the slight curving of his lips into a frown gave Shikamaru all the answers he needed. The rookies weren't the only ones to see this however. Neji heard this exchange from a few yards away and with his impeccable eyesight he could catch the unnoticeable body language and secret conversation happening between Naruto and his classmates. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion Neji frowned. _'What are you hiding Uzumaki?'_

The screen lit up once again and everyone's eyes tuned in to see who was going to compete again. After a few seconds the names came to a final conclusion and Naruto's eyes rose at this one.

* * *

 _[Samui vs. Takei Hitomaro]_

' _The Hidden Cloud and Stone are going up against one another…?'_ Naruto idly noted as he watched as the girl from the Hidden Cloud with blond hair and blue eyes calmly walked down the stairs. As Naruto noticed the last time he saw her which was back when they were entering the forest of death the girl had a rather curvaceous figure for her age. She was about 14 at most but she walked with confidence in herself and in her appearance even if the stoic look on her face stated otherwise.

Her opponent. A person from the Hidden Stone's team was a boy with a non-descriptive appearance. He had short black hair and brown eyes with no distinctive features that popped out. He was wearing plain shinobi attire that you would most commonly see in the Hidden Stone. _'Boy this guy's blander than Shikamaru's personality.'_ Naruto deadpanned in his mind as he would forget the kid's appearance soon after he took his eyes off of him.

"You may begin." Hayate announced as soon as the two combatants were in position.

Samui immediately sprang into action launching nearly a dozen shuriken in the blink of an eye. The boy to his own credit was quick on his feet as he deflected the metallic weapons with the two gauntlets that could be seen attached to his arms. Taking off in a burst of speed Samui crossed the distance between the two before Takei could finish deflecting all of the Shuriken. Going with a straight punch Samui's fist smacked against the gauntlet Takei raised at the last second but that did nothing to stop him from skidding back a few feet from the physical strength the girl displayed.

" **Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears Jutsu!"** Takei called out as he slammed his gauntlet covered fist into the concrete floor which caused concrete spikes to jut out of the floor in the direction of Samui who seemed completely unfazed. Taking out her Tantō the Hidden Cloud Kunoichi sliced through the concrete spikes with ease while hopping on top of some of the others. Jumping into the air Samui landed behind Takei with several kunai already in hand. Throwing them as a distraction she watched as he blocked them all in the time it took for her to get into his personal space.

A rather impressive display of technical fighting was shown to the spectators watching as Takei proved himself capable of defending himself adequately against sword wielding opponents. He managed to parry and redirect almost all of Samui's impressive sword strikes. It was a sight to see as Samui and Takei engaged each other at close range using combos and reversals to always change the pace of the fight back to them. "Now those are two shinobi I wouldn't mind fighting." Naruto commented as he was enthralled by the dance of death the two clearly well trained Genin were displaying.

"Yeah if you were at full strength, but as you are now I don't see how you'd pull off the win easily." Shikamaru quickly retorted with a dose of realism. Naruto couldn't refute his claim as he chuckled bashfully. He couldn't see himself going toe to toe with them evenly without his full power. At full strength based on what he's seen of them so far Naruto would feel much more comfortable handling either one of them but as Shikamaru stated, it would nearly be impossible. He'd be on his back foot for most of the fight.

Samui seeing an opening darted at Takei with her impressive speed to seize her opportunity. Coming in with a feint that took the boy off guard and balance the kunoichi performed a beautifully coordinated hurricanrana that had Takei thrown through the air and to the ground before he could even blink. Samui's Tantō was moving in to rest itself across Takei's throat in a finishing move but Samui suddenly backed off as Takei produced several earth spears around them that nearly impaled the kunoichi if she hadn't listened to her instincts and moved.

Landing firmly on the ground with a spring in her step Samui watched as Takei went through a quick sequence of hand signs. **"Earth Style: Iron Skin Jutsu!"** To Samui and the others watching Takei's skin gained a layer of dirt and stone on it that solidified until it was like a second skin. "Pretty cool." Samui commented with a look of curiosity swimming in her eyes. Getting into his fighting stance again Takei took off at Samui going noticeably slower than he was earlier which many noted to be a negative but the positives soon became clear when Samui's sword started to bounce off of his skin. "He trades speed and agility for better defense and offense." Asuma noted as he took a drag of his cigarette. "That has its own pros and cons. But something tells me this girl has a way around it." Shikamaru added on as he watched the match with interest. Normally he would have fell asleep so soon after exerting himself but he would admit that this match did catch his attention. He wanted to see what the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone could do.

Samui chipped away at Takei who was swinging his arms around deflecting her strikes and landed some of his own which was now heavier than ever before. Blocking several more of Takei's attacks Samui seized yet another opening. Streaming Lightning Nature Chakra into her Tantō Samui then stabbed Takei in the shoulder with her blade piercing the thick layer of stone on top of his skin. Many of the others were surprised to see her use this method as it was an advanced skill to stream your chakra nature into a weapon.

Takei gave a startled gasp but his body soon exploded in a cloud of smoke and in his place, was a sliced-up piece of concrete from one of his concrete spears. **"Substitution Jutsu."** Lee called out as his sharp eyes caught Takei further away on the other side of the arena. "Very cool, but not good enough." Samui called out in her monotone voice as she was already going through hand signs. **"Lightning Style: Four Pillar Trap!"** Four of the many concrete spears jutting out of the ground started to spark with electricity and Takei who was in the middle of them widened his eyes in realization. Lightning bolts shot out of the four spears directly into Takei's body blasting off his protective layer of stone skin. With Lightning Nature Chakra being strong against Earth Nature Chakra the boys Jutsu didn't stand a chance.

With a scream of pain Takei was battered by the lightning bolts that tore off huge chunks of his earthen skin leaving his actual skin charred and burned. Dropping to his knees Takei huffed as he got back to his feet to fight. He was running low on chakra and his body ached but he wasn't ready to quit. Samui seeing this charged at the boy and laid into him with her strong Taijutsu. The pain in his body made it nearly impossible for him to fight back properly but he was trying. In the end, it wouldn't matter as Samui out maneuvered him and got behind him. The kunoichi grabbed Takei around his waist and with a show of dominance and physical strength lifted the boy into the air as she leaned far back throwing the boy over her. However instead of letting go Samui tightened her grip and arched her back causing Takei's head to smack into the concrete floor with a low thud.

"It looks like someone's copying you Shikamaru." Naruto joked which earned him a sideways glare of annoyance from his close friend. Getting up Samui watched as Takei who was dazed and half-conscious tried to stand and fight but a Tantō to his throat made him reconsider his options. "I forfeit." Takei surrendered with a heavy sway of his head as he could feel how badly burned his skin was. He couldn't continue. Especially with how dizzy he felt.

"With that Takei Hitomaro of the Hidden Stone forfeits the match. Samui of the Hidden Cloud is the winner." Hayate announced as he waved his hand in Samui's direction. "You were pretty cool. Good luck next time." Samui stated in a very sportsman like way as she nodded in his direction as he was hauled off out of the room by Medical Nin. It would seem like cool was her favorite word to say. Luckily for Takei his burns and obvious concussion would be taken care of by the medical ninja.

* * *

"Wow she's good." Asuma praised as he nodded his head. "I would agree. She's very youthful." Guy agreed with a nod of praise. He was very impressed with Samui's performance. "Guy Sensei, what was that technique she used at the end to win the match?" Rock Lee asked as he's never seen a Taijutsu move quite like that one before.

Guy gained a sparkle in his eye as Taijutsu was his specialty. "That my dear student is known as a belly-to-back waist lock suplex or a back-arch throw, but its most popular name is the **German Suplex**." Guy stated while those around him leaned in with curiosity. "German Suplex?" Lee questioned with confusion in his voice. He wasn't familiar with the term. He's never heard of that move before. "Yes, it is a part of a style of Taijutsu called Wrestling." Guy revealed as he patted his student on the shoulder.

"Wrestling? I've never heard of it." Naruto mumbled out in interest while looking to the Elite Jōnin to further elaborate. "I'm not surprised young Naruto. Wrestling is not only a Taijutsu style but a cultural sport that is unique and exclusive to the Land of Lightning and The Village Hidden in the Clouds. It's widely practiced and used there. As a matter of fact, each of their four Raikage are master Pro Wrestlers." Guy explained knowingly.

"All of them?" Naruto's eyes lit up in interest as learning about the Kage and other powerful shinobi always piqued his interest. The same question was in everybody else's minds as well.

"Yes, the First Raikage fell into one of two classes in the style. One is called the _Cruiser Weight Division_ which he fell into and he practiced a variation of Wrestling called _High Flying Wrestling_ in which he used very acrobatic moves to dart all across the battlefield. The Second, Third, and Fourth Raikage's all fell into the _Heavy Weight Division_ and they each adapted to various styles which practiced what is known as _Heavy Weight style_ which uses a lot of powerhouse techniques. The Third and Fourth Raikage's who are father and son adapted a mixed style of powerhouse and speed with the Third leaning towards power and the Fourth leaning towards speed." Guy lectured displaying his vast knowledge of Taijutsu both foreign and domestic which he is widely known for.

"That's amazing Guy sensei! I had no idea the Hidden Cloud had such diverse and interesting Taijutsu." Lee exclaimed excitedly as he got pumped up at the thought of the unique fighting styles the Land of Lightning had to offer. "I agree, their culture is obviously much different than ours. But it's still a drag to think of it all." Shikamaru added with a dramatic sigh at the end. _'These fighting styles are pretty unique and interesting. If anyone knows how to teach me some of them other than Guy sensei, it's going to be Shoko. Maybe I should ask her the next time I see her?'_ Naruto thought to himself with contentment as the thought of seeing Shoko again after the crazy week he just had filled his heart with excitement.

"Ok we will now be moving on to the next round." Hayate called out which grabbed everyone's attention as the LED board on the back wall came to life again. Multiple names kept flashing across the screen as the randomization script ran its course. For Naruto, in particular. It felt as if an eternity was passing him by in slow motion and he wasn't exactly sure why, he also wasn't sure why he was getting this pit of anxiety forming in his stomach and gripping his heart but he was about to find out.

* * *

 _[Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka]_

It felt as if the entire room just went deadly silent but in reality, it was just because those around Naruto fell silent. "Naruto…" Hinata whispered in worry as her lavender eyes peered over at her best friend whose face settled into a small but noticeable frown. _'Oh no. This is going to be such a major drag.'_ Shikamaru groaned in his mind but deep down he was worried about how this matchup would turn out. _'Well now this is going to be real interesting. They were like cats and dogs in the academy, especially after what happened at graduation. I wonder if that animosity has cooled down over the last few months? I would think the Land of Wave's mission would have helped.'_ Anko thought to herself as she gazed at Naruto who's look of content changed to contempt in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, boy this should be easy. With most of his pesky powers out of the way mopping the floor with Naruto should be a piece of cake." Kiba boasted as he stretched a little. A competitive and arrogant grin was on his face at the thought of fighting Naruto and in his mind winning. "There's no need for any of that Kiba. Besides even in his weakened state it would be unwise to underestimate Naruto. Why? Because it could very well cost you the match." Shino intervened as he came to the defense of Naruto who hasn't said a word.

"Hey! Whose side are you on Shino? I've got this in the bag. Anyways you'll be rooting for me right Hinata? After I've beaten him you'll obviously have to acknowledge who the better guy is between the two of us right?" Kiba questioned as he slid up onto the other side of Hinata while putting a hand around her shoulder. His cocky attitude was still in full effect and the gritting of Naruto's teeth was all of the evidence anybody needed to know that Kiba's words were getting to him.

"I uh… uhmm. Kiba I…" Hinata stuttered and fumbled over her words as she really wanted to cheer Naruto on. Not just because she has a crush on him but more so for the fact that he's her best friend and it feels natural to support him. While good friends and teammates Hinata doesn't feel the same about Kiba. This was putting her in a real tough position.

"Kiba… that's enough. Get down there so you can start your match." Kurenai reprimanded as she did not approve of her student's behavior. She could sense the tension in the air and she didn't want to see and drama unfold in front of her. Not to mention the fact that Kiba was getting a little too physical with Hinata. Kurenai was tasked by Hiashi Hyūga himself to watch over Hinata and to personally oversee her training. At first the then at the time Chūnin Kurenai thought that Hiashi was just pushing Hinata off because he was tired of her but she later came to find out that his intentions weren't so cold hearted. Kurenai can't say for certain why, but she does know that Hiashi had other motives in mind.

"Yeah, whatever. Come on Akamaru. Let's go win us a match." Kiba said with his fateful puppy barking in agreement. The Inuzuka heir hopped the railings of the observation balcony and landed 20 feet below on the concrete tiled floor of the arena. Making his way over to Hayate who was waiting in the center of the room Kiba's grin never diminished.

Seeing this Naruto decided to take the stairs so that he could warm up his legs from standing in the same position all day but also to allow him time to think. "Naruto…" Hinata began to say as her best friend walked passed her. He wasn't even looking at her. "It's ok Hinata. You don't have to cheer me on. Doing so will only put you between a rock and a hard place. I'm not asking you to choose between your best friend and teammate. I'd never make you choose between us." Naruto said quietly as he continued to walk away passing by Neji who heard all of this with a scowl on his face. "… good luck." Hinata whispered out and Naruto heard it but made no noticeable indication back towards her.

Once on the stairs and far enough away from everyone's listening range Eva decided to speak up. "Naru are you ok?" She asked her faithful partner with concern in her voice. "I'm fine Eva." Naruto said without his usual personality leaking into his voice. Eva predictably picked up on this and it worried her. "What are we going to do Naru?" She asked as they approached Kiba and Hayate. "We're going to beat him." Was Naruto's cold reply.

"Ok now. The seventh preliminary match between Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka is about to begin. Both fighters are you ready?" Hayate asked as he gauged the Genin's responses. "Let's do this!" Kiba barked loudly. "Ready." Naruto said as he never took his eyes off of his opponent.

"Well then… you may begin!"

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 _ **To be continued...**_

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Bukijutsu: Twin Rising Dragons -** A technique unique to Tenten that takes advantage of her superior skills with weapons. First, she places two small scrolls in an upright position on the floor. When activated, the two scrolls release smoke while also flying and spinning into the air in the shape of two dragons made of smoke. Tenten then jumps between the two scrolls, and starts to rapidly summon and throw all sorts of weaponry as a powerful projectile barrage. If the initial attack were to fail, she can control the discarded weapons with wires attached to her fingertips for a surprise attack. However, because the weapons are thrown, they are easily countered by wind techniques.

2.) **Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu -** This bold move is Temari's speciality. By freely manipulating the gale brought forth by her Giant Folding Fan, the many air currents collide and create vacuum pockets. The person enveloped by this gale is assaulted by countless invisible blades, carving up their body. Also, the strong wind power will blow away all incoming projectile weapons and will even make the opponent unable to stay on their feet. Temari can also manipulate the form of the gale, creating a tornado to envelop and lift her opponent, while also cutting them several times.

3.) **Leaf Hurricane -** A taijutsu where one launches a succession of high kicks and low kicks. Firstly, the opponent's evasion margin is restrained upon seeing the high kick, thus augmenting the chances for the low kick to hit the mark. So originally the high kick is little more than a feint. The technique can also be used in the form of a spinning-roundhouse kick through the air, either alone or in unison with another user for more efficiency.

4.) **Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu -** This is the signature secret technique of the famous Nara Clan. The user extends their shadow on any surface even water and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

5.) **Genjutsu: Harmonic Delirium -** This unique Genjutsu causes sound waves on a peculiar frequency that is mostly inaudible to humans enters your ears and travels to your brain. Once it reaches your brain the caster can then freely control the person's body and shut down their motor functions. It also induces equilibrium loss as well as vivid hallucinations.

6.) **Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears Jutsu -** This technique lets the user condense mud or stone from the ground and shape it into spikes that protrude from the ground in order to skewer the target. The spikes cannot penetrate targets of greater density.

7.) **Earth Style: Iron Skin Jutsu -** The user flows chakra through all parts of their body causing it to become noticeably darker, which increases their defensive power to its utmost limits by making the skin as hard as diamond, easily capable of withstanding most attacks with little to no damage. As a result, the amount of techniques that can break through the areas hardened by the Iron Skin are close to zero, excluding its undeniable weak point: _Lightning Style Ninjutsu_. Furthermore, the destructive power of physical attacks is increased, making this a great all-purpose technique.

8.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

9.) **Lightning Style: Four Pillar Trap -** Four giant rock pillars are summoned around the enemy, which then shoot bolts of lightning between them, immobilising the target and possibly doing great damage to them.

10.) **German Suplex -** The move is technically known as a belly-to-back waist lock suplex or a back arch throw, the wrestler stands behind the opponent, grabs them around their waist, lifts them up, and falls backwards while bridging his back and legs, slamming the opponent down to the mat (Ground) shoulder and upper back first. The wrestler keeps the waist lock and continues bridging with their back and legs, pinning the opponent's shoulders down against the mat (Ground). The wrestler can also release the opponent in mid arch, which is referred to as a release German suplex

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? Tenten vs. Temari went about the same as in the manga but with my slight tweakings and alterations but the outcome was still very much the same. In the future I plan to upgrade Tenten's ninjutsu arsenal to make her more competitive and versatile against opponents because let's face it. She was not at the top of Kishimoto's list for character development in any category. Her abilities didn't change much between Part 1 and 2.

Now Shikamaru vs. Kin ended the same was as in the Manga but I really added my spin to this. We can all safely say Shikamaru did not have a psychopathic angeloid little girl in the back of his mind talking to him during his fight. So yeah I'd say I added my own flare to that fight. I also decided to name Kin's unknown Genjutsu. It doesn't have an official name on the wiki page so I went out of my way to make one up for her. I also made sure the name made sense and fit the description of what the Genjutsu actually does.

Next we had Samui from the Hidden Cloud vs. Takei Hitomaro an OC I created for the Hidden Stone. He is Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi's Genin teammate. I was originally contemplating using Deidara as their third teammate but I ultimately decided against it. I didn't want him to appear so early. However he will be a fellow Genin of Kurotsuchi but just on a different team that did not participate in the exam. As for Takei I just created him to fill in the third vacant spot on Kurotsuchi's team but after the battle I gave him I might actually make him stick around. I was just going to discard him afterwards but seeing the fight he gave Samui I changed my mind. I made sure Samui stuck to her character with her favorite word being "cool". She however is more closer to a Chunin in strength. I made sure she was very talented and strong as I do plan to have her be a Jonin when Part 2 comes around. I had absolutely no plans for this fight going in. I didn't outline it or come up with a start of finish. I just let my fingers type and it turned into Takei being more competent despite the description I gave him. He put up a decent fight and showed some skills. But I had to have Samui put him down with a German Suplex. I'm a wrestling fan so I had to throw that in their and I'm building the Hidden Cloud up to have their culture influenced by wrestling. It's fitting considering every single one of the Fourth Raikage's moves are wrestling moves.

I also through in a little intermediate scene towards the end with Guy explaining to those around him about the intricacies of the Hidden Clouds culture. I decided that was a good place to insert some world building as I went into depth with the different wrestling styles that will make up their culture. I had fun writing that as I got to add something I like to the story. So I'm glad that turned out alright.

Finally the last segment of the chapter is setting up the Naruto vs. Kiba fight and the tension is so thick you wouldn't need the Sharingan or Byakugan to see it. I put their animosity for each other on the back burner for a long while but it's back again. To keep it in mind Kiba and Naruto don't really get along well in this story. They aren't exactly best friends. Especially with what happened in Chapter 1 of this story. Kiba's not so hidden interest in Hinata has caused some friction between him and Naruto and it's going to come to a boiling point. Kiba made it a point to reinforce the fact that Naruto is severely weakened and that this match was going to be easy for him to win. He also tried to put Hinata in a compromising position by having her choose who to cheer for. This is going to affect Naruto in his upcoming match. We'll have to see what happens.

Next Chapter: _**(Chapter 45 Elimination Match 8: Rivalry)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 44 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 4/15/2017


	46. CH: 45 Elimination Match: 8 Jealousy

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys welcome back to another chapter of The Savior. It's been nearly a month since the last chapter and I do apologize. However, it is here now and it's time for Naruto vs. Kiba. The battle will be very intense and in some spots a little emotional. When writing this chapter I stopped and rewrote several times because I was not quite satisfied with the way the pacing, character interactions, dialogue, and action was progressing. To me it was choppy and didn't flow well so I revised it with this obviously being the finished product. I personally hope I conveyed the tension in the fight and the conflict between the two characters, however I will let you guys be the judge of that. My best friend and I sat down on Monday and talked about the chapter and made final revisions so it's all done and ready to go.

 ** _{Guys please read the Author's Note at the bottom, I have a special announcement there. Thanks.}_**

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 45

 _ **Elimination Match 8: Jealous Rivalry**_

The tension in the air was palpable, very much so. _'Don't get angry… don't get angry.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he tried to keep a level head. To end up facing Kiba out of all the other participants left in the competition was ridiculous in Naruto's mind. Fate must not like him very much Naruto concluded in his mind. Standing across from him was Kiba Inuzuka his rival and fellow classmate. Using the term friend would be too strong of a word in Naruto's vocabulary. They were associates who were civil with each other at best. Kiba's arrogant attitude and penchant for getting closer to Hinata didn't really sit well with Naruto.

The blond haired Uzumaki couldn't really put his finger on it why he becomes so troubled when Kiba gets too close to Hinata but he would admit that he does feel some form of jealousy and defensiveness. Kiba's attitude generally gets under his skin easily which was another negative in his book but Naruto wouldn't go as far as to say he hates Kiba. Hate as well would be far too strong of a word. It's just his arrogance and flirtatious attitude that really aggravates Naruto to no end.

' _But I have to put him in his place here and now. I can't let this animosity between us continue.'_ Naruto swore to himself as he tried to circulate his chakra through his body. It was working but just not in the way he would like. He couldn't feel the all-encompassing freezing cold aura of Eva's Yōki that he's gotten used to for the last 8 and a half years. To him her Yōki feels like a nice refreshing cool breeze in a hot desert. To others feeling the aura of Eva's Yōki would be the same as being stuck in a freezer for a day. It's cold.

At the same time, he could barely feel Chaos's chaotic and volatile aura within his chakra either and while most would say that's a blessing in disguise; to Naruto it didn't feel right. Chaos's spontaneous energy had its own odd comforting effect on Naruto as he always felt a sense of unpredictability with Chaos's energy coursing through his veins alongside his chakra. It brought with it a sense of excitement and uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen next and although he didn't want to admit it the danger of Chaos's energy, the darker aspects of her energy that while aren't evil they definitely carry with it a bit of darkness… it was like flirting with a power you know you shouldn't. That rush of excitement couldn't be replicated.

Finally, he couldn't feel the warmth and comfort of having Sōkyoku's heavenly aura mixing in with his own chakra. The aura that made him feel safe and protected, the aura that made him feel invincible and unstoppable. Whenever he tapped into Sōkyoku's powers he felt like he was making a difference. He usually only uses her powers to heal others and that in and of itself gave him satisfaction. To not feel any of those comforts right now was both a terrible feeling and a humbling experience. _'I'm just going to have to figure out a way to beat Kiba without my powers. My condition right now puts me about somewhat even with him. The only thing I've got over him is experience and a variety of skills but that's about it.'_ Naruto analyzed as he stood across from the Inuzuka heir.

' _This is going to be a piece of cake. With Naruto's handicaps Akamaru and I actually stand a chance now at beating the punk. Once I beat him Hinata will finally have to start looking at me in a different light. If the reason why she likes him is because of his strength and the fact that he's so strong then once I beat him, I'll be the strong one.'_ Kiba rationalized in his brain as the cocky smirk plastered itself across his face. He confidently told Hayate he was ready for this match. _'I'm going to wipe that arrogant smirk right off his face. The first move I make will decide the match.'_ Naruto promised to himself as he subconsciously told Hayate that he was ready for the match. His cold stormy eyes never left Kiba's as Hayate finally announced that the match could begin.

"You may begin." Hayate announced as he quickly got out of dodge. He could feel the tension between the two Genin and he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. Before Kiba could even move Naruto had already made his first move. 8 shuriken were already flying through the air straight for the dog loving boy who to his credit was able to react to this high-speed attack. Kiba's enhanced senses due to being a part of the Inuzuka clan afforded him many advantages which he put on display here by dropping to the ground on all fours without breaking a sweat.

The shuriken Naruto through all impacted against the far wall with low clangs as the metal weapons buried themselves into the concrete as a testament to how hard Naruto threw them. Speaking of which Naruto was already on the move as he crossed the distance between him and Kiba in under 3 seconds. Starting off with the basic Dancing Leaf Style Taijutsu taught to all the academy student Naruto probed Kiba's defenses who was more than ready to counter Naruto's assault.

Ducking under a haymaker Kiba came in with a claw like strike that Naruto caught into a hold. Twisting Kiba's arm around Naruto judo tossed the dog loving Genin over his shoulder but with the heir's advanced agility he was able to land on his feet with little trouble. Before Kiba could counter attack, he was roughly brought to the ground by a well-executed leg sweep that Naruto performed with finest befitting a veteran. Wiping out a kunai knife Naruto went to stab Kiba while he was still stunned from his previous attack but it was in that moment that Akamaru decided to make his presence known by biting down on Naruto's hand causing the blond haired Uzumaki to drop the knife.

Gritting his teeth in pain Naruto flung his arm off to his side as fast as he could which sent the little puppy flying through the air. He would never dare hit an animal. Only if it was some kind of mindless beast that was hell bent on killing him would he ever use excessive force on an animal. Akamaru landed on his four paws expertly but the bark he was sending Naruto was a warning. He was ready to defend his master.

Kiba capitalized on this moment by grabbing the kunai off the floor before Naruto could react. Kiba threw the kunai straight at Naruto's face who managed to lean out the way but he was still cut across the jaw by the wayward kunai. Kiba had drawn first blood. "Looks like I'm in the lead now. First bloods mine." Kiba boasted with a grin while Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Ok! Akamaru let's kick things off!" Kiba announced as he placed his hands into the ram hand sign. _**'Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry – All Fours Jutsu!'**_ An immediate change could be seen in Kiba's whole body, he hunched over and got onto all fours. Next came his canine teeth which started to sharpen and poke out of his mouth as well as his facial features becoming more feral such as his eyes which were naturally vertical slits becoming more prominent. Next his fingernail and toenails started to grow and turn into claws. The last of the changes were Kiba's muscular structure changing to be more acclimated to animalistic movements.

"Here I come!" Kiba shouted and his voice was more beast like as he shot off at high speeds towards Naruto who tried to dodge out of the way but couldn't. His earlier fatigue and injuries from the forest were still very much in play here and he wasn't at his best. Kiba rammed straight into Naruto with a vicious shoulder tackling rib shot that took Naruto right off of his feet and nearly a dozen feet away. Naruto immediately started to cough up blood as he could feel a rib nudged out of place. "How was that? How does that feel?" Kiba taunted as he watched Naruto's moves carefully. "Heh… I know little girls who can hit harder than you Kiba." Naruto wheezed with a grin on his face as he discreetly pointed out Iris and Chaos. Understanding the taunt Kiba growled just like a dog as he felt the tiny sting to his pride.

"Oh, really now. Well I'll show you I can hit harder than them any day." Kiba decreed as he took off again as he reached into his pouch. _'Smoke bombs?!'_ Naruto noticed as he saw the smoke pellets in Kiba's claw like hand. Throwing them down right by Naruto who was now back on his feet Kiba watched as the entire area was engulfed in a thick smoke cloud that obscured everyone's line of sight. Darting into the smoke cloud, Kiba initiated several hits and run tactics on Naruto's prone form who could do nothing to defend himself in the smoke. Naruto could feel Kiba's claws cutting into his jacket and pants with each pass.

Getting an opening Naruto tried to escape the cloud of smoke but Akamaru was right there waiting on him. The little puppy jumped up and clamped down onto Naruto's arm with a lot more force and pressure than you'd expect from a dog his size. The bite hurt but Naruto refused to hit Akamaru so he pried the puppy's mouth off of his arm before tossing him away where he once again landed on his paws with expert precision. Kiba tried to sneak attack Naruto while his back was turned but this time the blond was ready as he ducked under the claw strike that would have taken his head off and flung out a vicious side kick that nailed Kiba in his shin.

Tumbling to the ground Kiba rolled back to his feet while flinching at the pain flaring up in his left shin. Naruto timed and executed the precision move perfectly. "Lucky shot, but how do you plan to win the match with little moves like that?" Kiba asked as he got into an attack position. "You'll see." Naruto said simply as he tried to keep his outwards composure intact. The bottom line is he was hurting. Bad. Kiba's little insults weren't helping his ego either but there was only so much Naruto could manage.

"Well then bring it!" Kiba challenged as he charged in towards Naruto who took a deep breath. Opening his eyes Naruto charged in as well with a look of pure concentration of his face. Jumping up into the air Naruto launched a spinning roundhouse kick that looked strikingly similar to Rock Lee's Leaf Hurricane technique and not seeing this coming Kiba ran right into it as he was sent flying from the brutal attack. "Was that my Leaf Hurricane?!" Lee asked in shock as the move Naruto just performed was very similar to his own. "It looked like it? But those movements…?" Guy mumbled as he casted a glance not at Kakashi like you'd expect but at Anko of all people. Guy wasn't looking at Anko for her involvement per say but for who she herself knew.

Naruto wasn't letting Kiba off the hook as he closed the distance between the two of them in mere moments. Quicker than what Akamaru himself could keep up with. Unleashing lightning quick jabs at Kiba, Naruto was trying to put the pressure on the dog loving boy to prevent him from keeping the advantage but Kiba wasn't done yet. Being on all fours had its own advantages for Kiba as he demonstrated by shoulder tackling Naruto in the ribs forcing the blond to cough up blood. Picking Naruto up with his momentum Kiba tossed Naruto through the air where he landed in a heap a few yards away. "Heh… how does that feel? Not too strong, now are you?" Kiba grinned as he never felt better. Back in the academy he felt something was off with the sparring matches he had with Naruto. Most of the time he would win and those wins never felt satisfying. It was as if Naruto was secretly holding back and not giving it his all and when he finally learned that was the case it infuriated him. However, he held his tongue back in the Land of Waves as it wasn't the right place.

Here he was hoping to finally beat Naruto. "If you think this is enough to beat me Kiba then you're dead wrong. You'll have to try much harder than that." Naruto stated with a coughing fit much unlike Hayate as he slowly got to his feet. He was in pain but he wasn't about to give up. He was winning this match and nothing was going to stop him. "Is that right… well hate to break it to you loser but I'm winning this for more reasons than one." Kiba said as he looked towards Hinata who caught this look with many others. Her lavender eyes widened in surprise as she was catching on to the implications Kiba was conveying and so did Naruto and the others if the scowl that formed on Naruto's face was any indication.

"Is that how it is Kiba? Leave Hinata out of this!" Naruto growled as a defensiveness that he rarely feels was starting to ooze out of him. He recognized the look on Kiba's face. He saw it in a more tamer level on his very own face. Literally in that sense. One day Naruto was practicing alongside his Shadow Clones and Hinata and during the middle of the taxing sparring session in which Hinata was tearing his duplicates apart with her Gentle Fist style that was coming along nicely Naruto spotted one of his clones that was hanging back staring at Hinata with an airheaded dreamy look in its eyes. It had a tiny innocent blush on its face and it couldn't take its eyes off of Hinata up until the point when another clone was slammed into it during Hinata's assault. Both clones dispelled from the hit and later on that day after the spar and Naruto had a chance to go over the memories he received from his clones he paused on that particular clone's memories as it stood out in the pool of the rest for being much stronger and also different compared to the other battle minded clones.

What Naruto felt from that particular clone shocked him. Not so much in the fact that it was new to him but in the fact that the clone could feel such a thing. Naruto realized then that since the clone's existence is so fleeting most of the emotional barriers that he has doesn't get transferred over to Shadow Clones he makes. They express their emotions without any limits or barriers since they aren't held back by his own emotional defenses. They live far too short of a life to worry about hiding their emotions. The emotion he felt from that Shadow Clone wasn't anything new to Naruto. He's felt those same feelings for Hinata millions of times in the past. What got to him was the fact he felt those memories return to him unfiltered and unchained by his own mind. He felt those emotions clearly and it made the subsequent normal conversation he had with his best friend a few minutes later extremely awkward.

He knew he worried Hinata that day as he became suddenly distant and very evasive but he needed time to understand what it all meant. Sadly, the answer never came to him that day nor the day afterwards and that was nearly two months ago; so, he very much recognized the look Kiba had on his face and in his eyes even if his was much bolder or unrefined and it caused Naruto's heart to ache not in pain or sadness but in anger. A defensive anger not only in Hinata's steed but more so from Naruto's point of view as he felt something was being stolen from him.

"And why should I…? I don't need the Byakugan to see that a ring isn't on her finger. After this is all over I would have finally beaten you for real and then Hinata will finally see that I'm just as strong as you are, if not stronger." Kiba declared as he revitalized his body once again with the chakra used for his Four Legs technique. He was ready to resume fighting. "Well then… I'm just going to enjoy beating you once and for all and showing Hinata that I'm still top dog Kiba." Naruto said as a taunt which enraged Kiba as that was a cheap shot in his books.

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba pretty much barked as he reached into his pouch and produced a Military Soldier Pill designed to give a Shinobi who took it a boost in power. If it was given to a ninja pet like Akamaru however… knowing this and the effects, it would have on the little puppy Naruto realized he had to disrupt this move somehow. _'Wait I got it… sorry Iris you're going to be real mad at me.'_ Naruto thought as he channeled chakra into one of the many small storage seals he drew on his arms. As expected Naruto used invisible ink so that his skin would be unblemished by the amount of seals he put on his body but they only become visible when chakra is channeled directly to them.

In a burst of smoke Naruto had a handful of colorful hard candies that looked like marbles and coincidentally enough also looked almost identical to the food pill in Kiba's hand. Kiba threw the pill towards his faithful companion who was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the treat. Instead the puppy ate a piece of candy when he jumped into the air to retrieve it. Landing on the ground Akamaru started to hack up the candy that didn't really taste well to his dog tongue. To a human, it would taste delicious but dogs can't consume everything humans can. Akamaru would have gone after the food pill if his little nose could differentiate its smell from those of the candies around it. These weren't normal candies. This candy had pepper on them since Iris likes spicy and hot foods of all kinds. Even candy. The pepper was making it hard for Akamaru to smell out the food pill which admittedly didn't have a potent smell that stood out to begin with.

This was what Naruto was banking on as he managed to sucker punch Kiba strait in the face when he became distracted out of concern for his puppy. Naruto understood this as well and would admit if something was wrong with his daughters he would be just as distracted. However, this was a shinobi match and he was going to use every advantage he could get. Especially in his weakened state. This time the tables was turned as Naruto laid into Kiba with the full weight of his Taijutsu he's spent years developing under Shoko's tutelage.

The Taijutsu Naruto was throwing at Kiba was a mixture of the **Dancing Leaf Style** that is the standard curriculum taught at the Academy, a surprising dosage of the **Gentle Fist** from spending years training alongside Hinata, mixes of the **Strong Fist** that Might Guy favors, the **Striking Shadow Viper Style** that Anko has taught him for a very long time and small inklings of the **Iron Monkey Fist** that he learned while having brief training sessions with The Third Hokage over the years. This hybrid style has taken Naruto his entire fighting career to mix together and even still it was far from being complete.

' _Those moves again… how fascinating. It would seem little Anko took on a student.'_ The Sound Jōnin watching the match thought to himself as his snake like eyes seemed to glow in amusement and fascination. _'I'm seeing a little bit of Dad's and I's fighting style. Did you teach him this stuff dad?'_ Asuma Sarutobi quickly contemplated as he easily recognized the Fighting Style he and his father the Third Hokage uses.

' _Those moves… the way he strikes certain joints on the body and the way he position his palms for each strike. There is no mistaken it… that is the Gentle Fist. How could he learn and incorporate our family's techniques like that? It had to have been Hinata… how dare she.'_ Neji thought with a scowl on his face as he was far from pleased with the fact that Naruto… someone who he dislikes very much has learned his family's' techniques. It wasn't the fact he was good at it or anything since that was far from the case but the sheer fact that he even knew them was enough to ensure his anger.

It was quickly becoming apparent who was the superior when it came to Taijutsu as Kiba only had the standard Dancing Leaf Style and his own clans **Mad Hound: Man-Beast Fist** to rely on while Naruto had a wider variety to pick and choose from. Naruto was pushing Kiba back while guarding against the dog partnered boy who was retaliating as much as he could. Naruto was pushing himself as he battered away at Kiba's defenses which were failing at this point at he was quickly finding out that while weakened Naruto was very much his superior in Taijutsu. This thought frustrated Kiba to no end as he couldn't understand why he was still on the losing end of the fight.

With a growl of irritation Kiba forced his way into an opening and threw Naruto far away from him giving him the opportunity to reach onto the floor and grab the soldier pill. "Here Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed as he successfully tossed the pill into the puppy's mouth. The effects were immediate as Akamaru's fur turned an intimidating burgundy and spike up while standing on end. The puppy's appearance became extremely feral as if he would attack anybody or anything that would move.

"I'll show you who's top dog around here Naruto! Let's see you handle this. **Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Clone Jutsu!** " Kiba shouted as Akamaru jumped on top of Kiba's back and transformed into an exact copy of Kiba. Both feral versions of Kiba were growling directly at Naruto who grew a contemplative look on his face as he assessed what he was going to do next. Taking off Kiba and Akamaru ran across the floor on all fours with tremendous amounts of speed. Jumping into the air both dog and his master started to spin so fast wind was picked up and they both looked like grey spinning drills. **"Fang over Fang!"** Kiba roared as he zeroed in on Naruto who just barely managed to cartwheel out of the way of both their paths.

Landing on his feet Naruto summoned his metal Bō Staff that he rarely uses. He needed reach now and this weapons was going to achieve that for him. The last time he used this weapon was against the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist. Seeing the two grey drills banking back at him Naruto braced himself as he spun the staff around. Keeping in mind he didn't have much chakra to throw around Naruto channeled a small amount of Wind Nature Chakra into the staff that he swung direct in between both attackers causing Kiba and Akamaru to veer off course. Being blown off course Kiba had enough forethought to bounce off the nearby wall to come in for another attack run.

Shooting a gust of wind from his staff Naruto was able to slow Kiba down just long enough for him to baseball slide underneath the attack, twirling around his staff Naruto batted away Akamaru's drill like attack as soon as he got to his feet. The two Inuzuka's were twisting in the air going in completely different directions as they made multiple hit and run strikes against Naruto who was now once again playing towards a defensive strategy. _'I've got to do something or else… I've slowly running out of stamina and they're wearing me down far too much.'_ Naruto thought as he tried to find a way to turn the battle in his favor.

Both Kiba and Akamaru were coming in once again for another attack run and this time Naruto was ready. Building up a decent amount of chakra Naruto went through several fast-paced hand signs. **"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"** Taking a deep breath Naruto spat out a huge wall of water directly into Kiba and Akamaru's path that was packed with his dense chakra. The twin grey drills of claws and death smacked right into the dense wall of water at high speeds with such force that their momentum caused them to splashed out the other side and fly right over Naruto's head. The two Inuzuka's smacked onto the concrete floor and skidded to a stop nearly 30 feet away. Kiba was grabbing his head in pain as he tried to stand and Akamaru who looked like Kiba was curling up into a ball as he was hurt too.

Naruto took note of this minor detail as even though Akamaru was transformed to look like Kiba he was still exhibiting both personality traits and bodily functions that only dogs make. "Why you… how do you still have so much chakra?" Kiba grunted in pain as his head was pounding from crashing through the tough wall of water. "I'm full of surprises Kiba… maybe I'm just stronger than you'd like to admit." Naruto taunted back as he twirled his staff around into a ready position. "…Oh, we'll see about that!" Kiba roared as he took off without his partner with a growl escaping his lips.

Meeting his charge Naruto and Kiba exchanged a full salvo of attacks as Naruto had the slightest advantage with his staff giving him more reach. Swinging low Naruto swept Kiba's feet out from under him causing the heir to the Inuzuka clan to fall to his back. Twisting his staff around Naruto brought it down hard into Kiba's stomach without remorse causing the boy to spit out saliva. The boy started to cough and choke for air as Naruto had a small glare on his face. Naruto was reminding himself to try to hold back but just looking at Kiba's face was making him agitated.

"Why do you care so much about me and Hinata huh? She's my best friend so it shouldn't matter to you?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. His grip on his staff tightened just asking this question. "Oh, like you don't know..." Kiba wheezed as he sat up while panting. "… Every day during class, outside of class, and even after we graduated the two of you have been all over each other. It pissed me off. She never once looked my way whenever I tried to talk to her. She's the prettiest girl in the entire class and wasn't chasing after Sasuke and yet she only looked at you. WHY!?" Kiba ranted with a scathing glare being directed at Naruto who took an involuntary step back in surprise.

' _Kiba…'_ Hinata thought with worry and shame as she gazed down at her teammate who looked hurt in more ways than one. _'Oh man… this just had to come out now. Why am I not surprised?'_ Shikamaru drawled as his small black eyes focused down on the fight below. "I didn't think it would boil over like this." Kurenai frowned as she gazed at Hinata's worried form before turning her gaze down to her student in the battle. Shino placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder which she appreciated as she felt guilty for letting this happen.

The glare on Naruto's face lessened as he listened to Kiba's words. "Kiba… Hinata and I have been friends since we were six years old. She was my very first friend…" Naruto said as his eyes misted over thinking of a particular incident when he thought of his true first friend. "…Hinata and I are very close, I confide in her for everything. All of my secrets… all of my worries, and insecurities. She's confided in me as well over the years. I can't help it if she's grown close to me too." Naruto spoke out in his own defense. He couldn't help it if he was very close to Hinata. She's practically his family. She's helped baby sit and raise the girls with him whenever Shoko and Anko weren't around. The level of trust he has in her wasn't something words alone would be enough to describe.

"And that's it…? That's all you have to say?" Kiba growled out in anger as jealousy was reflecting off of his eyes. "Am I not her friend either?" Kiba asked and Naruto narrowed his eyes at this. _'Why now, why does he have to show his jealousy now? I'm going to settle this here and now with this fight.'_ Naruto thought as he exhaled a sigh. "You're her friend too Kiba but you're not close to her like I am and you never will be and that's what you need to come to terms with." Naruto said with some steel in his voice. He wanted to hammer the point home. "Why you…" Kiba seethed in anger as he glared at Naruto with everything he had. "Do you like her? Do you love her?" Kiba asked as he looked from Naruto to Hinata who's eye which were colored with worry and concern widened in absolute shock and surprise at the question Kiba would ask in front of everyone.

Temari raised her eyebrow at the bold audacity Kiba had to ask a question like that. Most others had similar thoughts as well.

Hinata's known for a long time that Kiba's had a crush on her and while flattered, at the end of the day Hinata always knew who her heart belonged to. There was no question but she did try to always let Kiba down gently but he never took the obvious hint. He always came back like a little puppy which in Hinata's mind was a bad thing. She didn't want this to get in the way of her team's dynamic or her friendship with Kiba but he didn't see it that way. Now it was spilling over into their fight right now. Hinata blushed a faint hue of pink as she looked towards Naruto to hear his response.

Naruto's face was much redder than Hinata's right now as he was pretty much being put on the spot in front of an entire room full of people. "That… that's none of your concern Kiba." Naruto stuttered as he took a step back. He didn't need this line of questioning right now. As for Hinata she was trying not to put any pressure on Naruto but she involuntarily leaned in with her eyes full of curiosity and after hearing what Naruto said she wilted a bit in sadness.

"You need to let this jealousy go Kiba. Leave Hinata and I out of it." Naruto fired back as his own glare started to form on his face. Naruto could feel Eva's mood souring at Kiba's line of question and since her powers were being dampened right now Naruto didn't have to worry about his faithful partner going off the deep end. The last thing he needed right now was for his super possessive demon partner to go off on Kiba and hurt him. Eva's Yōjutsu and Magic has been getting stronger in the last few months. She can now launch high pressure blast of water at concrete that could crack and break it. That's the last thing Kiba needs right now.

"You damn right I'm jealous! I…!" Kiba began to shout but he was cut off by Naruto whose nerves were being worn down. "Kiba you need to get this alpha dog mentality out of your mind. You can't just pine after Hinata then get mad because she doesn't return your affection. She has to decide who she likes Kiba and we both have to respect that…" Naruto said in the sternest voice anybody's ever heard him speak in. "…And if you can't understand and accept that then I'll have to beat it into you." A scowl was on Naruto's face as he slid into his attack stance. "Is that so…" Kiba growled as he got into a prone form as his face shifted into a vicious snarl. "Once I beat you I want you to drop this!" Naruto demanded as this statement caused Kiba to snap and charge at him.

' _Yeah I'm talking a big game but my chakra is running low. I put a lot into that water wall and I'm using the rest to vitalize my body. I need an equalizer!'_ Naruto contemplated as Kiba smashed right into his guard. Twirling his staff around Naruto knocked Kiba back a few feet but was immediately met with the assault of Akamaru who was back in the game. The two animalistic clones rushed in at Naruto completely in a new dynamic as they battered away at his defenses quickly to the point it was overwhelming.

Coming in with a quick wild rush Akamaru knocked Naruto's staff out of his hand and far into the air after smashing into Naruto with jarring force. Before the Uzumaki could fully recover Kiba who was spinning like a drill slammed into Naruto's stomach with such force that Naruto was lifted off his feet and 20 feet into the air. "Aaahhhhh!" Screaming in pain Naruto's body slammed violently into the arena wall where it left spider web cracks in the concrete. Dropping to the floor Naruto coughed up blood as he felt a few of his ribs crack and at least one of them break from the force.

"Naruto!" Hinata involuntarily shouted out in shock and worry. Everyone heard the sound of the impact. They knew something had to have been broken from that fight. Her Byakugan involuntarily activated as well in that instant and she immediately looked over to her best friend and gasped in shock to see several of his ribs, some of which were already bruised from earlier were now either completely cracked or broken. Her delicate hands were gripping the railings of the balcony above and her lavender colored eyes were alight with concern only for Naruto and seeing this Kiba visible growled in anger and jealousy. Seeing this Hinata frowned in sadness at this response.

Reaching over for his weapon that was far out of his reach Naruto groaned in pain as he knew he was on the losing side of this match. Akamaru had wandered over to the metal staff lying on the floor and picking it up the puppy used his strength gained from being in a human form and snapped Naruto's staff in two causing his eyes to widen in complete shock. "No way." Naruto mumbled and this thought was carried over by many as well. Naruto's staff was made of high quality metals and was very durable. To be able to break it like that was an eye opener to Naruto.

' _Think Naruto, I need a weapon. I wouldn't dare use my swords on a fellow classmate. Not that it would do much in the state I'm in right now. I need a weapon strong enough that I can fight back both at close range and long range. Think.'_ Naruto desperately analyzed in his mind and he pushed himself to his feet. A brief image of Iris flickered in his mind's eye at that moment and Naruto's eyes widened in realization. _'That's it. Thank you, sweetie.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he thanked Iris who he knew couldn't hear him. She's been asleep and unresponsive since she came back with Kakashi. The exhaustion she was producing was so intoxicating Naruto though he was going to collapse the moment he reconnected with her.

Slowing his breath Naruto reached out and pried deep into the center of his being. He felt the familiar warmth of Sōkyoku's tranquil and godly aura and in that moment a small glyph appeared in between Naruto's palms. It was Sōkyoku's glyph with the image of a phoenix in the center of the magic circle. It was gold and white themed and out of the glyph came the pair of Tessen's Naruto gave Iris for her birthday.

Slowing down for a minute Kiba's eyes widened as he saw Iris's weapons in Naruto's hands. _'I've never really used Iris's weapons before, but I can feel a sudden surge of her energy coming directly from her weapons. It's as if they've been imbued with her aura.'_ Naruto noted in wonder as he felt Sōkyoku's energy flowing from her fans into her body. "Those fans… it can't be." Temari exclaimed in shock as she immediately recognized the weapons in Naruto's hands. Iris used them to fight off her and her siblings in the forest. She used them masterfully in both her offense and defense when she confronted the sand siblings. That encounter was not something Temari was going to forget.

The Sound Jōnin who was watching the fight eyes metaphorically glowed in excitement and interest as his tongue briefly slithered out of his mouth. _'That presence. It feels like Iris but so much more powerful. This presence definitely belongs to a holy being, but none I've ever felt before.'_ Hiruzen took note as his old eyes peered out from below the brim of his large red ceremonial Hokage Hat.

Kiba growled as he wasn't sure what Naruto was planning. "I'm ending this Kiba. Get ready." Naruto declared as he felt his body temporarily revitalized by Lady Sōkyoku's Holy Aura. Taking off at a speed he hasn't shown all fight Naruto closed the gap between him and Kiba in seconds. Meeting his charge Kiba spun in the air alongside his beloved puppy as they attempted to pinch Naruto between them. Spinning counter clockwise Naruto became a buzz saw as he deflected both grey drills attacking him. Dropping to the ground in a role Naruto felt his instincts take over as well as an outside force guiding him as he threw both metal fans from his hands at the wall and everyone watched as they unfolded into a full circular disk shape. They were almost like shuriken.

The fans each bounced off the walls at seemingly random different angles but it all soon became clear that Naruto wasn't blindly throwing the weapons around. After ricocheting off the walls the twin fans each picked a target and bounded off to a matching pair of grey drills who started to veer off course to dodge. Clapping his hands together as if he were going to use his Ice Style Ninjutsu which in the back of Hinata's mind she thought he really was Naruto instead focused on his Wind Nature Chakra and like magic (Pun intended) the weapons converted his will over to Wind Magic causing the fans to generate a buffeting field of wind around them.

Dodging the first pass of the weapons Kiba dove towards the ground to hit Naruto who was running directly at him but to Kiba's and everyone else shock the two fans veered off towards each other and collided in mid-air causing one of them to bounce back and shoot off towards Kiba's unprotected back who could do nothing but take the hit that came in to fast for him to even dodge. Instead of getting cut by the visibly sharp weapons like he and everyone else thought the air bubble that was generated around the weapon explode upon impact with Kiba's body throwing the Inuzuka out of his Fang over Fang Jutsu.

Tumbling through the air in an out of control heap Kiba was not prepared for Naruto's follow up attacks. Akamaru at the same time saw his master in trouble after the fans collided banked to the right nearly hitting the balcony causing the metal fan chasing him to bounce off in a different direction. Seeing his master hit in the back Akamaru attempted to run Naruto through but the puppy made a big mistake by coming in the same direction Kiba did. Forming a familiar set of hand signs from memory Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled. **"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"** From Naruto's mouth came a massive concussive column of wind that slammed into both dog and master and sent them flying far through the air to the ground where they started to bounce off the floor repeatedly.

Snapping right into a well-executed cloudless **Body Flicker Jutsu** Naruto crossed the distance created between him and his opponents in half a second. **"Wind Style: Hurricane Fist!"** Naruto shouted as he felt his ribs rattle inside his ribcage. His body was screaming in accumulated pain but he didn't care. Naruto's fist where surrounded in a cyclone of cyclonic winds as he punched Kiba straight in the gut who was stumbling to his feet. Kiba folded like a fold up chair around Naruto's fist as his jacket and hoodie was torn into by the winds around Naruto's hands.

Lifted off his feet Kiba coughed up a wad of blood as it was his turn to experience what he put Naruto through. Before he could go flying Kiba found himself slammed back into the ground by Naruto's other fist in a well-executed combo attack. Akamaru seeing his master in a defenseless position took off still transformed as Kiba and went into a solo Fang over Fang. Spinning like a grey drill Akamaru shot straight at Naruto who took his hands still surrounded in a shroud of wind and clapped them together in a loud smack causing a cyclone of wind to tear into the disguised puppy sending the dog flying until he hit the ground a dozen yards away. It was the best Naruto could do without hurting the puppy too much. The fact that everyone then saw Akamaru revert back to his true form as the **Combination Transformation Jutsu** was broken showed that the puppy was out of the fight.

"AKAMARU!" Kiba yelled in concern for his beloved puppy who was just taken out the match in a K.O. Roaring in anger Kiba kicked up with his legs sending his heels directly into Naruto's chin forcing the boy back a few yards. Back flipping to his feet Kiba discharged a large portion of his remaining chakra. **"Inuzuka Clan Secret Technique: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Hone Claws!"** Kiba's already extended claws glowed a faint red causing Naruto's eyes to widen in shock. _'So, this was the technique he's been working on since we got back from Wave. He was bragging that it's a two-part combo move.'_ Naruto thought in realization as he instantly got on the defensive. Sōkyoku's metal fans seemingly with a mind of their own returned to his hands ready for him to use them as they could sense the danger their host was in.

" **Inuzuka Clan Secret Technique: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Hound Claws!"** The red glow that emanated from Kiba's claw like hands solidified into a shell of chakra on top of his skin that took the shape of a large set of claws. This also extended to his feet which was also undergoing the same transformation. Kiba's feral appearance seemed to become even more animalistic as he took off the ground cracking the concrete beneath him. _'So, this is Kiba's trump card he's been working hard to perfect since Wave. He said he got the inspiration to develop it after our encounter with that powerful Demon who attacked us on the bridge. From what I heard Kiba actually managed to convince his clan to enter this Jutsu into their Family's Scroll. They approved and now some of their other members are starting to learn this technique. How troublesome.'_ Shikamaru groaned inside his own mind as he realized that this Jutsu instantly made the Inuzuka heir a much more formidable opponent towards those in his age group. _'Naruto needs to think of something and fast. He should use his Shadow Clones to even the odds. It might help… wait a minute.'_ Shikamaru paused as a stray suspicious thought crossed the back of his mind that caused the boy genius to cast a suspicious glance at his long time close friend.

The speed at which Kiba shoot off the ground was impressive but otherwise negligible at best as far as Naruto was able to note. This was more due to the density and force his chakra was outputting since it's compact so heavily into his hands and feet. Now the attack power and potency of this Jutsu on the other hand was an entirely different story altogether as Kiba smashed right into Naruto's defenses so hard he cracked the concrete beneath their feet and the blond haired Uzumaki felt his bones ache and rattle around inside his body.

Kiba unleashed a tyrannical barrage of hands and feet at Naruto who was doing his best to not be ripped apart by his classmate's reckless assault. Opening and closing his battle fans and using them to deflect the incoming attacks it was about all Naruto could do just to keep himself competitive in the close quarters match. "Look at me now loser! Who's top dog now! You're nothing to me and you're nothing to Hinata!" Kiba roared in triumph as he steadily pushed Naruto back with his increased strength which was seriously giving Naruto a run for his exhausted money.

' _I get it now. Hone Claws was a buff. It increased his attack power probably by a multiplier of 3 judging by the force he's demonstrating in his attacks. Kiba could always hit hard but now he's taken it to a new level entirely. And if I'm not mistaken his accuracy has gone up as well as all of those strikes are way to surgical and precise for his family's style of combat. It looks about as accurate as the Gentle Fist. I guess that's what happens when you have a Hyūga on your team. The Hound Claw on the other hand takes advantage of the buff he gets and gives him an actual attack to fight with. Oh, boy this whole thing is one big headache. How are you going to pull yourself out of this one Naruto?'_ Shikamaru analyzed as he took note of Kiba's flashy new attacks. He was rooting for his close friend to win and a feeling in his gut was telling him that Naruto had one last ace up his sleeve to play.

Gritting his teeth in aggravation at Kiba's last remark and feeling a burst of energy as a result Naruto suddenly switched gears as he started to stone wall Kiba's relentless assault. Matching the animalistic boy blow for blow Naruto seethed as he wouldn't allow himself to lose to Kiba while the boy was being fueled by jealousy and envy. Activating his Hurricane Fist once again to add some leverage to his attacks Naruto started to trade blows on an equal playing field with Kiba who was shocked to see Naruto still able to go on. "Just give up already! I'm stronger than you!" Kiba yelled directly into Naruto's face as they traded close ranged blows. "We both know that's not the truth Kiba." Naruto jabbed ruthlessly at Kiba's pride as he broke the deadlock between the two with a massive gust of wind from Iris's fans.

The fact Kiba's face somehow showed more anger on it proved that Naruto's insult managed to hit him in his pride and that his words had some truth to them. Roaring in anger Kiba attempted to close the distance between the two but was stopped by razor sharp crescent moon shaped air blades that Naruto was launching from his battle fans. Clawing his way through them Kiba was determined to reach Naruto but he couldn't see that he was being led into a trap. "Kiba this match is coming to an end. Whatever is going on in your head about Hinata let it go!" Naruto demanded as he forced Kiba over towards the wall in the room.

However, something was noticeable about this wall. It had 8 shuriken lodged into the concrete. The same 8 shuriken Naruto threw at the very beginning of the match. It was the very first move he made. Seeing his time to strike Naruto sent an extra-large blast of wind at Kiba who busied himself with deflecting the attack so he could not possibly stop what was truly to come. When he finally sensed something was wrong it was already too late to do anything about it. The entire section of the wall exploded into white chakra smoke as exactly 8 Shadow Clones of Naruto appeared behind Kiba who was only now reacting to their sudden appearance. They moved with purpose and coordination that Kiba could never hope to match with anyone other than his faithful companion in Akamaru. Sadly, Akamaru was out of the equation right now and Kiba was going to pay dearly for it.

All eight clones darted around him in seemingly random patterns and vectors as they would all just narrowly escape his enhanced retaliatory strikes. They would subtly deflect his strikes by simultaneously hitting him in his wrist and elbows while at the same time striking his knees and ankles causing him to get thrown off his center of balance and equilibrium. They were tossing and turning him all around to the point where he couldn't keep his balance. His feet weren't even on the floor anymore at this point as they had long since disconnected him from the ground. Moving in for the finishing combo that Naruto was literally making up in the heat of the moment four of the clone's baseball slid across the floor until they were under Kiba. The first one kicked up at Kiba to launch him into the air. Seeing this Kiba who was desperate retaliated with is red like claws and payed the price when the clone exploded from being hit.

" **Exploding Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Kurenai was at a loss for words as she gazed at what was happening to her precious student. She and everyone else who had connections to the two fighters took solace in the fact that the force of the explosion and the size of it was drastically reduced as all it did was singe Kiba's clothes and propel him further into the air. "NA…!" The first clone screamed right before his detonation as the second clone took his place. "RU…!" This clone exploded too as it screamed a syllable to a name everyone in the room was already very familiar with. "Being flung further into the air Kiba tried to strike back as he didn't want to be suspended in this helpless situation any longer but he wouldn't be able to do a thing. "TO…!" The third clone exploded sending him rag dolling through the air. "UZUMAKI…!" The fourth clone exploded sending him to be about level with the balconies and looking over Kiba made eye contact with Hinata and the rest of his classmates as time seemed to slow for him.

Hinata's eyes showed concern for him… for him and that made his heart swell but it was soon crushed as she was looking at Naruto with just as much if not more worry. Looking up he could see why. The original Naruto had cuts, scrapes, bruises, tears, lacerations, and gashes all over his body as his clothes were shredded and the skin that was exposed was covered in wounds. He had a waterfall of both dried up and fresh blood cascading down from his mouth but the fire in his eyes was burning as bright as ever. In fact, Kiba in the nanoseconds that this was happening he could see Naruto's eyes changing from their cold frosty blue to a vibrant and otherworldly emerald green. A color that seemed very familiar to him. Kiba tried to defend himself. He really did. He felt his arms and legs coming to his aid as his red chakra enhanced claws moved in to intercept whatever Naruto was about to do but bad luck would strike as the last four clones who never exploded appeared through the smoke from the others and each latched on to each of his hands and feet simultaneously and the effects were instant. The red glow immediately disappeared from his appendages and looking at what was held in the palm of each clone's hands was all the reasons Kiba needed to know. The clones had Chakra Absorption & Storage Tags sucking up the chakra he was using in his Jutsu. "PHOENIX…!" All four-clone yelled as they yanked on Kiba's limbs spreading them apart and leaving him defenseless. "BARRAGE!" The original Naruto roared as his foot actually caught on fire.

A golden hue engulfed the entire room and painted the very atmosphere a golden color as all the senior shinobi felt it. The Sound Jōnin, Hiruzen, Kakashi, Guy, and a few others all felt what this was. It was a very potent Holy Aura. _'I feel it. Lady Sōkyoku's Aura is flowing within me. I've never actually attacked another person with her powers before and even then, this technique. It's not an attack… it's actually…'_ Naruto thought in a brief state of enlightenment from feeling such a heavy dose of Sōkyoku's power. Naruto's foot looked like a comet as sparks and embers were flowing off of it as he drove his flaming heel straight into Kiba's stomach who couldn't even make a sound. The second his foot connected with Kiba they dropped out of the air like a stone as they hit the floor in milliseconds. A massive explosion and tremor shook the whole room and the occupants wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the tower hadn't felt the impact as smoke or what everyone thought to be smoke rose into the air and filled the room.

"Wait what is this…?" Kurenai whispered as she was on the verge of screaming out Kiba's name. That level of force was complete uncalled for and she was scared beyond belief for the unknown condition of her student. She knew if anything were to happen to him regardless of the outcome she was going to have words with Naruto, Kakashi, and the Hokage but her thoughts were cut off as her nose caught a whiff of the air around them.

"This is water vapor mixed in with a lot of humidity and steam." Kakashi answered for everyone around him as his Sharingan was out and gazing at the floor below. "What…?" Asuma blinked as he too then came to the same conclusion. "But how is that even possible?" He whispered in confusion as the smoke was blown away suddenly from the arena floor. Naruto stood over Kiba who was laying spread eagle on a broken slab of concrete. In fact, at least 6 of the tile's in the floors tiling had been ripped apart in this impact zone as the rubble was scorched black.

Before any commentary could be said the entire hall was rendered speechless by the stunning sight below them. A large scorch mark that spanned a large diameter of the floor could be seen but it was what the scorch mark was shaped like that had everyone rendered mute. The scorched concrete was in the design of an extremely realistic detailed bird that had its wings spread out… pretty much spread eagle which was ironic considering the position Kiba was in matched the depiction to a tee.

However, this was no ordinary bird. It was a phoenix. The ends of its wings and body was depicted ending in flames. "My god what on earth… how is Kiba even alive?" Kurenai whispered in silent shock and awe. Asuma's cigarette slipped out of his mouth in sheer disbelieve at what he was seeing. "It happened in the seconds before impact. Naruto saved Kiba's life." Kakashi stated which grabbed everyone in ear shots attention. "How?" Shikamaru couldn't help but ask as everything went to fast for him to see. He wasn't really surprised by Naruto keeping Shadow Clones in reserve as he did silently wonder to himself why his friend hadn't used a single Shadow Clone during the entire match.

"The four clones that latched on to Kiba reached out with their unused arms and formed the hand signs necessary for a Water Style Ninjutsu. They fired it at literally point blank range cushioning Kiba's impact with the ground. That's why there is so much evaporated water vapor in the air. It mixed in with the heat from whatever attack Naruto used at the end." Kakashi elaborated as he took in the phoenix painted on to the floor by his student's attack and couldn't help but feel pride well up in his stomach.

"Unbelievable…" Kurenai mumbled in disbelief. "It also looks like Kiba wasn't the only person Naruto saved." Kakashi piped up which refocused his fellow colleagues who were amazed at the attack they had just witnessed. "What do you mean?" Asuma asked as he took a drag of his cigarette. Kakashi simple nodded his head in a certain direction and Asuma's eyes widened. Sōkyoku's twin war fans were giving off a faint golden aura as they were placed side by side while overlapping each other with the flat side facing the rest of the arena around it. But it was what was behind the two war fans that drew even more attention. It was Akamaru. He was completely shielded from the impact, shockwave, and heat wave of Naruto's final attack. They puppy didn't have a single scratch on him. "When did he even do that?" Asuma asked since Kurenai couldn't even form words anymore.

At this time Hayate walked up to check on Kiba and after a few muted seconds closed his eyes and sighed. Kiba was alive. His stomach had a large burn mark on it since his clothes were burned away. The rest of the damage to his body didn't even need explaining and it was clearly obvious he couldn't continue.

Clearing his throat after having another coughing fit Hayate opened his mouth to speak his piece. "Kiba Inuzuka of the Hidden Leaf is unable to continue due to a solid K.O. The winner of this match is Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf."

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry – All Fours Jutsu -** This technique grants animal-like accelerated fighting instinct and reflexes to the user. By enveloping their entire body in chakra and moving on all fours, they can obtain high speed movement and reflexes like that of a wild animal. Taught only to the members of the Inuzuka clan, this technique forms the basis of a Inuzuka clan member's taijutsu fighting style, and will add even more to their feral-like appearances; their canine teeth, their finger and toenails grow to claw-like length, their eyes also become more wild with their pupils becoming slits. When under the effects of this technique, an Inuzuka will display great feats of physical strength, speed, agility and endurance. The form is best suited for using and supporting the ferocious "hit-and-run" tactics that the clan is well known for, leaving the enemy barely any time to launch a counter attack.

 **Dancing Leaf Fist -** The basic Taijutsu form taught at the academy. The style involves a lot of punches and kicks with a mix in of some basic grapples and holds. Everyone is taught this style so that they can build off of it and expand when they are taught a more advanced Taijutsu Form.

 **Gentle Fist -** This martial art is the iconic and world famous form of hand-to-hand combat used by members of the Hyūga clan. It inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, subsequently injuring organs which are closely intertwined with the area of the network which has been struck. To do this, the user surgically injects a certain amount of their own chakra into the opponent's chakra pathway system, causing damage to surrounding organs due to their proximity to the chakra circulatory system. Even the slightest tap can cause severe internal damage, hence the name "gentle" fist.

 **Strong Fist -** The Taijutsu Martial Arts Style that is Guy's and Lee's characteristic fighting style, the purpose of which is to cause external damage and break bones. It is the exact opposite of Gentle Fist which is used mainly by the Hyūga Clan. This style of fighting involves smashing your opponent and is generally used only by extremely physically powerful and dominating shinobi.

 **Striking Shadow Viper Fist -** A Taijutsu style that was created and refined by the Snake Sannin Orochimaru. He passed this unique fighting style down to his only apprentice. Anko Mitarashi. She in turn passed this fighting style down to her surrogate younger brother Naruto Uzumaki. It involves a tremendous amount of flexibility and dexterity in all of the limbs in you body and it incorporates a lot of snake like fluid movements that often involves coiling around your opponents. You strike at a person's joints as well as the most muscular areas of the human body to deal the most crippling and paralyzing damage. The style is all about crippling the opponent like a snake would do. All of the attacks are fast strikes instead of stonewall punches or blocks. It is always precise, fast, and sharp. The style does not focus heavily on defense. Instead it focuses on dodging and retaliation that uses snake like movements as its base in these techniques. The heaviest and most long lasting contact that you have with your opponent when using this style is when you are coiling around your opponent to constrict them and paralyze them.

 **Iron Monkey Fist -** A rare and unpredictable Taijutsu Style taught almost exclusively to the members of the famous Sarutobi Clan. The style includes running on all fours (i.e. the hands and feet), various difficult acrobatic movements such as flipping sideways in the air, front flips, back flips, back handsprings, handstands, walking on the hands, forward lunges/dives, backward lunges, spinning on the butt, spinning on the back and many kicks and strikes. Most of the attacks are aimed at the knees, groin area, throat or eyes of the opponent and hand strikes are normally either open handed slaps or clawing with a semi-closed fist called the monkey claw. _{Based on the Chinese Martial Art's Style Hou Quan which is a version of real life Monkey Fist.}_

 **Mad Hound: Man-Beast Fist -** The Taijutsu style unique and exclusive to the well known and established Inuzuka Clan. The style is at its best when used by a Inuzuka Clan member and his/her dog partner called a ninken. The style involves imbuing the body with chakra to aid in the style's very animalistic movements. For mobility the style focuses heavily on moving on all fours and attacking with open palm claw like strikes. A lot of claw and feet slashes are the most common attacks with many sub variants of the moves being used in different situations. For secondary attacks a lot of full body elbows, shoulder tackles and knee strikes are the most common and go to response to encorporate into the attack sequence. When being used to it's maximum the style allows for the two partners who are working in complete synchronization with each person to either attack together, defend together, dodge together or separately complete these tasks at the same time. The style relies on its unpredictability and randomness, as well as the perfect synchronization the partners show off to overpower their opponents.

2.) **Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Clone Jutsu -** This is the signature Transformation Technique used by the Inuzuka clan. It allows the clan's shinobi to transform their canine companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the All Four Jutsu, the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally feral. Like any transformation, the technique can be broken by identifying and attacking the animal, thus dispelling the transformation. This technique is often followed by the Fang over Fang

3.) **Fang over Fang -** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. When this attack is done alone, it is called Passing Fang.

4.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu -** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

5.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu -** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

6.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

7.) **Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu -** A low level Wind Style Jutsu that causes swirling winds to form around the user's fist. Although it is a Ninjutsu it is mostly used in Taijutsu combat to augment the user's punching strength. The winds generated by the Jutsu are strong enough to launch opponents away and send them flying. The winds can also be concentrated in the user's hands to palm thrust opponents or to grip, catch, or push things away from the user.

8.) **Combination Transformation Jutsu -** An advanced form of the Transformation Technique, the Combination Transformation transforms two users into one being and also gains the physical abilities of the transformed entity. In some cases, when one user is preoccupied or cannot use hand seals, one may perform the necessary hand seals, while the other may provide the chakra.

9.) **Inuzuka Clan Secret Technique: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Hone Claws -** A secret technique of the Inuzuka Clan that Kiba created all by himself after gaining inspiration from Jura's attack on the Great Naruto Bridge. Kiba gathers a sizeable amount of chakra into the his hands and in particular his claw like nails which causes them to glow a faint red hue. Kiba achieved this by taking the same principals behind the All Fours Jutsu that grants a significant boost to all of a Shinobi's physical attributes but condensed it down to only his hands and fingernails causing any strike he makes to be far more potent. With the amount of chakra being surged through his body and in particular his hands Kiba's accuracy and dexterity is drastically increased and the potency and attack power as well receives the same drastic boost.

10.) **Inuzuka Clan Secret Technique: Beast Mimicry – Man Beast Hound Claws -** A secret technique of the Inuzuka Clan that Kiba created all by himself after gaining inspiration from Jura's attack on the Great Naruto Bridge. Taking the stat boost gained from the Hone Claws Kiba can form a shell of dense chakra around his hands and feet that embodies all of the raw power Hone Claws gives Kiba. When this Jutsu is activated any attack Kiba makes with his hands or feet will be have it's power increased nearly three times that of his normal physical strength.

11.) **Exploding Shadow Clone Jutsu -** An advanced version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu that allows the user to create shadow clones that will explode either upon death or through voluntary detonation. It is caused by destabilizing the chakra core of the clone and then packing it full of excess chakra that the normal Shadow Clone Jutsu doesn't need.

12.) **Uzumaki Phoenix Barrage -** A improvised move created by Naruto that mimics some aspects of Rock Lee's Primary Lotus as well as the modified improvised version Sasuke gained by copying Lee's movements with his Sharingan. Naruto has four of his shadow clones due hit and run attacks on his target while striking them in their joints to get them to crumble or get tossed off their feet. Once the opponent is off balance and in the air the four clones will baseball slide in and kick the target up into the air. Each clone will then ascend into the air after the target and propel the target further up into the air by either hitting the opponent or in the case the clone is an Exploding Shadow Clone explode itself causing the explosion to launch the person further into the air. Each clone will shout out a syllable of Naruto's name until the opponent is at the apex of his ascent. If Naruto has more clones left over they will each grab onto the targets limbs leaving the victim unable to defend themselves. Naruto's final move is to deliver a devastating falling axe kick to the stomach or any other spot on the target while having his foot covered in Sokyoku's aura. The attack will be so powerful that the ground itself will have a burned in scorch mark of a phoenix.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? As you can see the basic overarching plot and frame work of the fight is the same but I spiced it up even further with the first reason being the motivation for why they are fighting. Kiba obviously has a very specific reason in mind on why he wants to fight Naruto and it's because of Hinata. I've touched on the subject multiple times in the story and now it was finally time for the two characters to clash over it. While Kiba laid out his motivations very clearly Naruto was pretty vague in how he responded to Kiba's words in regards to how he feels about Hinata.

Now is not the time for Naruto to suddenly and without warning confess his feelings for Hinata. He still has a lot of mental growth and maturity ahead of him as well as trials and hurdles to overcome before he could say such words. However, not only have I given an insight into Naruto's hesitancy during the chapter but I've also helped set up where each character stands in this complicated love triangle.

As far as the fight is concerned I of course spiced it up quite a bit to make the struggle between them much more interesting, not to mention I put them on relatively even grounds. It was definitely one of Naruto's most challenging fights in the story as well as being his most handicapped match to date. As far as Kiba's new techniques I'll admit I came up with them on the spot during the writing of the chapter. It all just sort of flowed out of me in the heat of the moment and liking the concept and idea of it I decided to roll with it.

Naruto's usage of Lady Sōkyoku's battle Tessen during his match was something I was thinking about a little before I started this chapter and was ultimately something that made it it. It's a unique fighting style that was never seen in the Naruto verse and so I wanted to adapt it into the story. The fans are heavily imbued with Sōkyoku'sHoly Aura and Magic which allows only Naruto to wield them. They can convert his chakra and intentions over into Magic to use and they have a semi autonomous flight path when thrown allowing them to always find their way back to their owners hands like a boomerang but to also always find their way back to each other. The fans are magically drawn to each other which can be used to the users advantage during a fight which I demonstrated during the fight in which they veered off towards each other and bounced away. The fans also have the unique ability to bounce off of almost any surface despite the fact the blades on the fan are lethally sharp and should by all accounts imbed itself into the surface of whatever it hits. When they bounce the fans will continue to ricochet all over the area always hitting something until they can find the correct path that will allow them to hit their original target. They have a deadly tracking function to them in that regards that allows them to always find the right vector that will allow them a chance to hit their target.

Naruto was pretty rough with Kiba in this match but in the end I had him save Kiba at the last second because at the end of the day this Naruto isn't a ruthless killer and on top of that he doesn't hate or despise Kiba. He just heavily dislikes him for always bragging and boasting with his arrogance and for also constantly trying to get close to Hinata which sets off the jealousy within Naruto. This won't be the last time Naruto gets jealous over someone making advances at Hinata. That will happen more in the future. As far as my treatment of Akamaru in this fight I was as gentle with the little puppy as I possibly could. I own a little dog in real life and she is my entire life. I couldn't bring myself to even hurt Akamaru in the slightest during the match so I held back with the puppy as much as I could. Just the thought of an animal getting hurt disgust me so at no point in this story will any pets of any kind especially cats or dogs be hurt. I just can't bring myself to even write any of that. I know it's just writing at the end of the day so it gives me leniency to get away with writing any kind of scene I want with animals but I can't get rid of my real world attachments and sentiments on the subject so I'm sticking to my ideals on that front.

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 ** _/{Special Announcement and Thanks}\\\_**

Anyways with that long A/N out the way I would like to say thanks for everyone's continued support on my story and now this story finally has 100 reviews. I never thought that possible and I'm extremely grateful for each and every last reviewer and the reviews themselves. Again I would like to thank my most frequent and loyal fans of the story: _**insanemaelstorm**_ ; _**yukicrewger2**_ ; _ **R-King 93**_. _(Thank you for every kind review you've ever given me, it means the world to me and words alone aren't truly enough. Your loyalty, friendliness and encouragement keeps me going so thank you so very much.)_ As far as my other reviewers are concerned whenever you pop up I want to extend a thank you to you as well. I appreciate yours reviews and comments just as much and I think no less of your opinions as well.

I'm going to keep going with this story until I complete it. I won't ever give up on it and with your continued support I know I can make that a reality. So thank you all so very much. THE WIND GOD OF THE LEAF :)

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 _ **Next Chapter:**_ **_Chapter 46: (Elimination Match 9: Familial Jealousy)_**

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 _That's the end of Chapter 45 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 5/10/2017


	47. CH: 46 Elimination Match: 9 Family

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back a little sooner than usual and I'm glad. I really powered through this chapter since I was so excited to cover this match. This chapter is pretty long but it's for good reason. This chapter is very important and crucial to the development of Naruto and Hinata's relationship as characters and to Naruto's reasons and motivations to fight Neji. It's important to the dynamic that is shared between these three characters and this chapter brought all of that out and more. It gets pretty rough and emotional at parts and things get a little nasty towards the end but I think it just adds to the emotions the chapter is supposed to give off.

All in all I'm super happy with the way things turned out as I really put a lot of effort into this chapter. So leave a review if you can. I'd really like to know what my readers are thinking.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 46

 _ **Familial Jealousy**_

That's all she wrote. Kiba was out and Naruto had won. That was definitely one of the most emotionally charged and difficult battles Naruto's ever had in his life. That he was sure of. He may have won but his body and spirit surely didn't feel the same way. "Do you need medical attention young man?" One of the three Medical Ninja's present attending to Kiba asked as he looked over Naruto with his eyes and could see the young Uzumaki on his last legs.

Naruto was seriously contemplating taking the medic up on his offer as he was hurting in places he didn't even know he had but something stopped him. A sense of foreboding anxiety that was accompanied by the timely awakening of Iris in the back of his mind stayed Naruto's hand. Iris was now awake in Naruto's mind and even though her actual presence in the back of his mind much like Chaos's was muted he could still feel her telling him to stay. "No sir that won't be necessary thank you. I'll be fine. I don't want to leave just yet." Naruto declined politely even though he was dripping blood out of many different places.

"But…" The medic started to say but he was cut off by his superior who was looking Kiba over. "That's enough Mokuro. The boy declined. Besides he heals fast anyways." The lead medic stated as he glanced Naruto over and true to his words some of Naruto's wounds were closing up with barely visible golden flames flickering across his skin. The look the Medic was giving him reminded him of the many looks he received from the villagers growing up and that caused Naruto to internally frown and sigh at the same time.

Limping pass the medic team Naruto headed over to the stairs that would lead up to the observation balcony. He stopped briefly to see what Kiba's condition was and the Medics were loading him up onto a stretcher. Hinata, Shikamaru, Sakura who was now awake after her match, Shino, and Kurenai all met Naruto at the bottom of the steps. The group stopped by Kiba's stretcher as Kurenai looked at her student in concern. Hinata approached and so did Shino. "Kiba are you alright?" Kurenai asked as she hesitated to touch any of his skin less she aggravate any injuries. "I'm ok sensei, I'm not as hurt as I thought I'd be after that last attack. Lucky me huh?" Kiba weakly replied with a short laugh. Turning his attention to Hinata's concerned form, Kiba's eyes showed hope.

"How did I do Hinata? Was I strong?" Hinata's lavender eyes drooped down in sadness as she hadn't realized the situation would come to this. "Yes Kiba, you were really strong. You've improved so much." Hinata admitted truthfully as there was no denying that Kiba hasn't improved greatly since the Land of Waves. He was high Genin to Low Chūnin at this point and was definitely one of the strongest of the rookies. That was indisputable. "Really!" Kiba asked with some hope reflecting in his voice and eyes.

Hinata nodded her head in confirmation to this but before she could further comment Kiba spoke again. "Well if that's the case how about after this…" Kiba began but stopped once he saw Naruto approach. The scowl was on his face in an instant as he glared at Naruto. "Here to rub it in…" Kiba growled both in anger and in pain. "No I was never going to do that." Naruto admitted truthfully as he glanced at Kiba's injuries. He was in bad shape but nothing life threatening which was quite contrary when compared to the finishing move used against him. "Don't think this is over Naruto… you beat me this time but don't think it will end up this way again." Kiba declared while coughing a bit. "There won't be a next time Kiba. I will not fight over Hinata with you. She's my best friend." Naruto countered with a wheezing sigh. It was going to take him a while to recover fully.

Kiba gritted his teeth at this as he felt like Naruto was looking down on him. "Am I not strong enough… is that it?" Kiba questioned in fury as he was about to go on a tirade. "No Kiba! It has nothing to do with that. You need to get this alpha dog mentality out of your head. I get it ok… you like Hinata but you need to let her decide if she likes you back. Stop making this all about you! My feelings towards Hinata don't even matter when you yourself can't even control yours." Naruto lectured in a stern voice as he completely put his foot down. He had to stop this now. Kiba looked like was going to retort but he was cut off again and by the one person he was not expecting.

"Kiba please stop this. I don't want this to get in the way of our friendship." Hinata cut in stopping whatever comeback Kiba was about to shout out. "I understand that you like me as more than a friend Kiba… but the thing is… I don't like you in that way. I've tried to give you those hints many times in the past and I've tried to let you down gently but you never once noticed those hints. You always came back. I want us to just be friends. I'm so sorry that I never made that clearer in the past. If I did, it wouldn't have come to this." Hinata explained as she apologized for what she felt was her mistake in handling the situation between her, Naruto and Kiba.

Kiba honestly looked hurt worst here by Hinata's words than the actual battle he just partook in. The words stung his pride and feelings more than he cared to admit. After a few seconds Kiba spoke up… the pain and hurt was clear in his eyes. "Do you love him Hinata?" Kiba asked as he tried to look in her eyes. Hinata smiled sadly down at her teammate as she knew she had to tell him the truth in order to truly help him. "Yes, Kiba I do."

Naruto blushed a bright red in embarrassment and shock as he was definitely not expecting Hinata… shy Hinata to come out and admit that in front of everyone in earshot. She was blushing even harder than Naruto was though but the resolve that was in her eyes couldn't be denied. She had to tell the truth. The pain that flared up in Kiba's eyes was tough for both Naruto and Hinata to see as he looked like he just swallowed a bitter pill. "Here Kiba take this." Hinata offered as she took out one of the healing balms she's spent the last few months making and stockpiling. Between the efforts of Hinata and Evangeline they've combined Eva's gold dust with the healing balm to create powerful healing ointments so strong that they could heal deep gashes in mere minutes.

"I'm sorry but the patient can't accept any unknown ointments right now." The lead medic declined as he stopped Hinata's hand from moving. Seeing that the medics were done with their initial patches ups and were ready to move him Kiba decided he had one last thing to say. "Hinata there aren't that many participants left. If you go up against your cousin… I want you to forfeit." Kiba advised showing that even though he was hurt right now he was still thinking of Hinata and her best interest.

"Ok Kiba… thank you." Hinata acknowledged as Kiba was hauled off. The look on Kiba's face told Naruto and Hinata that this problem wasn't quite over. Hinata couldn't even look Naruto in the eyes as she turned to him. "Here Naruto, you take it. It will help speed up your recovery." Hinata offered as she avoided making eye contact with her best friend. Silently taking the small container of ointment, Naruto could easily just like breathing feel Eva's demonic Yōki deeply mixed into the ointment boosting the healing properties it could provide.

"Hinata… I…" Naruto began to speak as he felt so many thoughts crossing his mind at the moment. It was true that he and Hinata kissed twice before. Once in the classroom on graduation day, which coincidentally enough was Kiba's entire fault and the second time was after Team 7 finished the Capture Tora mission. He had asked her help in shopping for a new tuxedo. After it was done he had kissed her on the cheek in a bold move that surprised the both of them. It was also the same day he first met the Kingpin of the Hidden Stone herself. Balalaika.

"Not here Naruto, there are too many people." Hinata cut in before Naruto could start to say the statement both he and Hinata knew he would make. The look in her eyes said it all. This was a conversation best left until after the preliminaries. The blush was still very much on her face and as far as she was concerned she wanted to disappear into her oversized beige jacket. She didn't want anyone to look at her right now let alone question her on what just occurred.

"Hinata are…" Sakura began to ask as she was also shocked that Hinata would admit something so important. "Don't Sakura… leave it be." Shikamaru sighed as he grabbed a hold of Naruto and started to made his way up top. Everyone else followed him up with Hinata close by. Once everything finally settled down the rest of the participants had to wait a few minutes as the arena floor was repaired. The one thing that they couldn't really repair in such a short amount of time would be the massive phoenix shaped scorch mark staining the floor. There was nothing that could be done about it.

"Ok the five-minute intermission is over; the next two participants are about to be chosen." Hayate announced once everything was ready to continue. The LED board high up on the wall lit up once again with the names of the participants in a green bold font. For close to thirty seconds the names randomly flashed across the screen going too fast for most people to follow and during that time Naruto felt a bad pit of anxiety rising in his body. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate and he didn't even know why. He soon got the answer when the system stopped on two names he never in his life wanted to see matched up.

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 _[Hinata Hyūga vs. Neji Hyūga]_

All of the color drained out of Hinata's face which was quite noticeable since her face was still flushed from embarrassment. Naruto's heart sunk into his stomach as the anxiety he was feeling hit its climax. Naruto felt an immediate rise in killing intent and negative emotions as he turned to see Neji glaring a hole into both his and Hinata's heads. "You should forfeit Hinata. You don't want to go through with this." Neji spoke as he watched Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You can do this Hinata. I know you can." Naruto said encouragingly as he made sure his best friend was looking into his eyes instead of that of her cousin.

Hinata couldn't help but crack a small smile at her best friends attempt to encourage her. She really needed it as she was feeling apprehension, nervousness, and fear for what was to come. Hinata's smile faded however, as her eyes caught the same feelings she was experiencing right now reflecting in Naruto's eyes. "You don't really want me to do this, do you?" Hinata asked as she felt Naruto squeeze her hand, she could also feel a bit of his sweat mingling between their palms and she knew he was trying to stay calm.

"Honestly, no. If you could be as far away from Neji as possible it would make me feel better. With that grudge he has against you and the main branch he won't hesitate to hurt you." Naruto admitted truthfully as he decided not to hide the fear in his eyes anymore. "This is your decision to make Hinata, no one can make it for you." Kurenai decided to speak up as she watched the scene play out between her prized student and her best friend. She's been curious for months about the exact nature of Hinata's relationship towards Naruto. They've kept it quiet and to themselves but it's plainly obvious for anyone with a pair of eyes that there was definitely something serious between the two longtime friends.

"I have to do this. I have to stand up to him." Hinata said as a smoldering fire started to ignite in her eyes. She was well aware of the nonexistent relationship she shared with her very own cousin. He hated her and the entire main branch of the Clan. The sacrificial death of her uncle and his father Hizashi Hyūga deeply traumatized Neji at a very young age; especially as he grew up seeing his father subjected to the **Cage Bird Curse Seal** multiple times by main branch members because his father was never afraid to speak his mind in controversial matters. Sometimes the punishment would come from his very own uncle. Hiashi Hyūga the head of the clan and identical twin brother to Hizashi.

"Be careful Hinata, he won't hold back." Naruto warned as he squeezed Hinata's hand once again. Hinata finally smiled a warm smile at Naruto that had his face flushed pink. "I will. Thank you, Naruto." With that Hinata started to make her way down to the arena floor where Neji was there waiting for her. "Hinata fight smarter, not harder ok." Shikamaru offered up his advice and words of encouragement. "Stay safe Hinata." Shino curtly said as he was not a boy of very many words. Hinata appreciated everything her friends had to say as she nodded to them. "So, you decided to come down here after all. That was a big mistake." Neji berated with a glare boring a hole straight into Hinata's skull.

"I'm not making a mistake at all brother. I have to do this." Hinata countered as she stared at her cousin who she used to affectionately call brother. Till this day, she still does but Neji callously dismisses the affection and care Hinata attempts to give him.

"We shall soon find out about that. Did you honestly think you can come here to these exams and advance? You are far too weak to survive beyond this point." Neji dictated as he wore an arrogant look on his face. "You're wrong about this Neji. I'm far stronger than you may think." Hinata disagreed as she shook her head in disappointment towards Neji's casual dismissal of her abilities. "Humm. Now you're starting to sound like Naruto. You spent more time with him than your training. He's a weakling who's held you back for years." Neji lectured as Hayate who was in between them looked uncomfortable at the argument breaking out between the two-family members. "You would call what Naruto just did to Kiba weak? Has your anger really blinded you all these years?" Hinata asked in pity as for a long time Neji has refused to acknowledge Naruto's strength and character.

"You would dare call me blind! How dare you?" Neji seethed in rage as he took offense to what Hinata had just said. "My Byakugan is the strongest in the entire clan. And I can see more than any other. I see the truths of this world." Neji ranted as he briefly lost his composer.

Hinata truly couldn't help it. She tried to stop the reaction she involuntarily let loose but she just couldn't help it. Hinata let loose a quiet giggle that soon got louder as she laughed at the absurdity and irony of Neji's statement. It was completely not true. "That's not actually true Neji. Your Byakugan may be able to see farther than mine and it may even allow you to see all of the Tenketsu in the human body but as far as being stronger than mine and being able to see the truths of the world… you're very wrong about that." Hinata corrected as she fought to bring her laughter under control. It was highly uncharacteristic of her to do such an action but just listening to what Neji had to say and having all of the emotional stress of what's she's endured for the last few days piling up it caused her to just let loose.

The fact of the matter is Hinata's Byakugan is one of the strongest in the entire Hyūga Clan. Because of the fact from the age of six years old she's been around Naruto constantly she's actually passively absorbed a lot of his highly potent and mixed chakra into her body. Her enhanced Byakugan actually allows her to see Yōki, Holy Aura, and to a lesser degree other forms of foreign energy. This is an accolade not many individuals in the current clan can do. To the best of her knowledge her father Hiashi Hyūga is definitely someone with a Byakugan that powerful. A certain percentage of the elders have Byakugan nearing that caliber and only a handful of the clans top tiered Jōnin level shinobi can perceive energies that are not chakra.

"WHAT?!" Neji seethed as he looked as if he was going to pounce on Hinata right then and there. "How dare you mock me Hinata! You dare laugh at me when I speak the truth? You lie Hinata. You've allowed Naruto to fill your head with lies and now you've disgraced yourself by becoming just like him. You aren't worthy of being the heir to the clan." Neji raged as he slid into his Gentle Fist form.

The last comment of his was the only one to actually sting Hinata's feelings as she has worked very hard to maintain her position as heiress. The elders forced her father to make her fight Hanabi for the position of heiress years ago, but with the timely secret intervention of Naruto and Eva who had played a prank on the entire clan it left that whole situation forever unresolved. Most forgot about it as they turned their attention to beefing up the security around the compound.

"I will prove to you that I'm a lot stronger than you may think brother." Hinata said as she quickly gazed up at Naruto and saw the look of encouragement plastered on his face. Deep down he was worried for her and they both knew it but he was choosing to believe in his best friend. Hinata smiled up at him as well as the rest of her friends who returned the gesture with Naruto's smile being the softest and most tender.

"Are both fighters ready?" Hayate finally intervened as it looked like Neji was ready to attack Hinata on sight. "Ready!" Neji growled as his muscles tensed. "I'm ready sir." Hinata said politely as the sick looking Special Jōnin nodded in understanding.

"Then let the match begin." Hayate stated and no sooner had he jumped back out of the way of the brawl did Neji make his move.

Both Neji's and Hinata's Byakugan snapped to life at the exact same time as Neji rocketed off from his position far faster than anyone had ever seen. A loud smack was heard throughout the entire room as the prodigy from the Hyūga clan slam into his heiress like a freight train. A burst of visible blue chakra exploded from Neji's palm like an actual explosion as Hinata was forced back nearly three whole yards. Not letting up Neji blurred until he was right in front of Hinata and laid into her with strike after strike.

To her credit Hinata deflected almost every attack sent her way and for the ones she couldn't she simply dodged out of the way. Seeing a very brief opening that would disappear in an instant Hinata made her first move. **"Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike!"** Gathering a dense layer of chakra into her palms Hinata shot her hand forward with incredible speed aiming directly for Neji's left rib cage which was for a very brief moment exposed as he was unleashing his flurry of attacks. To the surprise of everyone except Hinata the older Hyūga boy managed to adjust himself and block Hinata's attack but he couldn't compensate for the actual power behind the move and was knocked back at least 10 feet.

Digging his heels into the ground Neji stopped his momentum in seconds as he glared daggers into Hinata's skull. "Is that all you've got." Neji didn't want to credit the strength Hinata used in that last attack as that would give weight to her boasting and claims. Resetting herself back into her kata Hinata's lavender colored Byakugan were focusing down her older cousin with an intensity that Neji didn't even know she was capable of. "Not even close. I'm not done yet." The veins in her Byakugan pulsed as Hinata took off from her spot. She could see everything Neji was doing and the same could be said from his perspective.

Hinata was abnormally fast as she was in Neji's reach within moments raining down pin point accurate strikes with her fingers that Neji was handling with expert ease. Quickly backhanding a stray attack coming at him Neji stepped up his game as he grabbed onto Hinata's arm. Squeezing tight and holding her in place for a brief moment, Neji took his free hand and landed three quick strikes from his fingers before Hinata could bring up her other arm as a defense. One hit her in the right shoulder blade, another hit in the right rib cage area, and the last landed in her inner triceps as she was bringing her arm around.

Hinata could feel each of those area's flare to life in stinging pain but through years of practice and experience she managed to clamp down on the pain and deliver a powerful blow to the forearm of Neji's arm which was holding onto hers. The brief moment that Neji was distracted by the pain in his arm was all the time Hinata needed to send another powerful blast of chakra out of her palms forcing Neji back while at the same time jumping back created a large gap between the two fighters.

Rolling her sleeve up Hinata saw one red spot on the inside of her triceps that looked strikingly similar to a mosquito or bee sting. Based on years of both firsthand experience and seeing it up close being inflicted to others Hinata knew that two more of these red spots were on her body where Neji landed a hit. It also helped that Hinata could feel her chakra was blocked in the Tenketsu located directly below her skin in the places Neji struck. Hinata winced in discomfort as she reopened her chakra points.

"What is Hinata going to do? They are pretty much at a standstill." Chōji asked as he munched on yet another bag of chips. No one knows where he gets that many bags of chips from and Naruto jokingly thinks the Akimichi boy has a storage seal somewhere on his body that has an unlimited supply of snacks. "I'm not sure Chōji. Hinata isn't going all out yet, they're still testing the waters and that's not even considering the fact Neji's just getting started." Naruto explained as he gripped the guard rail.

"Are you feeling confident now that you've managed to hit me?" Neji sneered as he got back into his stance. "You've belittled me and put me down for a very long time Neji. You hate me because I'm a part of the Main Family and because I'm indirectly responsible for the death of your father." Hinata countered as her eyes showed her inner pain at knowing she was connected to the incident that ended up with her uncle dying in her father's place. It hurt her deeply to not have her uncle in her life growing up and she knew that it hurt Neji much more. Over the years, she's tried to get close to her cousin to give him comfort and a shoulder to lean on but he quickly rejected her and began to hate her and the rest of the main household.

His hatred grew over the years as he threw himself into training himself into the ground. On the average day, he would train about 5 to 6 hours a day whenever he finished his clan related duties and on days that he didn't have any chores to do he would train consistently for nearly 8 to 9 hours and wouldn't stop until well into the night. He's done that consistently for years as he's pushed himself past his limits to become a prodigy within the clan. His gentle fist abilities at this time is easily on par with the average Jōnin within the clan.

"Don't you dare speak about him! You know nothing of the suffering I've gone through Hinata! You're nothing more than a failure who has no right to be a shinobi. You haven't suffered enough to earn that right!" Neji growled at her as he tightened up his Taijutsu stance. If looks could kill Hinata would have been dead long before this match today as Neji was channeling all of his anger at his younger cousin right now. Hinata took an involuntary step back as she was trying to deal with the amount of hatred and killing intent Neji was sending her way. It was much more than what she was used too.

"You don't belong here at these exams. Someone as weak and soft as you are doesn't have what it takes to survive the life of a Shinobi. You're a disappointment. Everyone is given a destiny at birth. A destiny that we can fight all we want but we will never get away from. My Byakugan can see it all. Your destiny is to not only be a failure for the rest of your life but to also be a nuisance and a constant walking reminder of everything that was taken from me." Neji ranted as he glared a hole into Hinata's skull who was starting to shake in emotional pain.

Hinata came into this match prepared to take on her cousin and win. If she could win she could prove to him how much stronger she is than he realized. He would constantly call her a failure at home and any demeaning statement he could think of and then walk away. He would never actively talk to her unless it involved belittling comments that he would say in passing whenever he caught her training or working on something. However, now that confidence was dwindling thanks to Neji's cruel words. They were hurting her more than she cared to admit.

She could feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she fought to regain control of her emotions. She knew better, she was taught better than this but she couldn't help how her heart felt and how it went out to her cousin who was in more pain than she was. "No… you're wrong about me. I'm not a failure Neji and I'm not weak. All of these years… I've been holding back. I was conserving my strength. Hiding it away for just the right occasion." Hinata admitted as she tried to get her emotions back in check.

"You what...?" Neji growled as he narrowed his eyes at Hinata. Samui and her two teammates leaned in closely at this point as this was news to them. They remember their villages history with trying to capture unique and rare shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village. They were also taught about the incident involving the Hyūga clan as well when they were back in their village's academy. "She's what?" Kurenai asked in shock as this was definitely news to her. She was understandably surprised to find out that Hinata was much stronger than she led everyone to believe when she proved herself during the Land of Wave's mission. Kurenai was understandably proud but also disappointed and sad that Hinata would keep this from her and her teammates but Hinata just implied that she's been holding back even more.

"Hinata stop letting Neji talk down to you like this. Show him what you're made of!" Naruto announced with an aggravated huff as he was sick and tired of listening to Neji's mouth. Everything that has ever come out of his mouth for as long as he's known him has been an insult towards Hinata and whenever he was around the boy couldn't help insulting Naruto as well. Naruto had long since grown tired of this attitude of Neji's. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to lose a father since he's an orphan who's never met his parents before but he did remember what it was like to almost lose Shoko years ago; It was a horrible feeling but in the wake of all the sadness and pain he felt it motivated him to grow stronger, he didn't mope around and take his anger out on the world.

Neji glared back at Naruto but the Uzumaki promptly ignored the boy in favor at staring down at his best friend. "You can do it Hinata." Naruto said confidently as he pushed his own reservations and fears out of his voice. He was trying to restore Hinata's confidence back in herself. She wouldn't be able to fight if she didn't have her confidence. Hinata looked up towards the balconies into her best friend's eyes and she saw nothing but comforting confidence and faith staring back at her. It enveloped her and honestly made her heart skip a beat. A tiny warm blush crossed her face but she forced it back down as she felt a well of fire erupt deep within her. _'I can do this. I know I can. I'll prove to him that I'm not a failure!'_ Hinata encouraged herself as she let this inner fire consume her.

Naruto saw it. Everyone saw it as Hinata took a deep breath before smoothly slipping into her clan's famous Taijutsu stance. Her Byakugan came to life as she started to circulate her chakra throughout her body. Neji was taken off guard when Hinata's overall chakra capacity nearly doubled without warning. With his Byakugan he could see it. A seal placed around Hinata's neck was activated and released a filter that was dampening Hinata's entire circulation of chakra. _'She released a Chakra Storage Seal on her body? Her chakra output just shot up but why is a part of the seal still off. How come she didn't activate it?'_ Neji thought to himself as he noticed that a secondary seal was a part of the first seal on Hinata's neck but she didn't activate it for some reason. Hinata's chakra capacity was already pretty big. Bigger than both Sakura's and Ino's combined and better off than some of the boys like Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and Chōji. Hers was below Naruto's by a long shot understandably and was just a few gallons short of Sasuke's so to speak. Sasuke's was bigger than hers but it wasn't a massive gap.

Hinata created this seal with the help of Naruto shortly after the incident when Evangeline went on a rampage. She wanted to grow stronger so that something like that would never happen again. She felt bad that she didn't have enough strength to help out her best friend so she was determined to grow stronger. She rarely used it. In fact, she silently and inconspicuously used it during the battle of the bridge in the Land of Wave's where she used the boost to take out the Chūnin attacking her and the group. She did so discreetly and didn't make a huge fuss about it and afterwards she used it a few times in intense sparring matches with Naruto, Eva, Aria, and Shoko. In fact, she had released it during that one particular spar between her and Naruto where his clone was distracted and innocently fantasizing about her.

"Thank you, Naruto… Here I come Neji!" Hinata announced as she tensed up. Neji did the same as he saw Hinata was ready to give it her all. _'Remember Hinata, fight smarter not harder ok.'_ Shikamaru's words were ringing in Hinata's ear right now as she took them to heart.

Hinata rocketed off the floor with a speed she was not known for. Neji blinked and nearly missed her approach as he narrowly deflected a powerful palm strike that actually made him stumble back. Retaliating Neji traded blows with Hinata at extreme close range as their palms smacked against each other and their arms. With each strike bursts of visible and tangible blue chakra erupted from the palms of their hands as they used the Gentle Fist Taijutsu style's most dangerous aspects.

The sounds that the chakra was making as it was forcibly jettisoned from their bodies was audible from all the way up in the balconies as it came off as high pitched wails. The fight was brutal as they slammed into each other with everything they had. Hinata was dodging, deflecting, and retaliating with everything she had as she yanked her body in different directions at neck breaking speeds and while some were concerned she would throw her back out of alignment Hinata herself was just fine as she used her natural feminine flexibility and years of physical training to contort and control the movements of her body with precise precision.

Hinata soon found her opening as she was going to take the lead. Neji was bringing both his hands in at the same time and this was what Hinata was waiting on. **"Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!"** Slamming her palm into Neji's arms which were overlapping each other Hinata unleashed a powerful surge of chakra that forced Neji back nearly a dozen feet. Going through a quick sequence of hand signs Hinata's cheeks swelled up as chakra was building up in her mouth. **"Water Style: Stream Jutsu!"** Out of the indigo haired girls mouth came a powerful stream of water that struck Neji directly in the face with such force the Hyūga boy's neck snapped back and he fell to the arena floor in disorienting pain.

"A Hyūga that's using nature based Ninjutsu? Never thought I'd see the day." Asuma commented in mild surprise as he looked over to his close friend in Kurenai who was watching the fight below in wonderment, awe, and pride. "Well the girls got some spunk… interesting." One of the Hidden Cloud Genin stated. She was the girl with dark skin and auburn colored hair. "Well now, what do we have here?" Temari mumbled as she saw the look of pride and dare she say love in Naruto's eyes as she caught him gazing down at his best friend.

Hinata however wasn't done. **"Water Style: Tearing Torrent Jutsu!"** Spiraling whirlpool jets of water started to circulate within Hinata's palms as she slammed her hands onto the floor causing the water to erupt into a surging mini wave. By this time Neji was back on his feet as he saw the next water attack coming for him. Getting into a more defensive posture Neji pumped chakra into his palms as he was going to launch his own counter attack. **"Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!"** Launching his palm into the center of the wave coming his way Neji managed to cause the entire wave to explode dispersing around his body which was exactly what Hinata was hoping for. A single hand sign and a stomp of her feet into the wet concrete floor below her activated her next attack.

" **Water Style: Water Needle Jutsu!"** The dispersed water droplets hanging in the air around Neji all straightened out into thin sharp needles that took the prodigy by surprise as there were hundreds of them. "What?!" Neji exclaimed as he snapped into a more defensive posture. _'There's no time for that Jutsu!'_ Neji thought in panic as the needles flew directly at him from every direction. Neji took several dozen scratches and cuts in the first few seconds as he gained footing and started to deflect the hundreds of needles that were left. He was contorting his body in jaw dropping ways that was afforded to him by his intense training and advanced mastery of his clan's Taijutsu style.

Within moments he had dispelled Hinata's Jutsu with stunning finest befitting a Jōnin which had most of the onlookers stunned and in awe. Of course, he didn't come out of that attack without a scratch but it was the fact that when he got going he became flawless. "Whoa!" Chōji mumbled as his bag of chips nearly dropped out of his mouth. "He's better than I thought." Shikamaru noted with a sigh as he leaned against the guardrail. "Of course, he is… prodigy my ass." Naruto mumbled while gritting his teeth in aggravation. His temper was flared due to Neji being in this match against Hinata and the trash talking mind games he was trying to pull earlier. Naruto rarely if ever resorts to using profanity of any kind no matter the severity of the words since he tries to set a good example for the girls but he wasn't in the mood for such formalities and etiquette right now. He hated to admit it but Neji just was that good.

"Both those Hyūga's are really strong. They'd make great opponents to fight against." The auburn-haired girl implied as she leaned over the railing in interest. "I agree. They're both really cool. Especially the girl and her unexpected usage of Water Style Ninjutsu." Samui agreed as she crossed her arms over her chest which was a little bigger than a girl her age should have. Luckily it was all natural, but that was beside the point.

"Cute trick but it's my turn now!" Neji declared as he disappeared at staggering speeds startling Hinata which led to her being unable to dodge Neji's follow up attack. Slamming into Hinata like a train Neji laid into her with dozens of strikes per second as the Hyūga heiress tried her best to gain distance between her and her cousin. Seeing this Neji didn't let up on the pressure as he hammered into Hinata's weakening defenses as the indigo haired girl was sweating and on her back foot.

"Come on Hinata it's not over! Do something!" Naruto shouted as his earlier panic was starting to creep back into his system. He knows that Neji is without a doubt no pushover and may very well be the strongest Genin in the village, although Naruto would heavily oppose such a claim with good reason. That still didn't refute the claim that Neji is very powerful and despite the fact that Naruto always held confidence in Hinata's abilities, the sheer fact that she was paired up with Neji made Naruto's faith go straight out the window.

Feeling a surge of energy Hinata charged forward with a war cry as she sent a large pulse of chakra out of her palms forcing Neji back a few yards but that was all the reprieve she would get as her cousin was not done yet. With permanent glare set in place Neji channeled a large surge of chakra to his palms as he slammed them into the concrete floor below. An interesting effect immediately happened as the concrete floor cracked and lifted off the ground in large slabs which shocked those who saw this but Neji wasn't done yet. Once the slabs were in the air the boy sent them hurdling at Hinata with a second pulse of chakra which broke apart the slabs into large chunks that were flying at Hinata like kunai.

Hinata's lavender eyes widened in shock as she realized she had no time to dodge as the chunks of stone and concrete were flying off in a wide radius. _'I can't dodge. I have to defend myself then.'_ Hinata realized as she quickly slipped into her Gentle Fist's main technique form. The 8 – Trigrams Formation. " **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"** Hinata's hands became nothing but blurs as she struck out at the rocks coming her way with pinpoint accurate burst of chakra so powerful they disintegrated the chunks of concrete before they could even impact her body.

The precious seconds it was taking for Hinata to defend herself from this unexpected onslaught was exactly what Neji was hoping for as he closed the distance between the two in the blink of an eye. Before Hinata could bring her hands up to defend herself Neji managed to score a direct hit to her abdomen with a strike so strong it took her off her feet and threw her nearly a dozen feet away. Saliva and spit flew out of Hinata's mouth as she let out a grunt of searing pain.

Slamming to the ground in a heap Hinata groaned in pain as her entire abdomen flared up in blistering pain. It was starting to become somewhat hard for her to breathe as she sucked in longer breaths of air. "Hinata!" Naruto yelled in concern as he could metaphorically feel the power behind Neji's strike. It was very strong and he knew that the boy must have hit several of Hinata's Tenketsu with that one single strike. Kurenai had sweat pouring down the side of her face as she was extremely concerned for her student's safety at this point. She knew that strike was strong and caused a lot of damage.

While everyone else was speculating on the pain Hinata was presumably in the indigo haired heiress was actually experiencing it tenfold right now as she felt at least 8 of her Tenketsu blocked off with that one strike. Not to mention the concussive blunt force trauma caused by the shockwave of chakra and kinetic energy rippling passed all of her organs and muscles inside of her body. That's the most dangerous thing about the Gentle Fist. It doesn't attack the outside of the body with blunt force. It attacks your internal organs which have the chakra circulatory system interwoven and wrapped tightly around them. Hinata felt as if she was seconds away from vomiting as a knot was forming in her stomach.

Pushing those feelings to the side Hinata struggled to her feet. "You should forfeit. You are nothing but a failure and a disgrace. The Hyūga have no need for other techniques but our own. Our Taijutsu is superior to all others and is more than enough to deal with any threat that comes our way. Yet here you are, I see another trait of Naruto in you. His penchant for Water Style Ninjutsu has been passed down to you. You two deserve each other. You're both disgraces!" Neji sneered as he viciously slammed a palm into Hinata's gut releasing yet another burst of chakra that caused her to spit out saliva. Hinata collapsed to her legs as she entered a coughing fit.

"NEJI!" Naruto screamed as it looked like he was seconds away from hopping the rail and attacking the prodigy of the clan. The hate with which Neji callously attacked Hinata with and the hatred dwelling within Naruto's eyes were one in the same as the killing intent starting to pollute the air was noticeable. "A loser like you has no room to call my name. I'm just reminding a certain piece of trash where it belongs." Neji coldly stated as his eyes bored into Naruto's which were turning a storming dark blue. The look of pure anger Naruto's eyes was exhibiting was clear to everyone who could see it.

It was because of this intense stare off happening between the two boys that no one was prepared for what happened next. One second Neji was on his feet and the next he was soaring through the air after a very loud and audible shockwave echoed within the arena walls. Hinata had launched a devastating Gentle Fist strike overflowing with her chakra directly into Neji's back that rattled his very spine and sent the boy crashing into the wall directly below the balconies Naruto and the others were using.

Naruto's look of anger quickly turned to shock as he watched Hinata rise to her feet. Once he saw her eyes he gasped in shock. They held a look of anger in them that he would never expect Hinata to have. He's rarely if ever seen Hinata angry before. Sometimes he would even idly contemplate if it was even possible for Hinata to get angry. But seeing her here now threw that notion out the window. Hinata was angry… scratch that, she was pissed.

"Holy shit." The girl from the Hidden Cloud mumbled as her eyes widened. Her teammate who had a lollipop in his mouth dropped it as his jaw hung loose. "Damn." Temari whistled. "Hinata…" Kurenai whispered. "That's my girl." Anko smirked.

"All my life you've called me a disgrace and a failure. You've put me down just like my father used to do. Over the years, I've just learned to take it but no more. I'm tired of it. You say I'm trash because I've spent the better part of half my life by Naruto's side, but guess what Neji you'll never be half the shinobi Naruto is. You call us failures… BUT EVEN FAILURES CAN STAND TALL!" Hinata screamed as she poured her heart out. Hinata's chakra flared around her to the point it became visible. "I'll show you just how much of a failure I actually am Neji!" Hinata challenged as the look in her eyes were not the eyes everyone was used to seeing from the quiet and shy Hinata.

Naruto felt his heart jump into his throat as Hinata defended his honor and the look in her eyes right now which was one he's never in his life seen before was causing his entire body to heat up. He's had reactions to Hinata's words and actions in the past before but none of them felt as powerful as this one. _'Hinata… I.'_ Naruto's thoughts were starting to head places and he could just feel where Eva's mind was at right now. He felt her little wings flutter in the mop he calls hair and her tiny hands gripping a fist full of his hair told Naruto everything he needed to know.

Naruto and everyone else was caught off guard by what happened next. Hinata's chakra which was visibly flaring around her started to transform into thick bands of water that were swirling around her protectively until they started to coalesce and condense around the palms of her hands. For most that was watching this was a surprise for them and they were very much enthralled but for Naruto something else was catching his attention. It was the color of the water that the Uzumaki took notice of and for good reason. The water was a deep cerulean blue color that sparkled almost like a rainbow. It was the same color as Evangeline's water which could only mean one thing.

' _Yōjutsu! Hinata's using Yōjutsu but how… is this what she and Evangeline have been practicing since coming back from the Land of Wave's? I didn't even think it possible but Hinata's producing her own Yōki!'_ Naruto was shocked into silence as he would have never thought it possible for Hinata to channel Yōki within her body despite the many years she's been exposed to it. "Eva, did you know about this?" Naruto whispered to himself as he felt Eva stir in his hair. "Yes, Hinata and I have been working on this for months. There's a second seal that's a part of the first one around her neck. The first one releases the dampener placed on her chakra circulatory system and the second one allows her to convert approximately a quarter of the overall chakra within her body to Yōki. Any more and her body would be poisoned from the Yōki." Eva explained with pride evident in her voice as she watched her best friend who she affectionately refers to as her girlfriend cut loose with everything she had. Eva knew what was coming next.

" **Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Aqua Palms!"** Hinata announced as the Yōki infused water settled down into an extremely dense layer around her hand that made Hinata's hands glow a beautiful kaleidoscope comprised of shades of blue. Hinata settled down into a different stance that was similar but fundamentally different than the rigid style of the Gentle Fist. "What is this? What did you do?" Neji demanded as he peeled himself out of the wall. His back was bruised he could see it easily enough with his 360 vision and what's more as he looked at Hinata's chakra he could see something was different about it. It wasn't the same as before but he just couldn't see what it was. The water surrounding her hands were not being fueled by chakra of that he could be sure of but he didn't understand how she was controlling it. To him it looked as if a quarter of her overall chakra was missing.

For the very first time in his life he's seen Hinata angry and he wasn't quite sure what to think of this new development but he wouldn't get the chance to elaborate or get an answer to his question as Hinata disappeared from her spot within a fraction of a second. His senses screamed at him to move and listening to them Neji just barely by the skin of his teeth managed to deflect the powerful palm thrust Hinata sent directly at his face. He could feel the power humming within the strike as it passed by his face by mere inches.

The second strike came in before he could even breathe and this time he was not able to block this one as Neji felt one of his ribs crack from the sheer impact of Hinata's palm against his chest. Streams of water flowed behind Hinata's palms as she moved showing just how much energy she was putting into her attacks. Slamming back into the same wall Neji growled as he launched himself at Hinata with everything he had. His form was perfection at its finest as he executed maneuvers of the Gentle Fist that was worthy of being recognized by its masters but something was wrong. Neji was missing his shots. And the reason was quite simple.

Hinata was dancing around him. As opposed to the rigid forms of the Gentle Fist that only flowed on occasion the Gentle Step that Hinata called was all about flowing from one strike to the next. The trails of water followed Hinata's every hand movement which ended up surrounding her and her cousin in a swirling veil of water that was spraying light patches of watery mist everywhere. Hinata was focusing much more on the movement of her feet as they twirled and glided across the floor while she balanced and rotated on the balls of her feet and on the very tips of her toes. Hinata was moving her entire body with her strikes as opposed to the Gentle Fist's reliance on just the hands. With each strike, she would drag and twist her body into the strike while avoiding most of Neji's attacks.

Neji was trying to find an opening but Hinata's moves were far to foreign to him, he couldn't anticipate what she would do next. _'These moves, what are they?'_ Neji cried out in his mind as he could not figure out for the life of him what to do. _'These moves I know them. Those are Iris's moves!'_ Naruto thought to himself in shock as he recognized that classical and completely foreign martial art. It was a combination of dancing and martial arts. More importantly the foot work and circular movements was a part of the style Iris uses when she's controlling the wind itself yet the body movements of dragging and flowing were unknown to him but if Naruto had to describe what he saw he would say it looked like she was flowing just like water.

" **Gentle Step Second Dance: Eight Trigrams Sky Lance!"** Hinata announced as she dipped down low into the gentle fist fight style. She rushed Neji before he could blink and started to shut off multiple Tenketsu across his body all the while flowing just like the water that was flying all around them. Hinata finished off her combo by dipping low again and coming up with a rising palm uppercut to Neji's jaw that sent him flying into the air accompanied by a geyser of water that flooded out of her palm. Neji flipped through the air until he slammed directly into the guard railing on the balconies which were about twenty feet off the ground. His body bent and warped the metal as he coughed up blood from his mouth.

Growling without saying a word Neji rocketed off the railings intent on slamming directly at Hinata but a single hand sign from her had the boy come back to his senses. **"Water Style: Water Needles Jutsu!"** The water from the impromptu geyser dispersed and formed into thin needles that shot at Neji's unprotected back. Twisting in the air Neji destroyed the incoming needles with a powerful burst of chakra. Hitting the ground Neji did a roll to dampen the landing and immediately he felt something was off. **"Genjutsu: Optic Delusory."** Hinata whispered as Neji saw himself being attacked by two water dragons from opposite sides ready to pinch him in the middle. He quickly shot his arms out to each side of his body to stop the dragons but his Byakugan registered the fact he was underneath the effects of a Genjutsu and with a tiny flare of his chakra Neji felt the illusion break only to feel a second one activate not even a split second later.

' _What?!'_ Neji's body was completely paralyzed with his arms spread out to the side as he found himself under a second Genjutsu hidden beneath the first. **"Genjutsu: Paralysis."** The seconds it took for these events to take place was all the time Hinata needed to cross the distance between her and her cousin. **"Gentle Step First Dance: Eight Trigrams Sea Lance!"** Hinata once again rushed Neji again at blistering speeds but something that the more trained shinobi in the room immediately took notice of was the fact that Hinata was significantly slower than before. She was straining her body way past it's limits as she slammed into Neji's unguarded prone form. Laying into him Hinata's attacks snapped Neji out of the Genjutsu he was under. With each strike Hinata successfully landed a pressurized geyser of water would shoot out of Hinata's fingertips and palms blasting Neji back and bringing bruises to his skin.

Neji hated to admit it but Hinata was far more powerful than he could ever imagine. It felt like he was sparring against her father Hiashi. The clan heads overwhelming mastery and power in the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist Taijutsu clan made it so that no matter the circumstances he was the undisputed leader and head of the clan. His power was unmatched which was fitting seeing as he is within the top 10 strongest Elite Jōnin of the village. With very notable and famous names, such as Kakashi and Might Guy being on that list.

Hinata seeing Neji left exposed due to her latest attack saw the opening she was looking for as she completed the combo to her sea lance by taking both of her palms and placing them together to form a spear with her hands as she jabs Neji with the attack that shot him nearly halfway across the arena as he skidded against the concrete floor. He dug his heels into the ground to stop his momentum as he gritted his teeth in effort. Skidding to a stop Neji came face to face with Hinata who took noticeably longer to close the distance between the two.

Still deeply enthralled within her own flowing movements Hinata was able to outmaneuver Neji's first counter attacks but this time she was starting to have trouble landing her own. It wasn't because Neji was starting to read her movements. Those were still very much unpredictable to Neji… the problem was Hinata was slowing down. Noticeably at this point and it was making it possible for Neji to be the one doing the dodging and deflecting this time. He could feel a considerable amount of his chakra diminishing at that was all in due to the surprising amount of Tenketsu Hinata managed to hit within his body but that wasn't stopping Neji from getting back into the game.

Hinata was starting to see the tide of the battle turning against her and knew she had to finish Neji off with this last attack. "Do you think I'm strong now brother? Do you still think I'm a failure?!" Hinata questioned as she temporarily gained a boost in speed. "You're not even close to my level!" Neji growled out since hearing Hinata's voice was all it took to enrage him further. Seizing her opportunity Hinata unleashed a brutal showcase of advanced martial arts that took full advantage of her feminine build and flexibility.

Getting a leg sweep in and several powerful and varied kicks that are not a part of the Gentle Fist Art Hinata was able to turn the tables on Neji long enough that she was able to build up the chakra for her hopefully last attack. **"Gentle Step Third Dance: Eight Trigrams Earth Lance!"** Launching her final attack Hinata came rushing in and seeing this Neji jumped as far back as he could while throwing nearly a dozen shuriken at Hinata with blistering speed. Seeing these incoming and feeling her body moving on its own Hinata started to metaphorically dance her way through the hail storm of metal as she slid in between each metal star with finest. She was closing the distance between her and her cousin quickly and only a few shuriken stood in her way.

The last were in a nearly unavoidable path and so Hinata felt her body move so she obeyed. Pivoting sharply on her forward moving foot Hinata pushed off the ground into the air and twirled horizontally on her side parallel to the ground in a perfect butterfly twist as she dodged the last remaining shuriken that was flying at her. Coming out of her spin as she touched the ground Hinata pivoted again on her feet just in time to duck under Neji's immediately retaliation strike and land a hit to his jaw once again that sent him sailing into the air. This time Hinata followed as she rained down blows that sealed off almost half of Neji's entire chakra network. Hinata bombarded the boy's body with attacks as she sent a falling axe kick to Neji's back that had him speeding towards the ground.

' _No time to think. Just act!'_ Neji screamed in his own mind and as he felt Hinata slam her palm directly into the small of his back mere feet off the ground. The amount of chakra or whatever energy holding the water to her hands that her palms were giving off right now were noticeable to Neji as he could feel the power vibrating against his back. _'I'm not going to lose here!'_ With this desperate thought mere feet off the ground Neji started to spin.

A massive explosion of Chakra, Yōki, cement, water, and dust rippled out across the entire stadium as from everyone else's point of view Hinata viciously slammed Neji belly first with a hard palm strike to the back into the hard-concrete floor below. Most people had wide eyes at this powerful attack. The most surprised individuals were to ones who knew Hinata personally and didn't know she was capable of such power. Especially Naruto who did not know Hinata was training this much. She was much more powerful than he could have ever possibly imagined. With this line of thought his mind trailed off to the possibility of him facing her in an all-out sparring match.

After seeing her display here in this match that notion all of a sudden made him feel nervous. Under the hypothetical pretense that the both of them were at full strength Naruto would have to immediately started out the match using his high-level techniques including his secret technique the Accel Turn. The speed he would achieve with his technique would be the only advantage he would have over her. Hinata would have significant advantages over him. The most prevalent being that her Byakugan is both strong and sensitive enough to track his every move and identify his unique energy signature which would make hiding from her virtually impossible. Not to mention that despite the multiple Taijutsu styles he has under his belt, hand to hand combat always came second to him as opposed to his Ninjutsu and combining his Taijutsu with his Bukijutsu skills which was much more natural to him. Hinata was his superior in Taijutsu and even when he combined his Taijutsu and Bukijutsu she would still just be ever so slightly ahead of him. Now with this new and completely original Taijutsu Style she's come up with the whole notion of beating her at close range goes out the window. She would quite literally dance circles around him.

The dust startled to settle and out of the debris everyone could see Hinata's body ragdoll across the floor as she slowly bounced to a stop a dozen feet away from the impact zone. She was barely moving but everyone could see she was in a lot of pain as she struggled to move her body. "Hinata…" Naruto whispered as he gripped the guard rail tightly. She was hurt badly and her clothes had tears and cuts all over it. It was torn to shreds in that last attack. Not to mention the cuts and bruises she had across her body.

The dust settled and a substantial impact zone was located where Neji's body was and he was at least a foot or so sunken below the level of the rest of the floor. However, there was something peculiar about the hole Neji was in that only a few picked up on. With such a violent impact the floor should be torn up badly with large chunks of the concrete tiles shattered and scattered around. But the hole Neji was in was almost smooth and circular in nature. It was highly unusual and unexplainable since no one saw what happened due to the debris that was kicked up.

Naruto gritted his teeth in pure aggravation when he saw Neji stumble to his feet while Hinata was still struggling to get to hers. "And here we are now… with me still standing and you below me. You can't change your destiny Hinata no matter how much you try. You've tried to beat me, a goal that is not within your destiny to accomplish. You said that your Byakugan could see the truths of this world and that it was stronger than mine but as you can see that is not the case. Once a failure… always a failure. Proctor call the match." Neji lectured as he turned to Hayate who had approached after that last attack.

Hayate looked over both fighters with his veteran and experienced eyes as he judged how he wanted to rule the match. He was at an impasse on how to call the match since while both fighters were exhausted and injured he could sense that they still had a little gas in the tank so to speak. However, the match was starting to drag on and he had to decide soon. Looking towards Hinata and seeing the condition she was in Hayate was starting to come to a decision and discreetly asking the Hokage for his approval which the wise shinobi gave.

Just as Hayate was about to make his ruling since Hinata still hadn't reached her feet yet he was stopped by Hinata herself who just barely managed to scurry to her feet. "I'm not a failure Neji. This match is proof of that… I have changed. I've grown so much and I feel like I've become my own person. I owe that to Naruto and the rest of my wonderful friends. They've made me the person that I am today and by calling me a failure, you're also calling them the same and that is something I can't allow." Hinata countered with a hidden defensive tone to her voice as she stiffly slid herself back into the Gentle Fist but everyone could see the amount of pain and exhaustion she was in. She could barely go on and everyone knew it but the passion and determination in her eyes was undeniable.

"It makes me sick to think that you would attribute your success to him." Neji scowled as he glared at Naruto who glared right back with just as much intensity. "I do… and I always will. It saddens me to think you have this much hatred in your heart for me and the main branch. It's truly blinded you to so much you can do with your life. Your father wouldn't have wanted this for you, for your heart to be blackened by his death." Hinata said sadly while shaking her head at her cousin.

Neji's eyes reflected what he was feeling at this moment. "I told you once already… you have no right to speak of my father when you still have your own! He was an honorable man unlike your own who couldn't even face his death like a man!" Neji yelled as his remaining chakra flared around him in response to his anger.

In her childhood Hinata didn't have a good relationship with her father by any means but in recent months he has opened up to her and become a lot friendlier. He was satisfied with her progress in her training and he was continuously impressed by her drive and work ethic. Needless to say, their relationship has improved much to the surprise of both Hinata and Naruto. Neji's last comment hurt her newfound respect she was building for her father and the pain that crossed her face let him know he hit a sore spot.

"Neji… uncle would be disappointed in the hatred that you've allowed to pollute your heart. I want us to be a family, not divided by the unfair laws of our clan." Hinata admitted but that was the wrong thing to say as the look of rage that appeared on Neji's face once again had Hinata taking a step back as he practically snarled at her.

Disappointed.

Disappointed.

Disappointed.

That one word replayed in Neji's mind like a broken tape recorder as the rage simmered within his heart until it reached a fevered pitch. His father would be disappointed in him… that notion including Hinata's admittance to wanting to be a family with him broke what little restraint Neji had left. His remaining chakra flared to life as he roared his rage to the heavens.

"YOU BITCH!"

Neji took off from his spot with such speed that Hayate who was standing near them for a brief moment completely lost track of the Hyūga prodigies presence. Naruto and the others saw it. The could feel it. Kakashi's Sharingan was out in an instant and the other Jōnin were getting ready to move as the amount of chakra Neji was building up in his palm would be enough to blow a gaping hole right through Hinata's body if it was to connect.

Naruto was trying to move with that speed as well. He really was but he just didn't have it in him. His base speed wasn't quite fast enough to intercept the insane speed Neji was traveling at right now. His Body Flicker Jutsu while fast still would fall short especially since he would need an extra second to build up the chakra for the Jutsu that he realistically didn't have right now and finally, he couldn't access his Accel Turn which would grant him the speed he needed but that was far outside of his reach at the moment.

Naruto saw this happening in slow motion as the Jōnin jumped off the balcony to stop the out of control Genin from outright murdering his fellow competitor not to mention his blood related cousin. Time slowed down even further for Naruto when he felt a powerful surge of Sōkyoku's Holy Aura ripple through his body with such force that it took his breath away and brought him to his knees. The energy shot down towards Hinata's body within nano seconds just as Neji came into range.

Neji's momentum came to a screeching halt as Kakashi, Kurenai, Might Guy, and Hayate appeared and restrained the boy inches away from Hinata but that did nothing to stop the thick shell of chakra attached to his palm from shooting off directly into Hinata's chest. A plume of golden flames erupted across Hinata's chest that took those around her by absolute shock but the shell of chakra from Neji's attack ripped a hole in Hinata's jacket. The shell of chakra exited her back and traveled out into the air for at least 5 feet before visibly dissipating.

"Why are you Jōnin interfering? Is this more special treatment that the Main Branch gets?!" Neji ranted as he struggled within the restraining arms of his sensei's. Might Guy himself had Neji's head in a tight headlock that the boy would not be able to wiggle out of especially with both his arms grabbed by Kakashi and Kurenai respectively. Hayate had his fingers pressed against Neji's headband ready to send a sudden jolt of chakra into the boy's brain to knock him unconscious if need be.

"Neji! You promised me not to let your problems with your clan interfere with your head during the Chūnin Exams!" Might Guy yelled in reprimand as he tightened his grip on his student to show his displeasure with what he just witnessed. Hinata's eyes started to sway and droop before she suddenly jolted and spat out a huge wad of blood onto the ground around her. Hinata's legs collapsed from underneath her as she fell to the ground in front of everyone. "Hinata!" Kurenai called in concern as she quickly dropped Neji's hand that she was holding in favor of running over to check on her favorite student.

"HINATA!" Naruto screamed as he managed to get enough feeling in his legs to jump over the balcony. Rock Lee, Sakura, Shikamaru, Shino, and Anko jumped off the balcony as well as they all raced down to their downed friend. Being much faster despite being much farther away Anko managed to reach their side first as she checked on Hinata's pulse.

In desperation Naruto was able to reach Hinata's side next as he grabbed on to her with fear gripping his heart. "Are you ok Hinata?! Say something?!" Naruto said with unstable breaths of air. "Naruto…" Hinata whispered as she was having trouble breathing. "Yeah!" Naruto immediately responded as he grabbed onto one of Hinata's hands to hold. An entire team of Medical Ninja were running into the room with stretcher and other medical equipment strapped down to their bodies. They were in a hurry.

"Was I strong…? Are we failures still…?" Hinata asked through coughing fits. Briefly letting go of her hands to grip his scalp in fear induced frustration Naruto cupped the side of Hinata's face tenderly while discreetly placing Evangeline inside the furry hood of Hinata's jacket. Rock Lee saw this and his large black eyes widened in shock, many questions were flooding his mind but a hand on his shoulder from Shikamaru had him stop that train of thought as the lazy boy shook his head to ward off Lee from making any outburst. Despite the fact his actions were hidden from the prying eyes of those in the balconies it did not stop Neji from seeing this with his Byakugan. By taking Eva out of his hair the illusion that they maintain constantly becomes broken and she becomes visible until she returns to his hair. His eyes widened by a fraction but he made no other indication that he witnessed anything.

"No Hinata you showed Neji and everyone today that we are not failures. We're far from it." Naruto said as tears welled up in his eyes causing his vision to get blurry. Hinata managed to crack a brief smile at this as her eyes closed and opened themselves repeatedly. "Hinata I want you to know something… I…" Naruto began to say as he choked on his words. He would rather not have such a tender moment with his best friend with so many people around and in such tense circumstances but beggars couldn't be choosers and Naruto was feeling the floodgates holding his emotions in check cracking.

"Naruto… I already… told you… not here… besides I'll be ok… the next time I see you… we can talk all about it…" Hinata choked and stuttered as her condition was growing worse by the second. Naruto could feel it. Hinata's entire chest cavity should have been blow straight open with the amount of chakra packed into Neji's attack. Sōkyoku's Aura protected her from an instant death and for that he was internally grateful to the ancient and primordial Phoenix Goddess who he could faintly feel respond to this gratitude. However, it did not stop the blunt force trauma of the shockwave the chakra produced as it ripped through Hinata's body. Naruto suspected that the Holy Aura only protected Hinata's body from rupturing at the impact. He knew Sōkyoku's power could do so much more. It was well within its power to completely stop Neji's attack cold. If it could overpower Jūra's insane demonic energy than Neji's attack should have been stopped completely. Now the question became why had that not happened.

Naruto chose to violently stop that stray train of thought right there and then as he felt a cold sweat break out across his body. He instinctively felt like he shouldn't question Lady Sōkyoku's motives. She's never reprimanded him before about speaking his mind around her but he had to remind himself that he was questioning a powerful goddess's motives. Surely that could get him killed even if it was Sōkyoku were talking about. She's never outright told him so but from the many conversations he's had with her over the years he's gotten the impression that Sōkyoku wasn't who she said she was. Sure, he could buy that she's some type of ancient Goddess in the form of a Phoenix but he got the impression that she was something much more powerful than even an ancient god. She was something beyond not only his but everyone else's comprehension.

Unknown to Naruto the very being he was talking about was resting within her cage watching the events that was unfolding before Naruto's eyes. Sōkyoku's massive emerald green eyes glowed briefly with power as Naruto's train of thought changed down the path to questioning and pondering the truth of her existence. _'Soon little one. Now isn't quite the time for all that yet.'_ Sōkyoku mentally thought to herself as her eyes dimmed a bit. Sōkyoku's mental prodding caused Naruto to subconsciously divert away from his line of thought. The Goddess did preen in amusement when Naruto unknowingly came close to the right answer in regards to just what type of being she was.

The medics wasted no time in strapping Hinata down to the stretcher while hooking her up to their portable machines. They whisked her away with urgency in their postures as they had to save Hinata's life before it's too late. As Hinata was hauled off and went around the corner Naruto's mind came to an epiphany. One single yet simple truth and revelation.

Naruto Uzumaki had a crush on Hinata Hyūga.

With this new revelation in mind Naruto's mind became clear to him. His feelings for Hinata were always there. And now he had finally come to accept and recognize them. Not to mention the fact he realized that these feelings were stronger than he could have ever possibly imagined. They weren't feelings he could just shrug off. They were here to stay and so was she.

"Hey loser!" Neji called out getting Naruto's attention. Having it Neji spoke his piece. "I have two pieces of advice for you. One, if you intend to call yourself a Shinobi leave your concerned cries and yelling for somewhere else. And Second, once a failure… always a failure. We can't change our destinies no matter how much we try. That's why she's probably going to die… and why I'm still standing." Neji spoke which left a bad taste in most people's mouth. Kurenai wanted nothing more than to place Neji in the worst Genjutsu she could think of and Anko wasn't known as the Lead Torture Specialist for the ANBU Black Ops I&T Division for nothing. As for Might Guy, he was deeply ashamed of his own students callous words but he held his tongue.

"Is that so. Once a failure… always a failure… I see. We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?" Naruto spoke in an eerily calm voice. No inflection of malice or hate could be detected within his voice or body language which made it next to impossible for those around him to determine what he may or may not do next. Naruto's dead eyes shifted slowly down to the ground near his feet. There was something there that had caught his attention.

The pool of blood Hinata coughed up was still there. Ever so calmly Naruto placed his hand into the blood catching everyone's attention. He soaked his hand directly into her blood silently with everyone's eyes on him. Standing up Naruto slowly turned his head over his shoulder until he was looking at Neji. This time everyone saw it and felt it.

Naruto's eyes were blood red with a vertical black elongated pupil in the center. The air in the room grew freezing cold as he held his fist dripping with Hinata's own blood out to Neji. This was a declaration of a lifetime.

"I vow to win!"

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

 **Juinjutsu: Cage Bird Curse Seal -** This seal is branded on all branch house members in the Hyūga clan by members of the main house. The main purpose is to seal the Byakugan at death, so that its secrets never fall into the hands of the enemy. When the Hyūga dies, the seal disappears, sealing away the Byakugan with it. The secondary purpose is to control the branch house members, since it can be activated at will by a main house member with a hand seal only known by them to destroy the wearer's brain cells. The seal is branded on a branch member's forehead and is only removed upon their death. Branch house members tend to keep their foreheads concealed because of the seal.

1.) **Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike -** This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the user's palm to an opponent's body. Like other Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage which will temporarily paralyze an opponent.

2.) **Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow -** A technique born from their innate ability to expel chakra from every Tenketsu on their body, a member of the Hyūga clan can hit their opponent with a blast of chakra that will send them flying away from the user. It was also shown that this technique can be used with pin-point accuracy to target the weak point of a technique.

3.) **Water Style: Water Stream Jutsu -** The basics of water style. It is the exact same as it's other elemental counterparts such as the _Wind Style: Stream_. The user exhales a spray of water from their mouth in a sufficient quantity that allows them to wash away targets and many other objects in their way. It is the gateway Jutsu for each element that leads into many advanced Jutsu's of the same form and makeup.

4.) **Water Style: Tearing Torrent Jutsu -** This technique creates water that spirals in the user's hand and fires at a high speed at the enemy. The overall amount of water formed is large enough to help extinguish even large-scale fire style techniques. The technique however will do no damage to an enemy if connected.

5.) **Water Style: Water Needle Jutsu -** Using the chakra control granted by the Gentle Fist, Hinata concentrates her chakra until water vortexes are created around her. Those vortexes shoot water blasts which turn to needle-like water. By using the Byakugan, this technique can be used with great precision to hit very small targets such as bees which Hinata developed and practiced the technique on with Naruto's help or in this instance of the chapter to match objects of similar size such as Evangeline's ice Senbon needles.

6.) **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms -** A maneuver of the Gentle Fist fighting style. It is essentially a halved version of the _Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms_ , but seems to be no less effective. This technique is used to close off the flow of chakra through thirty-two chakra points of an opponent's chakra pathway system. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.

7.) **Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Aqua Palms -** A technique that Hinata created that is based off the principles behind Naruto's _Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu_. With this technique Hinata can create jets of water on her palms and attack opponents using the Gentle Fist Fighting Style. Because the water has built up a lot of pressure Hinata can also forcefully push opponents back and stop Fire Style Ninjutsu by thrusting her palms forward into the attack. However, when Hinata releases her Chakra Storage Seal on her neck she can infuse the water around her hands in Yōki allowing her to dramatically increase the power of her attacks. When Hinata moves with her Gentle Step style it creates energy bands that trails behind that follows the movement of Hinata's hands.

8.) **Gentle Step Second Dance: Eight Trigrams Sky Lance -** The second of Hinata's Gentle Step techniques designed in the format of dances; it takes advantage of Hinata's unique dance like hybrid taijutsu style. Hinata attacks her opponent with this style closing off multiple tenketsu across the opponent's body with Yōki enhanced chakra strikes that if Hinata wills it will seal off the chakra nodes permanently. Hinata primarily focus on the lower torso and legs of the opponent to get them off balance and to keep them in this state. This second dance usually follows after the first dance in which the opponent has been blasted back by Hinata's final attack. Hinata moves in for the final combo after the opponent has had a sufficient number of tenketsu sealed off and delivers a rising uppercut palm thrust that shoots the target into the air with a high pressurized geyser of water that comes from Hinata's hands.

9.) **Genjutsu: Optic Delusory -** A Genjutsu that allows one to trick others into mistaking the place they're in for another. This technique's main feature is that it can be cast over an extensive surface, therefore any and all who step into the illusion's area of effect will fall under the spell. That said, it might not work so well on people who are well-versed or otherwise skilled in Genjutsu.

10.) **Genjutsu: Paralysis -** The user binds the opponent in a Genjutsu, this Genjutsu can be used on more than one target at the same time. Once the target is bound, the user or an ally can rush up to the enemy and deliver a devastating killing blow.

11.) **Gentle Step First Dance: Eight Trigrams Sea Lance -** The first of Hinata's Gentle Step techniques designed in the format of dances; it takes advantage of Hinata's unique dance like hybrid taijutsu style. Hinata attacks her opponent with this style closing off multiple tenketsu across the opponent's body with Yōki enhanced chakra strikes that if Hinata wills it will seal off the chakra nodes permanently. Hinata primarily focuses on attacking the midsection and torso of the opponent while simultaneously driving the person back. Hinata finishes off the combo attack by placing both her palms together into a spear formation that she slams into the gut of her target sending them flying with a pressurized geyser of water formed from the pressure built up in between her two palms.

12.) **Gentle Step Third Dance: Eight Trigrams Earth Lance -** The third of Hinata's Gentle Step techniques designed in the format of dances; it takes advantage of Hinata's unique dance like hybrid taijutsu style. Hinata attacks her opponent with this style closing off multiple tenketsu across the opponent's body with Yōki enhanced chakra strikes that if Hinata wills it will seal off the chakra nodes permanently. Hinata primarily focuses on attacking the upper torso of the opponent after they are hit with the second dance attack. Although each dance can be carried out separately from each other. Hinata seals off more of her opponents tenketsu then sends them plummeting to the ground with a downwards strike such as a falling axe kick. However, the final blow of this technique is to hit the opponent in the spine with a crushing Gentle Fist Palm strike that is supposed to completely pulverise the person into a crater in the ground and shatter their spine completely immobilizing the target and ending the battle.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):** _ Hey guys so how was that? This was one hell of a chapter for me to write. I enjoyed every minute of it. I made sure their was a lot of tension and emotions banking on this match. It was beyond personal at this point.

This chapter was a lot to unpack but I'll let you express your thoughts and opinions in your reviews. I will say that I'm already 3000 words into the next chapter. It is obviously Rock Lee vs. Gaara.

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Next Chapter - _**Chapter 47: (Elimination Match 10: Sandstorm)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 46 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 5/31/2017


	48. CH: 47 Elimination Match: 10 Sandstorm

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with Rock Lee vs. Gaara. I enjoyed writing this chapter. l don't have much to say so let's just get right into chapter.

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Chapter 47

 _ **Sandstorm**_

Emotional.

That was definitely one word anyone could use to describe this year's Chūnin Exam. It was without a doubt one of the most emotionally charged exams within the last decade. Fight after fight the participants brought in an entire suitcase worth of emotional baggage with them to the battle and it was clearly evident that this trend very well may continue.

Sakura vs Ino was a fight between two former best friends turned bittersweet enemies; Naruto vs Kiba was a fight born out of both mutual affection for one girl and jealousy; Hinata vs. Neji was a bitter blood feud between family members.

No one was sure what was going to happen next with the remaining fighters but some didn't want to find out especially if it was like the last match to just end. It was particularly nasty and one-sidedly brutal. Seeing the Hyūga heiress wheeled out on an emergency stretcher because of injuries she suffered at the hand of her very own cousin left those watching shocked. It wasn't every day you see such brutality. Especially not from a leaf ninja. The Hidden Leaf has always been lauded as the most peaceful and non-aggressive out of the Five Great Nations.

"That was some battle huh Temari?" Kankurō commented with a low whistle as things were starting to calm down. "I would agree. I've read up on some of the major clans here in the Leaf Village in preparation. The Hyūga Clan is currently the strongest clan in the village and its members are all really strong especially in Taijutsu. But who would have thought not everything was picture perfect behind the scenes." Temari replied as she watched the verbal confrontation between Naruto and Neji.

"Did you notice the connection that Uzumaki kid has with the Hyūga heiress?" Kankurō asked as he looked towards his older sister. "Yeah, the boy has it bad for her. I was studying him throughout this match and during his match earlier. You'd have to be blind not to see the connection those two share." Temari declared. "The kid's full of surprises. It looks like he wants to murder this Neji guy right where he stands." Kankurō chuckled as he along with everyone else witnessed Naruto make a blood vow using Hinata's blood.

"Can you really blame him. I'm not too big on this Neji's personality. He outright tried to kill his own cousin just because she struck a nerve with him. I don't know the full story but from the stuff she was saying it sounded like she was only trying to help. He's got some really issues to deal with." Temari spoke as she watched Neji scoff before slowly walking off. He would have moved quicker if not for the numerous amounts of injuries dotted across his body courtesy of Hinata's incredible strength.

"Yep I'd say that families messed up. But it makes me curious to know just how far this Naruto fellow is willing to go in defense of the Hyūga heiress. She's certainly lived up to her title after that performance she gave but to be left in that critical condition I know it must be burning Naruto up something fierce to not just pounce the guy. I'm curious to know just how strong this Uzumaki kid really is. It was clear he went into his match against the dog boy nowhere close to his full strength yet he still managed to pull off a win against a tough opponent. I still remember that moment when we first met. He briefly flared his chakra to the point it even passed Gaara's. That was the scariest moment of my life." Kankurō spoke seriously as he took the time to really contemplate Naruto's character as a person.

"I'd agree. Seeing him at full strength is something I want to see as well. He along with that Nara kid and now the Hyūga heiress have been the only ones to truly capture my attention so far. Any one of them could be a real threat if they were your enemy." Temari concluded but before her brother could continue the conversation with his own opinion Gaara himself who was as always standing silently by spoke up for the first time.

"It does not matter how strong he is. Naruto Uzumaki will make a worthy opponent for me to prove my existence too. I will crush him." Gaara said in a deathly quiet tone that sent shivers up and down his siblings' spines. Kankurō didn't want to be anywhere near his little brother for any longer than he had to especially with the murderous look that was plastered across his face so thinking up something quick he scooted away from the short read headed boy. "I think I'm going to go make some new friends with the locals." Kankurō suggested as he moved onto the other side of Temari.

"With who?" Temari questioned although she had a pretty good idea as to who Kankurō had in mind. "With Naruto Uzumaki of course. I think we got off on the wrong foot when we met him back in that side alley. I want to see if I can gleam a little bit of his story from talking to him. Besides you got to know your enemy and all of that right?" Kankurō explained as he started to walk away. "Be careful Kankurō and don't do anything stupid while over there. You'll be surrounded by all of the leaf teams." Baki the Jōnin sensei for the sand siblings spoke up for the very first time. Baki was a very tall man wearing the traditional beige and tanned colored attire of the Hidden Sand Village shinobi. His most distinguishing feature was a white cloth that draped down the side of his face covering up one of his eyes. He was an Elite Jōnin of the Hidden Sand village and was on the same level and caliber as well as fame as Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma.

"Yes sensei, will do." Kankurō parted as he made his way over to the other balcony where the Hidden Leaf teams were standing. Everyone saw him coming. It wasn't hard not to notice with how wide open and visible the entire lay out of the room was but no one said a word as he climbed the stairs. The Jōnin of the leaf were watching him like a hawk discreetly just to make sure he didn't do anything suspicious and being aware of this Kankurō just smirked within his mind. He wasn't dumb enough to even twitch a muscle in front of the Hidden Leaf Village's three most powerful Jōnin. He wanted to live a long and healthy life if he could help it.

Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kurenai were all huddled up in close proximity to one another with Asuma finally deciding to get a little closer as they each lost a bunch of their students. Between the four of them they had four Genin out due to injuries.

Naruto was busy being supported by Shikamaru and Chōji when he noticed Kankurō approach. Shino was a little behind Naruto standing next to Kurenai when Kankurō walked passed them. Sakura and Ino were on the other side of Naruto in between Kakashi and Guy. Lee was also in the mix standing close by to Naruto and the others just in front of his own teacher. Neji chose to remain far from the group as possible which yet again brought a frown to Guys face but there was nothing he could do about it. Asuma was leaning his back against the wall towering over Kurenai's smaller form while having a cigarette which the by the small tick mark on the beautiful woman's face showed that this was a habit she did not enjoy from her friend.

"Hey you what's up? Mind if I join you?" Kankurō called out with a friendly casual greeting. Naruto couldn't detect a single ounce of bad intentions coming from the Sand Village Genin based on his many years of experience reading peoples body language in the casino and Iris or Chaos weren't trying to warn him of any threat either so Naruto chose to hear the boy out but that did not mean he trusted him.

"Go ahead but why are you over here? Shouldn't you be with your team?" Naruto questioned quietly. He wasn't really in the mood for conversation. His entire focus was elsewhere thinking of Hinata and her condition. He knew if anything happened Eva would come rushing back to let him know and if nothing else she would do everything to help the indigo haired girl regardless of the consequences but that did not mean Naruto wasn't worried for his best friend now recently turned full blown crush.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. I can see that last match got you all fired up and if I recall we kind of got off on the wrong foot when we met each other the first time." Kankurō admitted with a disarming chuckle. "If that's your attempt at gathering information and trying to cheer me up then you need to quit while you're ahead." Naruto said bluntly with a harshness he wasn't known for. He truly wasn't in the mood. He's never had to go through something so complex and emotional before with his best friend and now that he has it's tearing him up inside not to be by her side now. If by some off chance Hinata didn't make it… not that he didn't think Eva would try everything in her power to prevent this, not to mention Sōkyoku's involvement in this. Naruto wasn't sure what he would do. He knew the one thing he was certain of is that he'd try his absolute hardest to kill Neji on the spot. Anything past that and he wasn't sure what would happen. There would be a rampage of that he was sure of and it would be worse than the time on the bridge.

Kankurō visibly winced at the tone Naruto took with him and all of his friends around him gave him looks of sympathy as they knew this wasn't his normal behavior. They could see it in his eyes. He was thinking of Hinata right now. It was as clear as day. "Ouch… okay you got me. I wasn't really trying but then again this isn't really the place to be doing such a thing. I apologize." Kankurō said in complete honesty and sincerity. Sensing this Naruto sighed as he looked at the foreign boy. "You're over here now and I really don't care. So, you can do what you want." Naruto relented but the very hidden threat was there. It would be suicide for Kankurō to ever contemplate doing something with three Elite Jōnin literally a yard away from him. Not to mention the Hokage who was at the end of the balcony.

"Cool… so this isn't the way to break the ice but I sense you and that Neji guy has some bad blood. I could tell he wasn't showing the full extent of his powers in that fight… although I'd say your girlfriend really gave him a run for his money. So, what's his story?" Kankurō asked with a raised eyebrow. The boy took very acute notice of how Naruto twitched when he assumed Hinata was his girlfriend. Being self-aware of this as well Naruto sighed. "Ok first of all yeah Neji and I have some pretty bad blood between us going back a couple of years. That attitude and demeanor he just showed off is what Hinata and I have had to put up with for years. Secondly, Hinata isn't my girlfriend… she's just my best friend and I suppose I should give you a point for actually putting some effort into your fishing here." Naruto responded in kind as he answered Kankurō's questions one at a time. To take his mind off of things he did acknowledge the fact the Sand Genin slyly weaseled the truth about him and Hinata out by just assuming their relationship.

"Finally, the only story about him that needs to be told is that I'm going to make him regret what he did today." Naruto finished off as a dangerous edge came to his voice at the end as he sent a quick but scathing glare over to Neji who could care less about Naruto's actions right now. _'Yep, this kid definitely has it bad for that girl.'_ The older teen noted with an internal amused chuckle. _'Not that I'd blame him. She's quite the looker and boy was she really strong.'_ Kankurō added on at the end of his thoughts as he was only one year older than Naruto and the rest of his classmates so his ability to be attracted to Hinata was well within his range.

For a reason, completely unknown to Naruto he felt a wave of annoyance, aggravation, jealousy, and overprotectiveness wash over him as he turned to give Kankurō a scathing glare unlike the one he gave Neji. "I don't know what you just thought right now but back off got it." Naruto said simply which caused a sweat drop to form down Kankurō's face. He looked skittish as he raised his hands in surrender. "Yeah, you got it dude." On the inside however Kankurō was sweating bullets. _'Holy crap! Can this dude read minds or something? This kid really has it bad for that girl!'_

The others were entirely confused to this whole conversation going on between the two but before anyone else could add to the conversation Hayate coughing fit got everyone's attention once again.

"Ok, now that the intermission is over and the field has been repaired we will move on to the next match immediately." As soon as he said that the LED board on the wall lit up with the last few remaining names in the room and it soon stopped on two names.

* * *

 _[Rock Lee vs. Gaara]_

The entire room grew quiet as a brief spike in Gaara's insanity surged out of him. His eyes were wild before they settled down and he regained control of his emotions. Without a single word or sound Gaara held up the ram hand sign and disappeared in a sand based Body Flicker Jutsu. One second he was on the balcony and the next he was down on the arena floor with his arms crossed over his chest silently waiting for his opponent. Naruto looked over to see Might Guy giving his protégé a pep talk before the match. Rock Lee looked fired up and ready to go and that worried Naruto, he's never seen Gaara fight before but a pit of anxiety was forming in his stomach yet again for this upcoming fight.

It actually took Naruto a moment but he came to realize that not all of the anxiety he was feeling belonged to him. Iris was giving off a vibe of nervousness and caution that had Naruto worried. _'Why is Iris reacting like this? Does she know something?'_ Naruto contemplated but he would never get the answer to that question since with the seal placed over him he couldn't properly communicate with his daughters. Chaos somehow speaking to him earlier during Shikamaru's match was unexplainable by Naruto.

"Right now, go get him Lee!" Guy cheered enthusiastically with Lee having a fire burning in his eyes. "Be careful Lee. This guy is dangerous." Naruto felt the need to warn the spandex wearing Genin as he did not want Lee walking into something he wasn't prepared for. To be honest he rather liked Lee. The boy was honest to a fault, strong, and very friendly. Not to mention he came to his team's rescue back in the forest of death all on his own without really knowing them that well. He got hurt in defense of Sakura and the rest of them. That earned him major points in Naruto's book. "Right Naruto, thank you for the advice!" Lee thanked with his infectious attitude as he gave Naruto a cheese thumbs up and blinding smile. His enthusiasm actually managed to ease Naruto's mind a bit and get him to crack a smile. It was definitely a noteworthy feat since Naruto didn't feel like himself at this time.

Jumping over the balcony Rock Lee landed across the field from Gaara with a confident but competitive smirk on his face. He was ready for his battle. "Let us have a wonderful match Gaara." Lee said with a sportsman like aura surrounding him.

Gaara didn't say a word as he just waited for Hayate to start the match. "Ok now, this match between Gaara and Rock Lee may now begin." Hayate announced as he jumped far back out of the way of the coming battle. Hayate was a Special Jōnin with high clearance access to some of the village's top secrets. He was well trusted by the Hokage himself and the higher brass within the village with these secrets and being a former ANBU Black Ops member as well as a ANBU Field Training Officer made him very credible to those around him. His other notable accolade for such a young man only in his early twenties was the fact that he is currently a member of the village's Spy Bureau which leaves him very well respected even by his superiors and those who are clearly stronger than him.

With that notable pedigree under his belt Hayate was well aware of just who Gaara was. He was the Hidden Sand Villages Jinchūriki Host to the One Tailed Shukaku. He was instructed to keep a close eye on the very unstable Jinchūriki from the sand and to intervene directly in whatever match he participates in if any problems arise.

"Right here I come! **Leaf Hurricane**!" Lee shouted as he rocketed off from his spot with tremendous speeds. Getting in range Lee jumped into the air and preformed a picture-perfect roundhouse kick that would have knocked Gaara's head clean off if not for the timely intervention of a cloud of sand? The cork that was keeping the contents of whatever was in his gourd shot off into the air as a thick solid cloud of sand blocked Lee's powerful kick with a thunderous bang. Jumping back Lee dodged a follow up blast of sand that threatened to bury him alive. Jumping back across the field Lee got back into his Taijutsu stance as he analyzed his options. _'A sand based manipulation Jutsu. I've never seen or heard of such a thing. It's going to be difficult to get through but nothing ventured nothing gained.'_ Lee optimistically thought to himself as he tensed his muscles.

' _Sand!? That's what he has in that gourd. Why am I not totally surprised? But how is he manipulating it? It must take a tremendous amount of chakra to constantly sustain that much sand. It's more of a cloud than a truly solid object. Manipulating water would be easier.'_ Naruto thought as he watched the sand retreat back into Gaara's gourd. The pit of anxiety reached a fevered pitch within Naruto as he could feel Iris trying to control herself. Chaos was showing signs of excitement that was worrying Naruto. His daughters knew something that they kept hidden from him about Gaara. Of that much he could be sure of now.

' _Humm, interesting. This boys Jutsu reminds me of both his fathers and the Third Kazekage. The Third was renowned for his infamous_ _Iron Sand_ _Jutsu and the Fourth was known for his_ _Gold Dust_ _. Both are sand manipulation based Jutsu that took advantage of their_ _Magnet Style Kekkei Genkai_ _. In fact, they based it off of the One Tailed Shukaku's own Magnet Style and Sand Manipulation. So, this boy has fully inherited all of his attributes from being the Jinchūriki to the One Tails.'_ Hiruzen thought to himself with a serious gaze directed at Gaara who's sand was coming to his defense. Intelligence and information on Gaara was kept top secret by the government of the Hidden Sand Village and leaks were taken care of in a brutal fashion to keep any information about Gaara secret. It also didn't help that whoever Gaara went up against in his missions for his village always died before any word could get out.

This information was very useful to the old Hokage as he sent a discreet look towards Ibiki who was towering over him like a protective bear. Ibiki understood the message his leader was sending to him and he added that to the long mental list of things he had to take care of after the Chūnin Exams Preliminary Rounds come to an end.

Back in the fight things were heating up dramatically as Lee charged in with a fire in his eyes. Unleashing an impressive barrage of punches and kicks in a stunning fashion Lee was hammering away at Gaara's shield of sand that was taking each and every hit no matter the angle Lee came at it. Finding himself surrounded Lee quickly took out a kunai that he used to slice open the clouds of sand trying to constrict his movements. Making an opening Lee did a series of back flips with the sand trailing him on the floor until he jumped up into the air and threw a volley of lightning fast shuriken that were stonewalled by the sand that was keeping up with everything Lee threw at it.

"To have that type of control over the sand. He's using it just like a moving shield." Naruto mumbled in shock as he's never seen a Jutsu that was so flexible and responsive to target and block so many individual attacks repeatedly and only those attacks. There was no wasted effort on the sands part. It only moved where Lee's attacks were going to come from and conserved the rest of its essence until it was needed. Such a technique was unheard of. "Gaara's not doing anything. The sand is a living sentient entity separate from Gaara. It chooses to protect Gaara of its own accord. Of course, Gaara can easily exert his own will over the sand to make it do what he wants but that's only if you get him entertained in the match. Most of his offense and primarily his defense comes straight from the will of his sand." Kankurō explained with a smug aura surrounding him.

Those around him were understandably shocked at this as this was unprecedented. "It's for that very reason why Gaara's never been injured. No one's ever been able to even physically touch him for as long as I can remember." Kankurō said ominously as it looked to the others like he was remembering something from his past. "That's impossible…" Naruto mumbled to himself in disbelieve. He was coming out of his earlier funk as this match was captivating his entire attention and taking his mind off of Hinata's condition.

"Is that it? Is that all you can do to entertain me… we haven't had enough blood!" Gaara spoke up with insanity clear in his eyes and in the tone of his voice. His killing intent spiked gaining everyone's attention as his sand surged across the room going nearly three times as fast as it was when it was simply blocking Lee's attacks. Seeing this Lee tried to evade but his ankle was caught in a thin tendril of sand that held on with a vice grip like hold. The sand jerked in a sudden motion that whipped Lee across the room before slamming him violently into the concrete walls below the balconies. Tiny cracks formed on the walls as Lee fell to the ground.

Jumping to his feet Lee took off like a bullet as he through a thunderous punch that could easily break through stone at Gaara's head but the sand yet again got in the way and blocked his attack. Unleashing another tightly chained combo of acrobatic attacks Lee was pounding away at Gaara's shield yet again but was meeting the same results as before.

"I don't get it why is he only using Taijutsu to attack Gaara's sand? Doesn't he understand that something like that won't work by now? Why doesn't he get some distance and attack with either Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?" Sakura questioned aloud as she turned to Might Guy who was confidently staring down at his prized student. Grinning Guy decided to answer the question that was on everybody's mind. "That would be a very wise and tactical decision Sakura, very good. But you see Lee has absolutely no aptitude for either Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Guy revealed which shocked most of the others around him.

"Really? No way!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, that's not even the half of it. Back when I first met the boy he had no skills in Taijutsu either. He had absolutely zero talent in all Shinobi related subject altogether." Guy admitted with a heartfelt chuckle. It was full of amusement and pride. "I can't believe it…" Sakura said as she trailed off to watch Lee do a series of consecutive backflips to get away from Gaara's sand but it was moving far too fast for him to get away from. Lee slipped on a patch of sand that had managed to catch up to him. Everyone gasped as Lee tumbled to the ground with a large mass of sand descending towards him in an attempt to completely crush him.

The sand impacted the concrete floor like a wave crashing against a beach. The tiled floor found itself cracked yet again from another attack in a single day as it seemingly crushed Lee. Everyone held their breath at this but Guy and the rest of the Jōnin were smiling. Lee was actually high up in the air doing cannon ball like backflips until he found himself perched up on the stone statue of the hands doing the Ram hand sign. He was perfectly ok. _'I didn't even see him move.'_ Naruto thought to himself in mild shock as right before the impact Lee simply disappeared.

"Ordinarily a shinobi who couldn't perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu is an extreme rarity. It's almost unheard of, but while most would consider this as a disadvantage for Lee, it's actually what makes him a winner." Guy stated as he turned to look at his student with pride shinning in his eyes. "Okay Lee its time… take them off!" Guy shouted out which made a shocked look cross the young boys face. "But Guy Sensei… you've always told me that I'm only allowed to take these off when the lives of those who are important to me or those of the innocent are at risk." Lee stated with confusion bubbling deep within his heart. "Yes, Lee you're absolutely right. But this is an exception. Show everybody here the power of your youth!" Guy exclaimed as an absolutely giddy expression crossed Lee's face. He looked like a kid in the candy store.

Sitting down on the statue Lee rolled down his orange leg warmers to reveal a tan brace of metallic leg weights. _'Leg weights?'_ Kakashi idly thought. "Those are a bit old fashion." Shikamaru commented. "Yes! With these off I'll be able to move freely now!" Lee exclaimed in absolute joy. _'There's something off about those weights… those markings on them. That's Fūinjutsu.'_ Naruto noticed as he felt an ominous chill go down his spine. Unfortunately, it was because he felt a sudden spike in Chaos's emotions. She was exuding the same amount of joy and giddiness that Rock Lee was showing off. That let Naruto know that something wasn't quite right.

' _Oh, come on. Does he honestly think dropping a couple pounds of weight will make a difference?'_ Temari thought while rolling her eyes. She didn't think much of Lee based on the performance his teammate gave. However, what happened next made her eat her word. Lee dropped the leg weights onto the floor and the entire room shook. Two massive holes for where each leg weight fell were in the ground as dust and chunks of concrete flew everywhere. "No way…" Naruto whispered.

"Right! Now go get them Lee!" Guy shouted with Lee shouting to the heavens in agreement. "YES SIR!"

Lee simply disappeared. It actually took a few people extra seconds for them to register the fact he wasn't on the statue anymore. Lee landed on the ground for a fraction of a second as he rocketed off from his spot and drilled a hole straight through Gaara's sand with a single punch. A punch that displaced the air around Gaara's head and caused his ears to pop. By the time Gaara turned his head in the direction of Lee's attack the boy was already launching a kick at Gaara from the complete opposite direction. Gaara's sand exploded as it was displaced by the sheer velocity of Lee's momentum.

"He's so fast!" Sakura yelled in shock. She almost fell over the edge of the balcony since she had leaned so far forward. "Wow Lee. You were this fast all along?" Naruto whispered in awe. He remembered Lee from their time in the academy. He was a year older than him and the others but he was bullied relentlessly because of his inability to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. He was born with a defect that prevents him from molding his chakra properly to perform the most common shinobi arts. The most he could do were chakra exercises like Tree Walking and Water Walking. _'He's just as fast as me with my Acceleration. The only difference here is he doesn't need to waste chakra or concentration moving at that speeds.'_ Naruto noted in perpetual shock. Since this is all natural speed from him it would actually give him the edge against Naruto since he wouldn't have to put any conscious effort into maintaining that level of speed.

"I could see that Lee had no aptitude for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, so we skipped over those things and focused our entire efforts into improving his Taijutsu. Now Lee doesn't need those other shinobi abilities to fight or win. He's transformed himself into the world's greatest Taijutsu specialist and one day he will be the greatest Taijutsu master in history." Guy said with pride oozing out of every word he spoke. The way he looked at Lee as he fought down on the arena floor was like a father looking down at his son. Guy had the proudest look anyone could have on their faces right now.

Lee was busy blasting away at Gaara's shield which could do nothing to stop Lee's blitzing assault. Going for his finisher Lee jumped directly above the hovering sand cloud while doing consecutive dizzying front flips in a tight ball like formation. Letting loose Lee unfurled himself as such speeds that he kicked Gaara on the very crown of his head with such force the red headed boys neck almost snapped as his head was forced downwards.

"He hit him!" Naruto asked as his blue eyes widened in absolute shock. _'No way! He actually managed to touch Gaara. Was I wrong about this boy all along?'_ Temari exclaimed in her head as she never thought she'd live to see this day come.

"Right! Lee let the power of youth explode!" Guy shouted as his blood was pumping. "RIGHT!" Lee shouted as he blurred across the room at incredible speeds. Gaara threw his hands up in the first show of movement all match as he generated a larger wave of sand to stop Lee but the boy simply disappeared into shadows of the wave completely out of everyone's sight. "Over here! No over here!" Lee taunted as he kept popping Gaara's shield with bullet like punches. Gaara couldn't track Lee's movements and trying to turn his head in the direction he thought Lee would be in was proving to be futile. Just when he thought it was over Gaara found himself launched off of his feet by a jaw crushing punch from Lee who completely tore apart Gaara's shield to get to him.

' _A direct hit!'_ Lee cheered in his mind. He was having an absolute blast. "Good!" Guy coached as he nodded his head at the successful hit. Everyone was showing various degrees of awe at Lee's tremendous skills but Gaara was the only one not feeling this sentiment. A spike in his killing intent got everyone focused back in on him. A psychotic deranged look was on his face as he slowly got to his feet. Chunks of sand was falling off his face which had everyone shocked. His face was cracked and chipped in several locations. The shifting sand clouds on the ground started to rise up and splatter onto Gaara's face where his injury was and repair it.

"Is he made of sand?" Naruto mumbled in complete bewilderment as he was trying his absolute hardest to figure out Gaara's abilities. "No, he's not made of sand. That is a last line of defense. In the event the sand clouds aren't able to stop an enemy's attack Gaara has a second dense layer of sand that conforms to his skin and acts like a layer of armor." Kankurō explained but the nervous look in his eyes let the others know that there was more to this than met the eye.

Once Gaara's suit of armor was repaired the killing intent he was leaking was seemingly bottled back up but everyone could still feel it leaking below the surface. "Is that all…" Gaara drawled as he was becoming more and more agitated as time passed. _'My speed isn't enough. I can't get at him for any critical hits as long as those sand clouds are there. However, if I can get him up off the ground away from that sand and hit him from above with the lotus.'_ Lee speculated as his sensei nodded to him in encouragement.

The air around Lee changed as he unfurled the white bandages wrapped tightly around his fist. It looked like he was going to get serious. "Get ready!" Lee challenged as he nearly cracked the floor below him with how fast he took off. He was gone like a bullet as he started to run around Gaara at high speeds. A thick cloud of dust was lifted into the air as Lee continuously lapped Gaara at blistering speeds. "We'll get on with it!" Gaara twitched as he wanted this battle to be over.

"You asked for it!" Lee relented as he suddenly appeared below Gaara and delivered a devastating rising kick that launched Gaara nearly six feet into the air with a resounding shockwave reverberating across the room. Gaara winced in pain at this abrupt attack but with his heavy weight from having his gourd strapped to his back the red head boy was being caught in gravity's grip as he was making his way back to the ground. "Oh, no you don't! Take this!" Lee shouted as he did the impossible by sending another kick at Gaara that launched him back into the air for a second time. Another kick came that forced him further up into the air and then another. It was pretty much inhuman feats of physical prowess as Lee was kicking Gaara further and further straight up into the air at a 90-degree incline with no sign of stopping.

"What an incredible series of kicks?" Kakashi stated in awe as the physical strength needed to do such a feat was pretty much unheard of. "That's impossible…" Naruto mumbled in awe as he watched Lee go. _'Not even I would be able to do something like that.'_ Naruto silently thought to himself as he watched Lee wrap his bandages around Gaara's prone form. _'Was this the technique he was planning on using on Sasuke back in the Academy lobby?'_ Naruto questioned himself silently as the setup was very similar. Lee winced as he closed his eyes from the immense amount of pain he was putting himself through with this maneuver. At the same exact time, Guy closed his eyes to pray for his student's safety as the technique he was about to perform could kill him if executed wrong. No one noticed that Gaara had quickly made move in the split second that Lee and Guy had closed their eyes except Kakashi.

"Now take this! **Primary Lotus!** " Lee screamed as he and Gaara entered a steep spinning nose dive that would surely kill them both. The two hit the ground with an ear popping impact that shook the entire room and tore a huge crater into the middle of the concrete floor that was continuously taking unending punishment from the many matches it endured. Dust and chunks of concrete flew everywhere causing those in the stands to cover their eyes. Once everything settled the participants could see Lee crouched outside of the destroyed arena floor with Gaara's lifeless body in the center. "That look in his eye… he isn't dead, is he?" Shikamaru barely managed to get out as he was holding his breath while trying to process the last few seconds of what happened.

Hayate was going to call the match when everyone noticed that the body on the ground was changing colors. It soon became apparent because of the fact that the body fell apart and turned into a huge pile of sand. "A substitution? When?" Guy exclaimed in shock as he never saw Gaara react during the entire sequence of the fight. "It was when you closed your eyes to pray." Kakashi said solemnly as he sighed. He knew what was coming next.

The look that was on the real Gaara's face was downright murderous and sadistic as his killing intent finally started to leak out without restraint. The next few minutes were hard to watch as Lee was viciously battered all across the room by whips, streams, blasts, and tsunamis of sand that Gaara was now actively controlling as he was sending these attacks at Lee's defenseless form of his own volition. Lee couldn't fight back and as it was explained by his mentor and by Kakashi, Lee's body was simply under too much pain and stress for him to move with his hyper speeds.

Naruto was highly uncomfortable with this new development as Lee was getting seriously injured in the match. Another thing he had to contend with was the fact Chaos was becoming excited by Gaara's volatile killing intent. To make matters worse he could feel her trying to manifest herself out in the open due to her excitement and Naruto was taking all of his concentration just to force the tiny apocalyptic terror to calm down. Her manifested presence was causing his shadow to start to warp and distort in figure to take on more of a shape that was characteristic of Chaos's form. Her blade like wings were starting to form in the shadows shape and to remedy this Naruto quickly sent a discreet signal to Shikamaru who understood and causally connected his shadow to Naruto's using his clan's secret Jutsu.

With their shadows connected Shikamaru was able to freely manipulate the form in which it took which was perfect as he was able to mask the fact that Naruto's shadow on its own no longer matched his body. Again, Naruto was completely baffled as to how Chaos was able to even attempt to manifest herself seeing as how Orochimaru's seal was still on top of his own. It was dulling to connection he had with his daughters and Eva down to the point he could barely hear or feel their presence in the back of his mind. In hindsight Naruto also realized that Chaos somehow defies the normal laws of reality around her and he didn't even mean that in a comedic sense. He was quite serious with that statement as things just didn't add up with Chaos's actions half the time.

Bringing himself out of his inner thoughts Naruto listened in on the conversation Might Guy, Kakashi, and Sakura were having about Lee's condition. While Naruto was distracted Lee somehow put on a burst of speed and was now dodging all of Gaara's multiple attacks. His speed was back up to what it was when he first took off his weights. His movements were smooth and precise as he was now dancing circles again around Gaara's attacks. Listening to the conversation Naruto now knew that Lee had opened the Second Gate of Rest. He was getting ready to open up the third gate. The Third Gate of Life so that he could enter the Hidden Lotus.

As Kakashi explained the system of the **Eight Inner Gates** Naruto and the others were left stunned at this development as it was undoubtedly a massive ace in the hole but it was a power boost that was like a doubled edged sword. "By opening all 8 of the Inner Gates a user could obtain immense power even beyond that of a Kage. The only drawback is you will die once you've used up all the chakra the Eighth gate provides." Kakashi explained in a grave tone as his eyes showed nothing but absolute seriousness at the moment. _'The truth is the Eighth Gate would give you power to probably rival the stronger Tailed Beasts. And they are leagues ahead of Kage's in terms of power and chakra.'_ Kakashi thought privately as the power boost granted by the Eight Gates was immense; and he personally knew that Guy could open at least 6 of them. But Kakashi always had an inkling that Guy was holding out on him… that he could go further if he pushed himself.

"Guy I don't know what this boy means to you but this was completely irresponsible. We never bring our personal attachments and feelings into play. The power that boy wields will kill him long before he could ever reach the Eighth Gate." Kakashi berated his best friend as he sent a disappointing glare at the Taijutsu Master. A muscle jumped in Guy's jaw as he turned to give his closest friend and eternal rival a chilling glare. "How dare you, you have no right… you know nothing at all!" Guy snapped at Kakashi getting those around him to back up in shock. Even Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as he rarely ever sees his best friend riled up in any situation, it was exceedingly rare.

"That boy has something important to prove. Something so important he's ready and willing to risk his very own life to achieve it." Guy stated as he looked at Lee with love and pride shimmering in his eyes. He was remembering a famous quote Lee stated on the very first day he met his new team. _['I want to show that I can be a splendid ninja as well; even if I don't have Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. I want to prove it to the whole world!']_ That one statement echoes throughout Guy's mind each and every time he thinks about Lee. It has stuck with him ever since he first heard it a little over a year ago, and it has been something he's never once forgotten.

"I am determined to help him reach that goal, not just for his sake alone. But because it is a goal that is worth achieving." Guy said as the others could feel the passion and conviction within Guy's voice. "I gave him one and only rule that he must obey if he's to ever open the Eight Inner Gates and enter the Hidden Lotus… and that is…" Guy ominously said as the air inside the entire room suddenly became extremely dense.

Everyone turned their attention down to the floor where the very air itself was shimmering and becoming distorted around Lee. The huge chakra spike that followed nearly had people floored as a large aura of chakra shrouded Lee. "To protect and maintain my own Ninja Way!" Lee shouted as his skin turned red from the blood rushing beneath his skin. His pupils disappeared from his eyes as the intensity of the chakra blew everything around him away. "Incredible… that's more chakra then…" Naruto began to say but he tapered off as he thought of when he uses his Accel Turn. The amount of energy he releases just with the first level of the technique is massive but this amount of chakra that Lee was using blew passed it. It even blew passed the amount of chakra he receives when he taps into the Nine Tails Chakra.

"He's opened the Third Gate, he's going on the attack now." Kakashi spoke as he noticed Lee tense. "Oh no. Lee isn't ready just yet." Guy countered with a chuckle. "The **Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain**! Open!" Lee yelled as his chakra spiked to new heights. "Impossible. No one could force open a gate like that!" Kakashi exclaimed as he briefly lost his composure. The very next second the entire arena floor seemed to explode as Lee took off with such force that no one saw where he went. Gaara found out exactly where Lee went as he suddenly found himself more than 3/4ths the way up to the ceiling as he was kicked in the chin so hard that his neck surely would have been broken if he hadn't already reinforced his body with chakra on top of the chakra that was already keeping his shell of armor in place.

"Where did he go!?" Shikamaru shouted as everyone was nearly blown off their feet by the tremendous force in which Lee moved. Everyone's attention was brought up into the air when they saw Gaara's body flailing through the air. "Still hiding behind that armor of sand, are you? Well we'll see about that! Take this!" Lee shouted as he slammed into Gaara with such force that a resounding shockwave tore through the large room as Gaara was flung through the air like a ragdoll. Lee didn't stop there, he kept repeating the process as he literally blew away chunks and chunks of the sand armor on top of Gaara's skin. This process went on for close to 30 seconds which seemed like an eternity for Gaara and those watching as Lee completely stripped the redheaded Jinchūriki of his ultimate defense.

Just when Gaara thought it was over Lee went in for his final move as he briefly panned over to look at his teammate Neji who wore a shocked look on his face. Lee slammed a gut-wrenching punch into Gaara's stomach that sent the boy towards the ground but Lee wasn't quite finished. Hoisting Gaara up by the white sash around his waist Lee pulled the boy back as his chakra skyrocketed. "The **Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing!** Open!" Lee roared as put everything he had into this last attack.

" **HIDDEN LOTUS!"** Lee roared as he slammed his fist and leg into Gaara with such force that everyone was slammed into the wall by the immense shockwave that cracked all of the walls around the room. Naruto could barely concentrate and he almost missed it but he felt a brief surge of a person's chakra that under normal circumstances would have had him shocked if not for the craziness that he's already witnessed. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Third Hokage himself that had flared his chakra for a brief moment as he held up a hand sign. Taking one look Naruto could understand why, the room couldn't hold itself together anymore. It has taken too much of a beating. It was ready to collapse on everyone inside if not for the Hokage himself spreading his chakra across the room like a glue and holding the crumbling concrete together.

A lone figure crashed onto the floor I a deep crater while Lee flopped and bounced across the floor like a ragdoll. Hiruzen carefully reinforced the walls and ceiling with his chakra as he used his Affinity for Earth Nature Chakra to actually put all of the concrete back into place. It was a close call to be sure. _'That boy is incredible.'_ Hiruzen thought with pride as another young Genin was produced in his village with such tremendous power and talent. Not to mention the heart and determination to walk down the right path.

Everyone was understandably shocked when Gaara started to move. His sand had cushioned his fall, especially his gourd that had decomposed and turned into sand; while it said little for the amount of pain he was in, at the end of the day Gaara could still move while Lee could not.

Sand started to creep across the floor to a struggling Lee who was trying his hardest to move but the arm and leg that he slammed into Gaara were broken. The muscles inside those limbs were shredded and strained beyond believe. "I know what's coming next." Shino said with fear leaking into his voice. The others heard him as they saw the sand wrap itself around Lee's other arm and leg that was undamaged. **"Sand Coffin!"** Gaara intoned with murderous intent leaking out of him. **"SAND BURIAL!"**

The sand brutally crushed Lee's arm and leg to the point where blood and gore flew out of Lee's limbs, the crushing force behind the attack was so powerful that it nearly amputated the limbs off all together. Lee screamed out in excruciating pain as he felt his body undergo the brutal attack. Everyone gasped in shock at this as it was an uncalled-for cruelty that did not need to happen. The crazed look in Gaara's eyes increased as he sent a large wave of sand shaped like a hand at Lee's defenseless form. He was going to kill Lee plain and simple.

Naruto felt his heart racing as he was certain Gaara was going to kill Rock Lee right here and now but at the very last second Might Guy intervened in the way of Gaara's last attack by dispersing the powerful wave of sand with a single hand. "Why are you interfering? He lost?" Gaara questioned as he gritted his teeth in aggravation at the fact Guy saved Lee. "It's because he's my student. Also, because he is precious to me." Guy answered truthfully with a defensive edge to his voice as Gaara gripped his head in psychological pain. This was a sentiment he couldn't even begin to understand. _'These Leaf Ninja and their sentimental values. These are concepts Gaara couldn't even hope to begin to understand.'_ Baki thought with a negative shake of his head.

A dark look came to Gaara's eyes as he stared down Lee before growling in aggravation. "I quit." Gaara seethed as his gourd of sand began to reform on his back. "He quits?" Sakura comments incredulously, after that intense fight… he quits? "It doesn't matter, it's too late for Lee. He lost the match the minute Guy intervened." Kakashi regretfully stated as he sighed in disappointment. He was very impressed with the performance Lee put on.

Hayate was about to call the match in Gaara's favor when he looked behind Guy's to see a sight he had never seen before. Lee was back on his feet and feebly attempting to get back into his Taijutsu stance. "That shouldn't even be possible… oh Lee you've done enough, the match is over." Guy said with sadness in his eyes as he went up to Lee to comfort him. Guy managed to catch a glimpse at Rock Lee's eyes and what he saw rendered him speechless. Lee's eyes were blank and vacant. He was unconscious.

"Oh Lee… Lee… oh god what have I done?" Guy choked out as tears started to pour down his face. "You're not even conscious and yet you're still determined to show the world what you can do." Guy sobbed as he stared down at his unconscious student who was on his feet still ready to fight. The others were shocked into silence at this as most of the participants felt a tug at their heart from this. Naruto felt tears pooling in his eyes as he could feel the anguish coming off of Might Guy and the painful determination that even in his unconscious state Lee was still giving off. It was painful and heartbreaking to watch. Lee had a heart of gold, there was no denying it.

"You've already proven it… oh Lee… you are a splendid ninja." Guy sobbed as he pulled Lee into a tender embrace. "I'm so sorry Lee, god please forgive me." Guy prayed for forgiveness as he gently laid Lee on the ground whose right arm and leg was bleeding profusely.

Sakura wanted to jump down to see if Lee was ok but Kakashi held her back with solemn words as he slid his headband back down on his face. "The winner of the match is Gaara." Hayate announced as he wasted no time in running over to Lee's side to check on the young fighter's condition. He called for the on standby Medical Corps team to come to Lee's aid immediately. The same three Medical Ninja from before plus another full team can running out from the entrance to room with packs of medical equipment and gear on their beige colored full bodied suits.

Seeing so many medics rushing into the room broke Naruto's heart, he jumped over the railings before anyone could react. Rushing over to where Lee and Guy were, Naruto ran by Gaara who wore a stoic expression on his face as he stared down Naruto as he passed. Unknowingly to Naruto his eyes changed from there bright blue to color to Sōkyoku's powerful emerald green for a split second. Naruto never noticed or felt the change but Gaara saw this happen and it caused him to stop and look at Naruto's retreating back with shock flaring to life in his eyes. _'Lee lost to him!'_ Was Naruto's disbelieving thought as he made it to Lee's side and could now see the full extent of the Taijutsu specialist injuries. It was bad, very bad. "Lee…" Naruto whispered in shock and disbelieve. He couldn't believe it.

The medics were hard at work stabilizing Lee's body so that it could be properly moved and while they were doing so Naruto saw Might Guy barely holding his composure together. The man was clearly beating himself up over the fate of his student. "Guy sensei." Naruto called out as he placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder. The Taijutsu master looked down towards Naruto who was giving him a look of sympathy. "I know you probably don't want to hear this right now but it's not your fault. If there is one thing I've learned so far about Lee and his overall character, then it's that he will follow his path and what he believes in to the end. He's incredible and you should be proud. It looks really bad right now, but I think he can pull through." Naruto said in the gentlest tone he could pull off. The sentiment and sympathy was laced into every word he spoke and he meant everything he said.

Guy understood what Naruto was trying to say and he appreciated the sentiment and heart that he had in order to say the words he said. Guy placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and simply shook his head positively with gratitude in his eyes. He didn't say a word which is pretty rare considering the type of man he was. He was always the life of the party and always had something to say.

"Excuse me but are you his teacher?" One of the medics asked as he interrupted the moment between the two. "Yes, I am, how is Lee. Is he going to be ok?" Guy asked as he stared into the man's eyes. "Could you step away over here for me please so we can talk in private?" The medic asked with a sympathetic tone in his voice. Having a nervous pit growing in his stomach Guy followed the medic away from the others.

Naruto stayed behind as he watched the medics load Lee up onto a stretcher. Lee looked really bad and in Naruto's opinion he looked like he had a long road to recovery ahead of him. That statement was right on the money. Listening in with a small dosage of chakra in his ears Naruto was able to overhear what the lead medic was telling Guy and what he was hearing was tearing at his heart. "I can only imagine how much this must mean to the both of you… but I'm sorry. He will never fight again… his days as a shinobi of the leaf are over." The lead medic said as he bowed in respect to Might Guy who had a shell-shocked look on his face. Lifting his stretcher up the two medics were ready to leave with Lee's body.

"He's wrong… he's so wrong. It can't possibly be true." Naruto whispered to himself as he refused to face the reality of the situation. He's never actually seen a shinobi suffer an injury that would cost them their career before. It was a completely new experience for Naruto and one he would never forget. _'Iris is there anything you can do for Lee?'_ Naruto questioned desperately within his mind, but he received no answer. Iris wasn't responding back to him. That didn't surprise him much since he was supposed to have a very hard time communicating with his daughters but this was the one time in which he really wanted to hear her voice.

' _Oh Lee… forgive me. I couldn't bear the thought of you losing. I wanted you to achieve your goal. I wanted you to prove your ninja way was the right way.'_ Guy silently grieved as his body shook ever so slightly. His eyes were tearing up but he wouldn't let them fall. _'It's all my fault. I should have seen the signs. I should have stopped it. Forgive me Lee. LEE!'_ Guy gritted his teeth in anger and remorse. He's never felt failure on this level before. He was ashamed of himself and what his obsessive actions no matter how noble have caused. It cost his protégé who he saw as his son his entire future as a Shinobi and at such a young age as well. He was only a year and a half into his tenure as a Genin and it was all over now. This was without a doubt his greatest shame and failure.

Gaara watched with a dead look in his eyes as Lee and his entourage of medics walked passed him and left the room. While his eyes looked dead, there was a spark of curiosity and hunger in them. Without a doubt Gaara could say he's never had a battle like that before and the curiosity that stemmed from that was intoxicating and so was the killing intent he was feeling washing over him from Naruto who was glaring a hole into the back of his head. The killing intent was both massive and potent but it was focused in on Gaara and him alone.

The feeling of powerlessness. The same feeling… he was feeling this numbness earlier with Hinata, and it was coming back with a dark vengeance and Naruto was helpless to its influence once again. He couldn't do anything for Lee when he obviously needs it the most and that frustrated Naruto more than he ever thought possible. The boy did not deserve to have his career crushed right alongside his own body. He was to noble and righteous of a person to suffer such a fate. He was a good boy and someone Naruto was hoping to one day soon call his friend, after all he went out of his way to try and protect Sakura and by proxy Naruto and Sasuke when they were out in the Forest of Death. If he hadn't intervened and stalled the Sound Genin Team for as long as he did the end result for the fate of all three of them could have been a lot different.

Naruto felt his body move on its own and this time it wasn't because of the usual tampering by either Iris or Chaos. He was being fueled by his overworked nerves and feelings and right now he was ready to snap. Before he could take a step, Naruto felt himself pulled back by Kakashi who had a look of sympathy in his eyes. "Don't do it Naruto. Control yourself." Naruto gritted his teeth in anger but he felt himself complying with his teachers demands. "Sensei… it isn't fair. Why does such a cruel fate have to strike someone so good?" Naruto quietly asked as Kakashi embraced his student in a comforting hug.

"That is just the world we live in Naruto. Lee is one of the good ones and he gave up his entire future just so that he could achieve his goal and prove himself to the rest of the world. In my opinion his goal is something truly worth fighting for and it's a shame to see him not be able to complete it. There were several people in this competition that he wanted to prove himself against. People who he saw had a lot of talent and power. I can tell deep down that you were one of those people Naruto. As his fellow comrade and shinobi of the leaf you must honor him and be worthy of his outstanding sacrifice. Don't let it go in vain." Kakashi said as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. He was sending his condolences and prayers to Lee for a safe recovery.

' _Lee, you just don't get it. Fate doesn't grant you victory for trying to escape your own limitations. We are all little birds trapped within our own little cages and we are not allowed to escape. Those that try end up suffering a fate much like your own.'_ Neji thought with a disappointed shake of his head. He would never admit it but Lee's overwhelming display of power shook Neji deep down. It even roughed up his own beliefs which was something he couldn't allow.

With his student gone Guy turned his back to the entrance of the room as he was still silently caught up within his own world of grieve. Seeing his best friend in such a state caused Kakashi to reconsider his words from earlier. Approaching the distraught man Kakashi laid his hand on Guy's shoulder. "Hey guy… about what I said earlier. It was way out of line. I was acting like a self-righteous fool. If I had been in your shoes I would have done the same thing. Come on… let's go up, they can't start the next match with us standing around here." Kakashi said gently as he manned up and apologized for his words earlier which he didn't know would now become so insensitive. He wanted to comfort his long time best friend and while his mood hadn't improved my much he could sense that Guy was touched by his words that he would rarely say.

"Yeah… you're right Kakashi… let's go." Guy said in a dull tone as he, Kakashi, and Naruto all made their way back up to the balcony above. The atmosphere was more melancholy than anything else. This year's Chūnin Exams were brutal.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Leaf Hurricane -** A taijutsu where one launches a succession of high kicks and low kicks. Firstly, the opponent's evasion margin is restrained upon seeing the high kick, thus augmenting the chances for the low kick to hit the mark. So originally the high kick is little more than a feint. The technique can also be used in the form of a spinning-roundhouse kick through the air, either alone or in unison with another user for more efficiency.

2.) **Primary Lotus -** The Primary Lotus is a technique that requires the user to open the first of the Eight Gates, giving the user five times their normal strength. The user kicks their opponent into the air and then uses _Dancing Leaf Shadow_. Once behind their opponent, the user restrains them and pile-drives them into the ground head first while rotating at a ferocious speed. Due to the use of one of the Eight Gates, the user is left extremely fatigued, making this technique a (double-edged sword). It may also be used on multiple people at once.

 **Eight Inner Gates -** The Eight Inner Gates are eight specific tenketsu on a person's _Chakra Pathway System_. They limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By undergoing intense training, one can learn how to open these gates allowing the user to surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own body.

3.) **Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain -** The Fourth of the Eight Inner Gates, it is located on the spinal cord, it increases the user's speed and power. May cause muscle tissue to tear on use.

4.) **Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing -** The Fifth of the Eight Inner Gates, it is located in the abdomen, it further increases the user's speed and power.

5.) **Hidden Lotus -** This is a more destructive version of the _Primary Lotus_ that requires at least three of the _Eight Inner Gates_ be opened. Once enough gates are opened, the user kicks the target into the air and continues to strike them at inhuman speeds. They then deliver a final, powerful open-handed strike and kick at the same time, sending the target crashing into the ground; this is usually fatal due to the speed and power behind the attack. Opening so many gates at the same time will likely leave the user unable to stand afterwards, and for that reason the Hidden Lotus can only be performed once.

6.) **Sand Coffin -** With his ability to control sand, Gaara encases his opponents in a large amount of the special chakra-infused sand kept inside his gourd, immobilising them. It can be used to suffocate an opponent or in preparation for a deadlier technique, the _Sand Burial_. This appears to be Gaara's signature technique.

7.) **Sand Burial -** After wrapping an opponent with sand with either _Sand Coffin_ or _Sand Shower_ , Gaara will cause the sand to implode and crush whatever is within it. According to Gaara, when used to kill a person, the death is so quick that there isn't even time for the victim to feel any pain. The pressure also produces a sizeable fountain of blood. Gaara can control the pressure used in the attack, which allows him to either break bones or completely liquefy an opponent.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I decided that I wouldn't alter the Gaara vs. Rock Lee fight much if not at all. The fight itself was authentic to the cannon and I did so out of respect for one of my all time favorite fights in the entire series. The amount of emotional background we got from that fight and for Rock Lee and to a small extent Gaara was amazing and it still resonates with me even after all of these years. So I decided not to change anything. Everything else was obviously handled a bit differently but that was to be expected.

As you can see Kankuro tried (and failed epically) to weasel his way over to the Leaf Genin. Naruto wasn't having any of that. This tremendous amount of stress that Naruto is under that's caused by the Chunin Exam and how brutal and emotionally taxing it is will take its toll on Naruto and help shape him for the future. He's seen and experienced a lot of stuff since this arc began and it will pay off with emotional and physical growth on his part later on down the road.

* * *

Next Chapter - _**(Elimination Match 11-13: Supremacy)**_ _{This will mark the end of the Preliminary Matches. The one month break is upon us everyone, and we all know what that means...}_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 47 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 6/17/2017


	49. CH: 48 Elimination Match:11-13 Supremacy

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys. I'm back again and with the final chapter of the preliminary round matches. This is it. The one month break starts next chapter and as we all know our lovable Toad Sage makes his official debut instead of just cameos. This isn't a chapter to skip out on as a few more little surprises are tucked away within here for both you and the characters themselves. For one thing, Naruto seems to just not be able to catch a break; even when he isn't the one even fighting. The world isn't done with him just yet.

Kakashi gets some love and attention in this chapter as well as our favorite snake duo. Orochimaru and Kabuto are going to be sipping some tea while having a nice bad guy conversation. I will also be giving a particular character some limelight in this chapter as their role became much more expansive than thought possible. Tattoo's they can mean so much for just being a little bit of ink on skin...

All of that and more is in this chapter so sit back relax and enjoy.

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Chapter 48

 _ **Elimination Match: 11-13 Supremacy**_

Things were winding down. Only 3 matches left. Naruto was trying to take his mind off of things by focusing on the LED board on the wall as it chose the names of its next competitors. The names were chosen and Naruto raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

* * *

 _[Chōji Akimichi vs. Dosu Kinuta]_

Not what he was expecting but it was better than facing off against the remaining members of either the Hidden Cloud or Hidden Stone Genin teams. Now that he thought about it Naruto thought it highly suspicious that the two Genin teams were pitted against each other and none other throughout this entire preliminary stage. If the process was truly random then the chance of the Hidden Stone and Cloud only facing each other was extremely slim to none. Naruto suspected foul play on his own villages part but he couldn't necessarily fault them. High levels of politics were at play, he was sure of it.

"Will the next two participants please come down." Hayate requested as he went into a brief coughing fit. He looked like he needed to be in a hospital instead of proctoring an important exam such as this but Naruto knew looks could be deceiving and that the Special Jōnin was more than what he appeared to be.

Dosu wasted no time in getting to the battle floor below as his hunched over form stood out amongst his unique physique. Chōji on the other hand took some serious coaxing and convincing by his teammates and sensei before he finally worked up the nerve to go down the battle floor. "Be careful Chōji, remember he uses sound based Ninjutsu that comes from his gauntlet." Shikamaru advised his best friend as Lee was gracious enough to let the rookie Genin know of Dosu's unique ability when everyone got to the tower. Naruto never overheard this since he was in a deep conversation with Hinata at the time. To know that he lost control again unnerved him and the fact he hurt his friends and even Hinata made Naruto feel ashamed of himself.

"You may begin." Hayate called as he took a few steps back. Chōji knowing of Dosu's abilities instantly went on the offensive. **"Expansion Jutsu!"** Chōji called out as his body bloated until it was nearly four times its original size. The food loving Akimichi tucked his limbs and head into the rest of his body as he curled himself up into a ball. **"Human Boulder!"** Taking off with a burst of chakra Chōji tried to flatten Dosu who casually dodged Chōji's attacks one after the other. Chōji was fast but with his size and the fact the field was severely damaged it limited his overall mobility. Something Dosu took full advantage off when Chōji slammed into the wall in an out of control manner.

Seeing his chance to end the match quickly Dosu slammed his gauntlet covered arm into Chōji's body. "You can't affect me with your Jutsu if my ears are covered." Chōji taunted as he tried to pry himself out of the wall. "It doesn't matter. **Resonating Echo Drill!** " Dosu tapped the side of his gauntlet and several vibrating pulses of sound waves rippled across Chōji's entire body knocking the boy out instantly. Chōji's body deflated back to its original size as he dropped to the floor with drool dripping out of his mouth.

"It's over already?" Ino mumbled as she stared down at her teammate. "The human body is made up of 70% water and water can transmit sound waves. So, that means for anyone I come up against I can make their body one giant ear for me to exploit." Dosu mocked as he walked away from Chōji's unconscious form.

"Chōji Akimichi is unable to continue the match due to knockout. Therefore, the winner of the tenth preliminary match and applicant to move on to the finals is Dosu Kinuta." Hayate officiated as the match took a startling 1 minute and 15 seconds to start and end. It was the fastest match in the entire prelims.

"Ok… now moving on." Hayate drawled out as he got a signal from the Hokage to hurry along the rest of the matches. Believe it or not they had a schedule to keep. The LED board lit up once again and this time it didn't take long at all to choose the next two opponents.

* * *

 _[Kurotsuchi Suiseki vs. Omoi Seiteki]_

This was interesting to quite a few people of interest in the room. Mainly Hiruzen who was smoking from his pipe at the moment. _'Kurotsuchi is the granddaughter of Ōnoki. Why would he send his own granddaughter to these Chūnin Exams? He hates the Land of Fire and the Hidden Leaf with a passion.'_ It struck Hiruzen as odd that Ōnoki the Third Tsuchikage himself would send his own granddaughter to the one country in the world he hates the most just for the Chūnin Exams which wasn't even necessary for a Genin to be promoted to Chūnin. Not to mention the fact that his granddaughter in particular would be fast tracked and promoted for the fame of her village.

Kurotsuchi was a short girl with short black hair and black eyes dressed primarily in various shades of red and brown with a red headband displaying the symbol of her village proudly. The symbol of the Hidden Stone Village. There was a peculiar aura about her. She was strong, definitely not someone to be messed with.

Jumping over the railing the proud Kunoichi had a small smirk on her face as she glanced up at the teams on the Hidden Leaf's side. But she was looking at one person in particular; and as no surprise it was Naruto. _'Why is she looking at me? Heck, why is everyone so interested in me?'_ Naruto thought in both confusion and annoyance as he knew multiple participants in the room where interested in him. She smirked a little more at Naruto before looking over to her opponent who was now standing lazily across from her.

Omoi was a dark skin young man with stark white hair which was a fairly common trait in the Land of Lightning. He had a lollipop of all things in his mouth and was wearing predominately black, grey, and white clothing's and a white headband proudly displaying the symbol of the Hidden Cloud Village.

"I'm going to get this over with quickly." Kurotsuchi said as she put a hand to her hip. "If I don't beat this girl I'll get chewed out by Karui, if she chews me out then I'll never hear the end of it, if I never hear the end of it…" Omoi was rambling to himself with a nervous sweat breaking out across his face as he was tuning out the world around him. "…Hey, are you even paying attention to me!?" Kurotsuchi yelled indignantly as she was a considerably short-tempered girl by nature, she was 13 in a half years old almost 14 and she was more of a tomboy than a feminine girl.

"I'm sorry, I get nervous easily and…" Omoi started to apologize but he was again cut off by Kurotsuchi who's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance. Her arms were crossed over her chest as her whole posture gave off the not so vague sense of annoyance and irritation. She wanted her fight to be over quickly. "I'm not here to talk… I'm here to fight so let's get to it." Kurotsuchi made her stance on why she was at the Chūnin Exams very clear. She wasn't here to make friends.

"Okay, you may begin." Hayate announced as he jumped far back to the raised stage as the two Genin sprang into action. The hidden stone kunoichi threw several volleys of shuriken and kunai at Omoi who quickly drew his sword that was strapped to his back. Many ninjas in the Hidden Cloud were specialist in Kenjutsu and swordplay. One second there were kunai and shuriken coming at the young swordsmen and the next second they were all either deflected away or sliced in half. Omoi was a quick draw with his sword.

Kurotsuchi didn't waste any time as she closed the distance between her and her opponent in seconds as she attacked him at close range with a pair of kunai. Omoi proved to be better at close range with his sword giving him a huge edge as he was blocking both of her kunai at the same time. Chaining in several kicks and roundhouse kicks into her attack sequence Kurotsuchi was attempting to overwhelm Omoi's defenses but he was holding strong as he also used the flat side of his sword's blade to block her kicks. He wasn't looking to maim her, just pure defense of himself.

Deciding to gain some distance Kurotsuchi jumped back as Omoi channeled lightning nature chakra through his sword. Landing behind an uprooted piece of rock Kurotsuchi was about to make a move when Omoi decided to cut the rock in half with his sword stopping whatever move the kunoichi was going to make. "I don't think so!" Omoi challenged as he attempted to cut Kurotsuchi in half. She learned not to get close after one of her kunai she brought up to defend herself with was cut cleanly in half. **"Earth Style: Earth Flowing Mud River Jutsu!"** Going through a chain of hand signs Kurotsuchi turned the ground beneath her feet into a raging river of mud that stopped Omoi in his tracks. It was a jarring feeling as Omoi felt all of his traction disappear in an instant as he started to slide back and become swept up in the muds powerful current.

Kurotsuchi wasn't done yet however, she was a girl who liked overwhelming offense and whenever she had an advantage she pressed it and took full advantage of the opportunity given to her. She never liked to waste time. **"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb Jutsu!"** A large dragon shaped head formed out of the mud river and opened its wide maw which was nearly as tall as Kurotsuchi was. Several basketball sized balls of mud were launched at Omoi who started to cut the projectiles in half while streaming lightning nature chakra all along his sword which was chaining across the multiple mud projectiles coming at him. "I'm not done yet!" Kurotsuchi remarked as she tacked on yet another Jutsu to her continuous attack. It was a remarkable feat as it's not easy to keep up with and manage the three-different chakra flows that the individual techniques require while maintaining the power behind the attacks.

"That's very impressive. She's just chaining more and more attacks on non-stop." Shikamaru commented as he knew that was no easy feat to accomplish. "No kidding, I could do that but I'd need my shadow clones to do that for me." Naruto agreed as he was captivated so far by this fight.

" **Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears Jutsu!"** Turning the mud flowing beneath their feet into solid spears of mud and earth Kurotsuchi was determined to overwhelm Omoi. _'She's relentless, I better act fast!'_ Omoi thought as he went in for his first offensive Jutsu. He only had seconds to act as the spears were fast approaching. **"Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu!"** Thrusting his sword into the mud river at his feet Omoi discharged a large wave of electricity in every direction that obliterated the incoming onslaught of Earth based ninjutsu that was giving him such a hard time. "Now it's my turn!" Omoi challenged as he tightened his gripped on his sword. Jumping into the air Omoi came in with tremendous speeds. **"Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Crescent Moon Slice!"**

Omoi came in with a powerful swing of his sword that left a trail of light blue light in its wake. **"Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!"** It was a snap decision by Kurotsuchi as a concrete slab raised up off the floor right as Omoi's attack came into range. The slab of concrete was cut clean in half within seconds but it did its job. It took the hit for Kurotsuchi. "Not bad… but not good enough!" The tomboy taunted as she came up with an idea to neutralize Omoi's usage of Lightning Style Ninjutsu. Shoulder tackling Omoi before he could swing his sword back around Kurotsuchi unleashed a brutal Taijutsu assault on the sword wielding Genin who was now starting to feel the pressure. **"Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Reverse Slice!"** Omoi chanted as he swung his sword in a reverse slicing movement that caught Kurotsuchi off guard. She received a shallow cut to the shirt she was wearing as she just barely managed to dodge out of the way of the very fast-moving sword.

"Ok, maybe you're not so bad." Kurotsuchi corrected as she smirked a bit. She liked a challenge. "I'm full of surprises." Omoi admitted as he got into his Kenjutsu stance. It was a bold stance as he came charging in this time putting the kunoichi on her back foot as she couldn't properly defend herself against Omoi's lightning covered sword which he was making excellent use of. Kurotsuchi was a competent kunoichi and while her Taijutsu was very impressive her strongest attribute and subject had always been Ninjutsu. With her larger than average chakra reserves and considering she's the granddaughter to the Third Tsuchikage it was no surprise she already had a large library of ninjutsu under her command. She was known as the strongest Genin in her village for a reason. She was already considered Chūnin Level in all but official rank but the reason she was sent to this year's Chūnin exams was much different.

Pushing Omoi back with another river of mud Kurotsuchi banked on another Jutsu. Her strongest and most versatile Earth Style Ninjutsu in her arsenal, but definitely not the strongest Jutsu she knew. **"Earth Style: Golem Jutsu!"** The girl yelled as a noticeable dip in her Chakra could be detected by those adept at sensing chakra. A large golem creature made out of the concrete slabs around the room formed in front of Omoi. It was 8 feet tall and was humanoid in shape with a bulkier upper body and a slimmer torso and lower body. It was quite top heavy with a sunken in head. The crevices in between the rocks were dripping mud as it was acting like a glue holding the construct together and a light sheen of mud and dirt was coating the entire golem's body. It was a really dirty monster. "Crap!" Omoi seethed as he quickly dodged a heavy punch from the golem that tore through an upturned bolder with ease.

"No way… I've never seen anything like that." Naruto commented as he and the other Genin were understandably shocked to see such a unique technique. Naruto took notice of the noticeable dip in Kurotsuchi's chakra reserves so he knew that this technique was taxing. "Oh, this brings back memories…" Asuma chuckled as he exhaled a cloud of nicotine filled smoke from his mouth. "You've seen this technique before Asuma Sensei?" Ino asked before Shikamaru could as the lazy Nara clan heir was intrigued by what his sensei had to say. "Ha! We all have. We saw this technique from the strong and skilled Jōnin of the Hidden Stone all the time back during the Third Great Shinobi World War. It was a pesky technique to deal with since it's so versatile in attacking, defending, and supplementary support type roles. The only downsides to the user is the cost of chakra to maintain the technique and the fact that it makes itself a big target." Asuma explained as he alluded to the fact he and his fellow Jōnin all encountered this technique back during the war. Kakashi nodded in agreement to this as he remembered those times as well.

"Sounds like this is her trump card then… it's impressive that she knows such an advanced technique." Ino commented but when she didn't hear a reply she turned to Shikamaru to see him and Naruto with contemplative looks on their faces. "What's wrong guys?" She questioned with confusion evident in her eyes. "I don't think this is her trump card. It's definitely one of her strongest attacks maybe but not her trump card. She's hiding something." Naruto explained as he couldn't shake the feeling that Kurotsuchi was hiding something.

Taking the overwhelming offensive Kurotsuchi directed her golem to attack Omoi which it did as it smashed up the already broken floor with Omoi doing his best to dodge the deadly blows. Omoi saw his chance when the Golem launched a heavy punch at him that shook the ground where he stood. He substituted with a large rock right at his feet as he slipped past the Golem and attacked Kurotsuchi in a smooth flourish as he came flowing right out of the quickly timed **Substitution Jutsu**. **"Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Deception Slice!"** Flowing from the momentum of the substitution Omoi nearly took Kurotsuchi's head clean off if she wasn't on her guard. Luckily, she was as she was able to again just barely dodge the attack while jumping over Omoi's head. Lashing out with a kick the tomboyish girl forced Omoi away from her as she landed on top of her golem's head. She got out of there relatively unharmed but her shirt took some more punishment as her left sleeve was cut off from Omoi's attack.

"That was close…" Sakura commented as Kurotsuchi checked her sleeve. "You ruined my shirt… now I've got to take you out." Channeling more chakra into her Jutsu Kurotsuchi had the Golem go in for a heavy punch that would flatten Omoi if it would land. The cloud Genin had different plans however. **"Lightning Style: Static Jutsu."** Omoi made two hand signs as his body was covered in a light layer of static electricity. The fist slammed directly into Omoi who blocked it with his sword. **"Lightning Style: Discharge Jutsu!"** Omoi took all of the stored-up electricity inside his body and surged it directly though the Golem's body paralyzing the entire construct and forcing it to stop moving. Most of the mud was burned off by the electricity as Omoi saw his chance to destroy the rock golem.

With the golem paralyzed Omoi made a familiar hand sign along with a few others as two Shadow Clones formed next to him. All three of them disappeared as they appeared above Kurotsuchi who hissed in annoyance. Jumping off at the last second Kurotsuchi landed on the railings of the balconies above just in time as Omoi and his two clones descended upon the Golem simultaneously. **"Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Havoc Group Slice!"** All three Omoi's slashed into the Golem's body while surging their electricity into the monster. **"Lightning Style: Team Thunder Bomb Jutsu!"**

The Golem didn't stand a chance. The entire construct broke apart instantly as a massive surge of electricity and bolts of lightning disintegrated the rock golem until it was nothing else. Static electricity shrouded the air as Omoi and his two clones turned to face Kurotsuchi who was peering down at him with a calculating yet cocky smirk. Naruto on the other hand felt his heart skip a beat and not in the good way. He could almost say his heart stopped completely. Kurotsuchi was crouched on the railing and her sleeve was exposed. But it was what was on the girl's shoulder that caught Naruto's attention. It was a tattoo… and not just any kind of tattoo. It was the exact same type of tattoo that he had on his shoulder. But instead of the tattoo of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia she had the symbol of Hotel Moscow. The Mafia of the Hidden Stone. It was depicted as a hammer and sickle striking against the Hidden Stone's symbol.

Time slowed down as Kurotsuchi caught Naruto's shocked look. She sent him a cocky smirk before rocketing off the balcony to re-engage Omoi who was coming after her. That entire exchange took less than a second but for Naruto it felt like an eternity. _'That was no coincidence. This is Balalaika's doing. Did she send this team here to watch me during the prelims?'_ Naruto questioned inside the privacy of his own mind as he couldn't figure out what the elusive and mysterious Kingpin of the Hidden Stone's Mafia true motives were. She was heavily interested in him for some strange reason outside of his understanding and he knew she would not leave him alone until she finally got whatever it is she was looking for.

Slamming into the ground Kurotsuchi kicked up a cloud of dust as Omoi's two clones came in and managed to impale the kunoichi before she could do anything. There was a brief pause but it was soon over as Kurotsuchi suddenly lashed out and grabbed both clones by the throat snapping their necks without a moment of hesitation but in doing so they both burst into a cloud of electricity shocking her and while many thought that this would turn out to be an advantage for Omoi they were quickly proven wrong when that Kurotsuchi burst into a puddle of mud showing that it was a clone. Omoi's clones were actually lightning based Shadow clones called the **Lightning Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu** while Kurotsuchi's was the earth based variant called the **Earth Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu**. They were difficult to make and handle but they had their own unique properties and advantages in battle.

"She's incredible with her Earth Style Ninjutsu. I didn't think I'd see such prowess with elemental ninjutsu from a Genin like that." Kakashi commented as it was apparent that Kurotsuchi was already Chūnin level and her talent for pure Ninjutsu was through the roof which was to be completely expected given who her father was and who her grandfather was. Not to mention her Great-Grandfather. She comes from a long line of powerful ninjutsu focused shinobi who are all extremely powerful and well feared and respected.

Said girl popped up out of the ground behind Omoi who was expecting such a move. The boy nearly succeeded in taking Kurotsuchi's head clean off with another one of his reverse slice attacks as she back flipped away from the skilled swordsmen. She needed a big distraction to pull off the victory she had in mind. Taking a portion of her remaining chakra left which was already pretty big for a girl her age she created another Golem to serve as nothing but a distraction as she started to mold her chakra for her big finish. Seeing the golem coming at him Omoi took a sizable portion of his remaining chakra left to confront the walking pile of rocks. **"Lightning Style: Thunder Bolt Jutsu!"** Twin orbs of powerful electricity came to life in Omoi's hands as they sent bolts of lightning flying everywhere. Omoi slammed his palms down into the Golem with such force that it shattered the construct before it could do much damage.

"Now to get rid of that Lightning Style of yours!" Kurotsuchi chanted as she finished one sequence of hand signs. She had many more to go. **"Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu!"** It came in quick as Kurotsuchi spewed out a wave of water that pushed Omoi across the room drenching his clothes. With Omoi's body drenched in water it made it impossible for him to call upon any lightning based ninjutsu which was a huge disadvantage for him since he didn't have a second chakra nature like Kurotsuchi had. "Now it's all over!" Kurotsuchi declared as she closed the distance between the two and rocked Omoi with a thunderous punch across the face that sent him flying into the wall underneath the balconies.

" **Corrosion Style: Quicklime Congealing Jutsu!"** Kurotsuchi went through a set of unfamiliar hand signs as she spat out a glob of greyish white tar that splattered across Omoi's body who was laying against the wall. **"Water Style: Water Trumpet Jutsu!"** One after the other Kurotsuchi released a high pressurized jet of water from her mouth that impacted the quicklime on Omoi's body hardening it and as a byproduct also fusing him to the wall like quick drying cement.

It was over. Omoi's entire body was fused to the wall with a mold of plaster cement covering his entire body. He wouldn't be able to move even if he tried. Hayate took one look at Omoi and sighed. He enjoyed that match. "Omoi of the Hidden Cloud is unable to continue the match due to incapacitation. Therefore, the winner and applicant to move on to the final round is Kurotsuchi of the Hidden Stone." Hayate announced as he waved his hand in Kurotsuchi's direction.

" **Corrosion Style**? What's that?" Sakura asked as she turned to Kakashi who had a raised eyebrow. Naruto was about to ask the same question as he's never heard of it before. "Corrosion Style is the sub ability of the **Lava Style** Nature based Kekkei Genkai. Lava style as you can imagine is composed of both Fire and Earth Nature Chakra and it gives a user control over lava and its many unique properties. Depending on how you use this Kekkei Genkai you can produce different results. It's one of the most powerful nature based Kekkei Genkai in the world because of how versatile it is; it's also the only one with a subset." Kakashi started his explanation as he got into a lecturing tone. "So, she has three chakra natures? Is that even possible?" Sakura questioned as she's never heard of such a thing before. "Yes, Sakura this girl has Earth, Fire, and Water Chakra Nature abilities. It's uncommon for one's as young as you guys to have so many but for those born with a Nature Based Kekkei Genkai then they are born with at least two affinities. An unspoken requirement to become a Jōnin is to have mastered your primary chakra nature affinity and to at least be at a very high level in a secondary nature. It's not a full requirement but it's to be expected of you to know your ninjutsu. Lord Hokage has a primary affinity for Fire Style and a secondary for Earth but he's mastered all five nature affinities over the many years he's been alive. He could pull out a jutsu from each element at any time he wants." Kakashi explained which shocked the Genin who did not know about this. Even Neji who was still as silent as ever showed mild amount of shock.

Naruto knew about Hiruzen's tremendous skills already but it still baffles him everytime he hears just how powerful the Third Hokage really is, even in his old age. "It sounds pretty powerful already but what's this subset you're talking about?" Shikamaru questioned as he was highly interested in this subject. Seeing this as his que to continue Kakashi did just that.

"Corrosion Style takes the attributes of its originator and allows you to produce various corrosive substances that can be used in different ways. Each village that has clans of shinobi who can use Lava Style have their own unique version to this. For those in the Land of Earth and the Hidden Stone Village when they use Corrosion Style they can make quicklime and other tar like substances including cement. In the Land of Lightning and Hidden Cloud Village they can create rubber and other vulcanized tar like substances and in the Land of Water and in the Hidden Mist Village they can make corrosive acids and tar. It's a highly unique Kekkei Genkai with a million different variants and uses so I have no doubt in my mind that this young girl can also use its base original form as well and create lava." Kakashi explained as he was silently impressed with Kurotsuchi's performance. He knew she was already Chūnin Level and was quite gifted if her display was anything was to go by. He could also tell she was a bit of a show off. There was no reason to drag the fight on as long as she did and definitely no reason to reveal the fact she had a nature based Kekkei Genkai, especially one as unique and powerful as Lava Style.

That explanation gave Naruto a lot to think about as he briefly thought about his own Ice Style Kekkei Genkai that he received from being bonded with Eva all of these years. However, his mind was drawn to something more important than her powerful Kekkei Genkai. _'That was pretty intense. They got straight to the point. But to think that this girl is a part of Hotel Moscow. I have no doubt that she knows who I really am. That look she gave me can only mean one thing.'_ Naruto thought as he watched Hayate break Omoi out of his confines. He was pretty groggy but other than that he would make a full recovery. From what he could sense Omoi was running on fumes as far as chakra was concerned. He had about enough to perform maybe a few substitutions and transformations but not much else. He would pass out from chakra exhaustion if he pushed himself any further. Kurotsuchi on the other hand had at least the capacity of a low to mid-level Genin left. She could pull out a few more elemental ninjutsu if she really needed to before succumbing to her exhaustion. It just went to showcase just how large her chakra capacity is for a supposed Genin. She was undoubtedly a Chūnin already in everything but name much like Naruto and a few others.

Hayate didn't waste any time as he called down the last two competitors. It would seem they wanted the preliminary matches to come to an end. That was fine by Naruto as he's felt they've dragged on for far too long. He was ready to leave this place and more importantly go check in on Hinata. He also wanted to see how the rest of his injured classmates were like Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Kiba.

* * *

 _[Karui Nimbasu vs. Akatsuchi Suiseki]_

Karui was a dark skinned young girl just like her teammate Omoi. Unlike him however, she had burgundy red hair that was very shaggy and spiky that trailed down her back. She also had amber colored eyes as opposed to Omoi's black ones. She was wearing a dress with various colors of greys, black, and white just like her teammates. She also had an identical sword strapped to her back just like Omoi and judging by the way they were standing close to each other before their matches it was safe to assume that they were close and probably had excellent tag team style team work skills especially since they wielded identical weapons and were on the same team.

Akatsuchi on the other hand was a big boy with some weight on him. He had dark eyes and black hair that spikes out at the back from underneath his bandanna-styled forehead protector. He also has large cheeks, and a plump nose which give him an overall look of constant joviality. Around his neck he was wearing a visible and very prominent yellow scarf that was quite long.

This match passed by much quicker with Karui eventually managing to pull out a narrow victory against Akatsuchi but now without a tremendous amount of effort. Akatsuchi proved to be just as formidable as his sister Kurotsuchi. His control over the earth golem Jutsu was certainly much more present verses his sisters as he was able to produce up to three golems that Karui had to fight against. His Taijutsu was also top notch as his speed was quite deceptive when you compare it to his overall body size. He was able to keep up with Karui who proved to be every bit as talented as her partner Omoi with a sword. She used many of the same Kenjutsu techniques proving it to be an actual style with many practitioners as well as a few lightning style ninjutsu with some of them being the same ones Omoi used while a few were different.

In the end Karui pulled off a narrow victory as she was able to outlast Akatsuchi by just a pinch. He exhausted himself trying to keep up with her better mobility and speed while also trying to maintain his multiple Golems. In retrospect, it also made it extremely hard for Karui to get anywhere close to Akatsuchi with that many golems protecting him and whenever she did he would have no qualms about attacking her with his fist encased in rock to block her sword strikes. While the match didn't last as long as Kurotsuchi's and Omoi's it did come down to the wire and Akatsuchi just lost with a heavily exhausted Karui standing above him.

"Akatsuchi of the Hidden Stone is unable to continue the match due to knock out. Therefore, the winner and applicant moving on to the final round is Karui of the Hidden Cloud." Hayate announced as he coughed heavily into his hands. It was finally over. All of the preliminary matches were over now.

"I hereby call the Preliminary Elimination Rounds for the Third Stage of the Chūnin Exams over. Will all the winning participants please come down to the stage below." Hayate announced as he stood on the raised platform while Hiruzen silently transported himself back down to the arena floor with a subtle Body Flicker Jutsu. It took only a few moments for the winning fighters to come down to stand before the Hokage and Hayate. Everyone else stayed on the balconies above.

"This year's preliminary matches have been exceedingly brutal and lengthy. Much more so than any other time a preliminary elimination round had to be held. With that being said, I commend all of you for making it this far and advancing to the Third Round of the Chūnin Selection Exams." Hayate announced as the Genin lined up in a solid line before the Hokage. Hiruzen was gazing out at the Genin assembled before him as he thought of the future matches. _'Before me stands 5 Genin from my village, 3 from the Hidden Sand, 1 from the Hidden Sound, 2 from the Hidden Cloud, and 1 from the Hidden Stone. This is quite the turnout. It also helps that we managed to minimize the Cloud and Stone's presence in the future matches. Politics can be so tedious sometimes.'_ The old Kage thought as he exhaled a cloud of smoke from his pipe.

"Sensei I have a question…" Sakura asked as she stood next to Kakashi. "Is this about Sasuke?" The copy ninja was quick to reply. "Yes, and about Naruto I suppose." Sakura clarified as she had the decency to add Naruto to her inquiry. "Well I'm afraid I don't know much about their situations… but I wouldn't worry too much. They're going to be just fine. Now if you'll excuse me I have something urgent to take care off. You'll have to fill me in on the details of the final rounds later." Kakashi said in an aloof manner as he disappeared in a lightning fast Body Flicker Jutsu. It was much quicker than usual, it was as if he was in a rush. Guy noticed this as he was still in his own depression about Lee's condition.

Kakashi saw the Jōnin for the Hidden Sound Genin team leave the room earlier after Dosu's fight and he had a bad feeling in his gut that spurred him into action. He didn't know what it was about that guy but something about him was way off. He felt somewhat familiar, but Kakashi couldn't quite put his finger on it and that's what worried him the most. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence. Coincidences like that don't happen in the Shinobi world.

* * *

 _ **In the Village**_

"The preliminary rounds are finished. They're moving on to the Third Round." Kabuto reported as he and the Sound Jōnin were looking over a balcony at the rest of the village. The Sound Jōnin was none other than Orochimaru himself who had a pleased look on his face. "Good, while the Shinobi villages are focused on building up their military and economical might it will give us the perfect opportunity to strike. I believe my former village has been at peace for far too long." Orochimaru said with amusement in his voice as he watched a family of bird's rest in their nest.

"Then give me the order." Kabuto insisted. "I don't know… how much fun would it be to take out an old man like the Hokage anyways… it's meaningless." Orochimaru wistfully stated as a peculiar look was in his eyes. It was a faraway look that you don't often see him having.

"Are you having doubts Lord Orochimaru. You're having second thoughts about killing your master." Kabuto noted with interest but that smirk was wiped off his face when Orochimaru gave him a bone chilling glare. "You have an uncanny ability to be quite perceptive, it's a blessing and a curse. Quite the double-edged sword, if you're not careful it can be your undoing. Remember that well Kabuto and never take that tone with me again." Orochimaru threatened casually as he watched a bead of sweat roll down Kabuto's cheek.

"Yes, forgive me my lord. It won't happen again." Kabuto quickly apologized as he recomposed himself. "If we go through with our plan it would plunge the villages into a state of chaos once again. Hostilities will grow and the balance maintained by the Five Great Nations will be disturbed. With the death of the Third Hokage who is the second longest reigning Kage in history it would spur the other countries to act. Even the Hidden Sound Village wouldn't be able to escape the conflict to come and with no capable shinobi strong enough to take up the mantle of Hokage the leaf will begin to collapse." Kabuto analyzed as he thought of the repercussions his master's plan would have on the world. Taking out Hiruzen Sarutobi is no small act. It would almost certainly mean war on the horizon. The Professors habit of negotiating peace and his unrivaled ability to lead the village throughout all three Great Ninja Wars was a massive testament to his legacy and presence in the Ninja world even if he was newly appointed as the Third Hokage in the waning days of the First Shinobi World War.

"While that is true the village has strong roots keeping it afloat. It will not be easy to bring this village to its knees." Orochimaru eluded mysteriously with a short sneer as he thought of a particular man close to the Hokage. He also thought of another who supports the Hokage with his massive financial network of money and his ability to control crime within the entire country. Both elderly men were people Orochimaru would rather not mess with. Together the three old men even in their old age are virtually unstoppable. Orochimaru would never dare face all three at once under any circumstances unless he had at least a hundred back up plans and even then, they wouldn't make him feel all that confident.

"What are your plans for Sasuke Uchiha?" Kabuto questioned as fixed his glasses. "The curse mark that I gave him was sealed off by Kakashi. But that doesn't concern me much… as long as there is some darkness still in his heart we must act on it quickly. It's for that very reason why I want you to abduct him." Orochimaru concluded as he thought of how he wanted to progress his future plans with the time window he was given. "It's not like you to act so hastily my lord." Kabuto noted but he saw Orochimaru's facial expression change.

"Perhaps… but there is still one other variable that concerns me." Orochimaru admitted with the smallest of sighs. "Is it Naruto Uzumaki?" Kabuto guessed as he hit the nail on the head. He was a very perceptive young man. "Humph. You're quite perceptive Kabuto. It's downright creepy sometimes but yes, it is Naruto Uzumaki that concerns me." Orochimaru admitted as he sighed. He continued on though as he articulated his concerns. "Sasuke is driven by revenge. It burns in his heart to make Itachi pay for what he did to the Uchiha Clan. However, back in the forest he came at me with no hesitation at all and no fear of death. He did it to save his teammate and to reunite with Naruto. However, what concerns me most is what happened when Naruto instead showed up." Orochimaru explained as his eye started to narrow down into a glare. "You still haven't told me what happened back in the forest. Care to share?" Kabuto inquired with interest as the Snake Sannin never filled his right-hand man in on what went down in the Forest of Death.

"When Naruto showed up Sasuke's whole demeanor changed. Naruto managed to bring out a side of Sasuke that just won't do, even if he then displayed tremendous power." Orochimaru hissed as he thought back to his fight with the two Genin. "What happened?" Kabuto leaned in. "They displayed a level of teamwork, friendship, and comradery that can only be found in veterans and Jōnin twice their age. They came at me with a masterful display of skill far beyond that of Genin. They managed to push me to take them a little seriously instead of just playing with them…" Orochimaru revealed as he saw Kabuto's eyes raise up close to his hairline. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"…Sasuke's heart belongs to the village and to his teammates. Being near Naruto brings out his bond and loyalty to this place. While the power those two brought out of each other was more than what I could have ever thought possible it's not what I want. That's not the type of power I want Sasuke to have. He has too much of a bond with Naruto, something must have happened to them to draw them close together as friends. We must sever this bond between them by taking Sasuke away from this place and away from Naruto." Orochimaru declared as he smirked at the thought of Sasuke reveling in darkness. "Once that is done the influence Naruto has over Sasuke's heart and mind will be broken. After that it will be so easy to make him mine forever." Orochimaru smiled cruelly as he visibly licked his lips with his long snake like tongue.

Kabuto had an uneasy look on his face as he stared at his master who has such an obsession with the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan. "But what of Naruto Uzumaki, shouldn't we take him too? We would have the Jinchūriki to the strongest Tailed Beast on our side." Kabuto insisted as he thought it would be the most logical thing to do.

"No Kabuto. Taking Naruto is far too risky. Not only does he have to many powerful friends in high places; but he also has the interest of several immensely powerful individuals. Lady Balalaika herself has taken some kind of interest in him and if we cross her by taking her prey away from her she will annihilate not only us but every associate we have. She would sooner destroy the entire sound village just to make a point to me." Orochimaru immediately barked as he shot down that idea without a second thought of hesitation. No one crosses Balalaika and there was no one in the world powerful enough to stop her. "Lady Balalaika… why would she show an interest in someone like Naruto?" Kabuto questioned with his heart leaping into his throat. Everyone knew never to cross her.

"That is unfortunate. To have a Jinchūriki with the power of a demon is unheard of… its unprecedented." Kabuto stated as he thought of the incredible possibilities they could have with Naruto on their side. _'If only you knew Kabuto… if only you knew.'_ Orochimaru solemnly thought as the notion of a demon empowered Jinchūriki was not as unprecedented as he thought. It's happened before and that person was even stronger than Balalaika which is a notion that's hard to comprehend.

"Go to the hospital and retrieve Sasuke." Orochimaru ordered as he felt giddy at the thought of having Sasuke within his grasp. "Understood my lord, but won't that put unnecessary attention on us before the Third Rounds?" Kabuto mentioned as he felt that would conflict with their plans. "It might, however I want you to take a look at the seal Kakashi placed on him if nothing else. We must make sure that nothing will interfere with our plans." Orochimaru considered as he realized he was being a bit hasty by wanting Sasuke right away. "Understood my lord." Kabuto relinquished as he disappeared in a body flicker.

* * *

 _ **Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves Shinobi Hospital and Psychiatric/Rehabilitation Center**_

' _All too easy.'_ Kabuto thought as he walked into Sasuke's medical room. Three dead ANBU Black Ops agents were on the floor against the wall dead. They had no visible wounds on their bodies, so their deaths were caused by a subtle ninjutsu most likely.

' _It's a shame we've both caught the interest of Lord Orochimaru's keen eyes. It will be nearly impossible for either of us to escape it. Maybe I should put you out of your misery right here, to prevent you from your inevitable future.'_ Kabuto thought enigmatically as he stared at Sasuke's defenseless from with dispassionate eyes. He made sure to check Sasuke's Curse Mark to make sure that everything was ok and other than the Curse Sealing Jutsu placed over it by Kakashi nothing was amiss. He had a small medical scalpel blade in his hand as he held it up to Sasuke's throat. His intent was there and it looked like he was really going to slit Sasuke's throat but not even a second later Kabuto threw the scalpel behind him with lightning quick reflexes but it was caught by none other than Kakashi himself.

"Well, look at who we have here. It's nice of you to show up Kakashi Hatake. You've interrupted my mission, now are you prepared to take me on? Next time you should station at least an entire squad instead of a measly three guards." Kabuto questioned ominously as he turned to face the famous Copy Cat Ninja. _'These three guards were hand-picked from Captain Zebra's platoon. They shouldn't have been killed so easily. Not to mention Captain Shark and his entire platoon should be guarding the hospital right now. How did this boy kill these agents without Shark noticing?'_ Kakashi contemplated as ANBU Captain Shark and his platoon has had the sole duty of guarding the hospital for over 45 years. Shark is only the second officer to lead this Platoon in all of this time. His very own father was the first and he was appointed the position by Tobirama Senju the Second Hokage himself.

"I'm impressed you sensed me like that. But finding you here under these suspicious circumstances is enough justification for me to haul you into the I&T Division for questioning." Kakashi informed as his hands were resting by his sides. "Only you? As if you could all on your own." Kabuto dismissed with a malicious smirk on his face as he walked up to stand toe to toe with Kakashi who had at least a half a foot on him. "Are you looking to take me on boy? Don't overestimate yourself." Kakashi threatened as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Kabuto whose smile didn't waver in the slightest.

"I know who you are. You're the Medical Bureau Chief's adopted son. Your names Kabuto Yakushi. So, who are you… one of Orochimaru's henchmen?" Kakashi revealed as he saw Kabuto's smile dip a bit. "Even if you brought me into custody you wouldn't be able to prove anything. So, let's skip all of these useless questions and let me be on my way." Kabuto flippantly stated in a nonchalant tone as he even rolled his eyes in a sign of disrespect. "Why you smart ass little brat. I'll teach you not to play around with grownups." Kakashi threatened as he was done with Kabuto's attitude. He already had Anko's warning from the written exam earlier in the week fresh in the back of his mind about the boy standing before him. It was told to her by Naruto himself who stated that Kabuto reeked of snakes. That was enough to make Kakashi wary of the boy all on his own.

"Don't get arrogant Kakashi. The ball is in my court right now." Kabuto stalled as he placed a kunai to Sasuke's neck. They were at a stalemate with Kabuto having a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. It came to an end when Kabuto tightened his grip on the Kunai. Kakashi blurred across the small distance between them and knocked the kunai out of Kabuto's hand before he could react and in one swift movement had Kabuto on the floor in a submission hold. 3 seconds was all it took for this transgression to take place but it wasn't over yet.

One of the dead ANBU agents on the floor suddenly sprang to life as Kabuto's body in Kakashi's hand went slack and lifeless. It made a break for the door but it was stopped by a clone of Kakashi's that entered the room. With nowhere to run the ANBU agent was cornered. Without warning another body sprang to life and threw several kunai with special seals on it at the window causing them to crack as the agent dove through the window causing not only for the glass to break but for a distortion around the window to form. Running to the window Kakashi looked down to see the agent take off its mask to reveal Kabuto's smug face staring back at Kakashi as he disappeared into the dense brush of trees in the hospital's garden.

' _He interrupted the seal on the hospital building itself to prevent the automatic alarms from going off with those special kunai.'_ Kakashi noted as he turned to see the bodies of the ANBU agents lifeless once again. _'It's just as I suspected. Somehow this boy knows the_ _ **Dead Soul Corpse Reanimation Jutsu**_ _. He brought these agents temporarily back to life and disguised himself as one of them. He even stopped his heart and erased his scent to make it as convincing as possible.'_ Kakashi analyzed as he came to understand just how Kabuto managed to give him… an ex-ANBU Captain the slip.

Unlike with the regular forces once you are selected to join the ANBU which is always done at the Hokage's express permission and discretion you undergo a 9-month long boot camp where you are put through a grueling training camp where you are trained into the ground 12 hours a day for five days straight from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays you go on mock missions and other secondary tasks. Sundays are your only day off and even then, you are expected to spend at least 4 to 6 of those hours meditating and doing any kind of training you can personally think of. It's to show accountability, responsibility, and initiative on your off time when you are not being asked to train. Once you complete the training camp then you are given a mask and code name to correspond with that mask. You're a full-fledged ANBU Black Ops agent at that point so for any agent to be taken out then that means the perpetrator has to have notable skill. A fresh out of boot camp ANBU agent is expected to be comparable to any Special Jōnin or low level Jōnin in the village and they are expected to be able to fight them or beat them. There are no Chūnin Level ANBU agents in the special forces. Its comprised entirely of Jōnin rank ninja of various ranks and levels and never a step below.

Kakashi noticed a glow coming from behind the door to the room and when he looked behind it he saw a small glyph on the back wall. "This is an **Angelic Sigil**. It masks the presence of anything within the room its placed in. This is how come none of the ANBU stationed in the hospital came. Even then it shouldn't be able to work with the sealing network placed around the hospital." Kakashi noted as he charged up his hand with his Lightning Blade. Placing a special seal on top of the glowing sigil Kakashi rammed his lightning covered fist straight into the glowing glyph shattering the mythical energy surrounding the room. The very second that happened 9 ANBU agents appeared from thin air in the room with the door opening and ANBU Captain Shark walking in with his second in command ANBU Lieutenant Rabbit flanking him.

"What is going on here Kakashi, report?" Shark questioned with his voice both monotone and muffled on purpose to disguise his identity. His voice and very presence gave off both power and authority. He was one of the longest serving ANBU agents in the village and was an agent from before Kakashi was even born. "Sir the hospital has been breached and an attempt was made on Sasuke Uchiha's life. It was done by Genin Kabuto Yakushi. He murdered the three guards from Captain Zebra's Platoon. The Hokage needs to know immediately. It's suspected that Kabuto has ties to the Snake Sannin Orochimaru." Kakashi explained in a crisp tone. He was remembering his time before becoming an ANBU Captain with Shark as his superior and even after attaining the same rank as him Shark was still his senior. ANBU can pull rank on any regular forces shinobi within the village including Jōnin. The only ones exempt from this is the Jōnin Commander himself and the elders. Jōnin Captains such as Clan heads and leaders of specific divisions within the village and the Jōnin who have earned the Elite status like Kakashi himself are theoretically on the same level status wise as ANBU Captains but since the ANBU report directly to the Hokage himself they have to follow any official order given to them by an ANBU agent.

"I see. Rabbit go and inform the Hokage immediately. Squad 1 secure the room and examine the bodies. Sergeant Mantis inform Captain Zebra of what has happened and have him begin a preliminary search and put the hospital on lock down. Once that is done return and stand by Sasuke Uchiha's side and remain there until further orders. Your squad is not to leave the room under any circumstances until further orders are given. Kakashi Hatake as per protocol I must ask that you accompany me to the I&T department for a full debriefing. Jōnin Commander Shikaku Nara will meet us their once he is informed." Shark ordered as Mantis left without a trace, while Rabbit simply disappeared as if he was never in the room.

Shark was always precise and thorough with his orders and decision-making skills. The situation was in his hands now as Kakashi walked besides Shark who was taking him to the I&T Department building within the ANBU Headquarters. It was going to be a long day but it was worth it in Kakashi's mind as he was determined to protect his students.

* * *

 _ **Forest of Death: Central Tower 46**_

"After you all take a slip of paper from the box in Anko's hands we will reveal to you who will be fighting who." Hiruzen announced as everyone grabbed a slip of paper. Opening his up Naruto saw that the number one was printed on the folded-up piece of paper. _'Is this going to be organized the way I think it's going?'_ Naruto questioned as there was only one reason why they would have you blindly pick a number out of the box instead of determining the selection with the electronic board.

"Now please say your number aloud." Hiruzen requested as everyone said their numbers. _'Neji has number two. This couldn't possibly be any better.'_ Naruto thought as a dark look came to his eyes for a brief moment but he was trying his best to not think with such negativity clouding his heart. It was difficult especially since he couldn't stop thinking about Hinata and her condition. _'Meanwhile Gaara is going to be going up against Sasuke… I need to warn him and tell him to be careful with him. Sasuke didn't see what Gaara is capable of.'_ Naruto thought as talking to Sasuke as soon as possible was going to be a top priority for him.

Shikamaru asked Hiruzen if it was possible for only one winner to be decided and if that one winner would become a Chūnin. Hiruzen clarified by stating that it was possible for every one of them to become a Chūnin and also conversely for none of them to be promoted and that it all depends on their performance and how the judges who will be overseeing the matches make their final decisions.

Hiruzen was going to say more but without any kind of forewarning a ANBU agent phased into existence right beside the Hokage. It was none other than Lieutenant Rabbit whose rabbit like mask gleamed in the fluorescent lights of the room. Ibiki and Anko tensed a bit as this was definitely unusual and they knew something must be wrong for an ANBU to interrupt the Hokage while he was overseeing official business away from his office. Asuma, Kurenai, and Might Guy also felt that something was off as Rabbit whispered into the Hokage's ear who listened very carefully to what his agent had to say.

Naruto was surprised by this as it wasn't often that an ANBU agent would appear to inform the Hokage about something while he was away. Naruto noted with mild shock that it was Rabbit who showed up. Naruto remembered back when he was younger Rabbit had been a fresh recruit when Naruto was brought into the hospital with Ms. Furukawa the night the demon attacked him in his apartment. It was also the night the Uchiha Clan Massacre happened. Naruto remembered fondly that he hated hospitals even to this day and that he would escape as soon as he was well enough to move. Of course, Naruto knew that ANBU Captain Shark who is an old friend of his would deliberately lower the sealing barrier surrounding the Hospital complex to allow Naruto to leave. Naruto knew he was nowhere near skilled enough to get away from the hospital. Even ANBU agents would find it highly difficult to pull off such a task; and if they couldn't do it then Naruto most definitely couldn't pull it off.

Naruto felt a chill go up his spine as he saw Hiruzen's face that was a controlled mask of neutrality briefly crack with mild shock which soon turned to anger. The old Hokage schooled his expression within an instant to the point you'd have to question if his facial expression even changed but for Naruto who's known Hiruzen as his adopted grandfather his entire life he was able to pick up on the old Hokage's brief slip in emotions. The wise shinobi was definitely getting old.

Hiruzen whispered back into Rabbit's ears and within seconds the agent phased out of existence as if he was never even their to begin with. "Well now, I think I have drawled on long enough. Use this one month break to hone your skills and perfect your craft for when we meet again you will put those skills on display in front of the whole world to bring pride and glory to your village. May the will of fire illuminate your path. You are all dismissed." Hiruzen stated with his parting words as he subtly signaled for Ibiki and Anko to follow him. He disappeared in a lightning fast Body Flicker Jutsu leaving those left behind quite stunned at the old man's incredible speed.

' _Something isn't right. The old man had that look in his eyes. I hope everything is okay grandpa.'_ Naruto thought with a twinge of worry ebbing into his heart. Whenever the Hokage would act in that particular manner it usually meant something was going down and it required his attention immediately. Naruto just hoped that whatever it was it wasn't too serious. The Hokage was already too old to be worrying about so many important emergencies all the time, especially since Naruto knew that with Hiruzen's big heart the fallout from whatever was causing trouble always weighed heaviest on his heart.

* * *

 _ **Outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village: Quarter of a Mile Away**_

It was the late in the afternoon and a tall figure could be seen walking through the dense forest that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village. He was whistling a jolly tune as he was preoccupied with writing something down in a notepad held firmly within his hand. He let out the occasional perverted giggle as he would pick up the pace with his writing whenever he thought of something particularly exciting to add to his notes. He gave off the aura of tranquility, power, and unfortunately perversion as he finally broke through the dense layer of forest that the Land of Fire is known for.

' _There it is… home sweet home.'_ The man thought within the privacy of his own mind. He was standing at the ledge of a cliff overlooking the massive Hidden Leaf Village down below him about a quarter of a mile away. Even from this distance the village took up most of his vision as the land upon which it sat on was massive. He had long spiky stark white hair tied into a long ponytail that reached his lower back. Two jaw length bangs hung to the side of his face as well as a wart on the left side of his nose. He was exceptionally tall for his age and he stood at 6'2 which was pretty tall in their world. There were red lines under his eyes which extended further down his face going all the way to the bottom of his chin. For clothes, he wore pretty noticeable and flashy attire. His attire consisted of a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armor that is visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He also carried a large scroll on his back, and had a tattoo on his left palm, and he wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" written on it in black ink.

' _It's been quite some time since I've been back home. From what Sarutobi sensei told me my godson is competing in the Chūnin Exams this year and he's gotten pretty strong. I can't wait to officially meet him. I wonder what he'll think of me… I wonder what he's really like. Man, I can't believe I feel this nervous about meeting family. Hahaha… I must finally be getting old.'_ The man thought in melancholy as his small beady black eyes soften in compassion as he thought of his family member who he's never met in person before. To say he was both excited and nervous would be the understatement of the century. _'Well there's no point in standing around here. I can't return home and meet him if I stay up here daydreaming all day. Sunlight's burning.'_ The man resolved as an infectious grin came to his face. He struck a ridiculous pose on top of the cliff that only a hyperactive child would do as he screamed to the heavens.

"Leaf Village! I have returned! Ladies run in fear; for I Jiraiya the Toad Sage is here!"

* * *

 ** _To be continued..._**

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Ninja Art: Expansion Jutsu -** This is the signature secret technique passed down in the Akimichi clan that increases the user's body size by converting their calories into chakra. The user can freely alter their size at will when using this technique, and can use it for an extensive period of time. A common application of the techniques gives the user a very round appearance by mostly increasing the size of the abdominal section, which is done in order to use the _Human Boulder Jutsu_. Other, more common applications increase the size of the entire body, turning the user into a giant.

2.) **Ninja Art: Human Boulder Jutsu -** A threatening taijutsu trick that converts the user's large frame into a destructive weapon. The user first uses _Expansion Jutsu_ to make themselves into a human-sized ball, then they tuck in their limbs and use chakra to propel themselves into a powerful roll. Its effective use of weight and the force of rotation make for an even greater lethality than appearances would let on, enough to pulverize someone's hand with but a mere touch. It is difficult for the user to turn in this form. This technique has the added effect of plugging up the user's ears.

3.) **Ninja Art: Resonating Sound Drill Jutsu -** This technique can be used as a blanket term for the majority of Dosu's techniques. The _Resonating Echo Speaker_ located on his arm is used to amplify the sound waves from arm movements to attack his opponent. By generating enough sound, Dosu can use his chakra to redirect the waves in mid-air to his intended target. By damaging the victim's inner ear, the victim is rendered off-balance and nauseous. By sending the sound-waves through a solid object, this technique can be used to destroy it. The sound drill can also be directed through water weight with similar effect. Therefore the greater fat index an opponent has, the more they are affected by this technique.

4.) **Earth Style: Earth Flowing Mud River Jutsu -** This Jutsu after the respective hand seals are formed, can transform the ground upon which the enemy stands into a river of mud to throw them off balance.

5.) **Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb Jutsu -** When used with _Earth Style: Earth Flowing Mud River_ , this technique can create a dragon-like head to shoot mud balls at an opponent. This can also be combined with a fire technique to shoot searing hot mud towards an opponent.

6.) **Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears Jutsu -** This technique lets the user condense mud or stone from the ground and shape it into spikes that protrude from the ground in order to skewer the target. The spikes cannot penetrate targets of greater density.

7.) **Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu -** A very basic Lightning Style Jutsu that allows the user to send a surge of electricity out of their body into the surrounding area. They can send it into the ground where it can spread via conductive properties underneath the surface or they can send it out as a shockwave in midair.

8.) **Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Crescent Moon Slice -** The user swings their sword in a single, large, crescent moon-shaped arc, which occurs with such ferocious velocity that the technique can be employed in situations where only a very limited time to react is available. The swing can be used to counter attacks from multiple opponents simultaneously.

9.) **Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu -** The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.

10.) **Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Reverse Slice -** The user does a powerful spin, generating the momentum needed to slash at any opponents behind them. The user can also utilise this spinning motion to trick an enemy that's in front of them. The enemy is fooled into thinking the user will attack them, but instead the user attacks the targets behind the user.

11.) **Earth Style: Golem Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to create a large, humanoid creature composed of rock that can either be expelled from the user's mouth, or formed from a pre-existing source of earth. Depending on the user, the golem can be formed instantly.

12.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

13.) **Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Deception Slice -** Using the Substitution Jutsu to feign being attacked, the user takes advantage of their opponent's momentary shock, and charges forward with a lateral sword slash.

14.) **Lightning Style: Static Jutsu -** A basic Lightning Style Jutsu in which the intention is to create and generate static electricity in your body. You are to generate and then stockpile a continuous stream of static inside of your body. It is not good as an offensive Jutsu and it's not meant to be. It is the beginning tier in Lightning Style Jutsu and it's meant to teach users how to perform Lightning Style Ninjutsu. However creative minds can come up with an infinite amount of uses for the static electricity that they store up in their bodies using this Jutsu.

15.) **Lightning Style: Discharge Jutsu -** The second step to the _Lightning Style: Static Jutsu_. This Jutsu takes the stored up static electricity inside of your body and discharges it through your body outwards into the surrounding area or anything connected to your body. This Jutsu is simply meant to not only get rid of the built up static electricity inside of your body but also to teach users of Lightning Style how to discharge electricity from their bodies which is what many Lightning Style Ninjutsu are based around. Again, creative minds can come up with an infinite amount of uses for the static electricity that they store up in their bodies.

16.) **Kenjutsu: Cloud Style – Havoc Group Slice -** After creating several _S hadow Clones_ which surround the enemy and attack them simultaneously forcing them to jump into the air, the real user will then attack them from above.

17.) **Lightning Style: Team Thunder Bomb Jutsu -** This is a cooperation ninjutsu where the users unite the extremities of their weapons, discharging a strong voltage across the blades, targeting multiple opponents simultaneously.

18.) **Lightning Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to make a _Shadow Clone_ infused with lightning. Because it is a shadow clone, it is able to perform techniques and interact with the environment due to it having physical substance; and also evenly distributes the user's chakra to each clone. If the clone is injured, it will revert to its natural lightning-state, at the same time electrocuting whatever it is touching. Unlike a regular Shadow Clone, this clone does not send chakra or memories back to the user upon reverting to lightning.

19.) **Earth Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu -** This technique creates a shadow clone made of mud of the user. Since it's made of mud, it can continue to reform and mold itself back to its original shape. Once reverted to mud, the clone can serve as a powerful restraint that is capable of completely halting the opponent's movements.

20.) **Lightning Style: Thunder Bolt Jutsu -** The user extends both arms, releasing a high discharge through both palms, targeting multiple opponents simultaneously. It is possible to increase the power using this technique in combination with a water source.

21.) **Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu -** A basic water style Ninjutsu the user molds water nature chakra into their mouth before spitting it out into a small-scale wave powerful enough to sweep grown men off their feet and knock down light weight objects not tied down or secure to the ground.

22.) **Corrosion Style: Quicklime Congealing Jutsu -** This technique makes use of the _Lava Style_ Kekkei Genkai where the user expels a large quantity of quicklime from their mouth, capable of inflicting damage to an opponent. This ability can also be manipulated in order to restrict the intended target's movements, as after the initial blast the remnants of the substance can act in a similar manner to quick-drying cement. However, the technique requires the addition of water to set off the necessary reaction to make the substance harden. This can be easily achieved through the use of a Water Style technique, which can also serve to increase the area covered by the substance, thus further increasing the potential range of the technique.

23.) **Water Style: Water Trumpet Jutsu -** The user launches a large jet of water from their mouth through their hand. This gives the appearance of playing a trumpet, hence the name.

 **Corrosion Style -** Is the subset ability of Lava Style that allows a user to change the properties of their Lava Style techniques to achieve different effects that can't be recreated with any other known Jutsu. Each village that has clans of shinobi who can use Lava Style have their own unique version to this. For those in the Land of Earth and the Hidden Stone Village when they use Corrosion Style they can make quicklime and other tar like substances including cement. In the Land of Lightning and Hidden Cloud Village they can create rubber and other vulcanized tar like substances and in the Land of Water and in the Hidden Mist Village they can make corrosive acids and tar.

 **Lava Style -** Is a combined Nature Based Transformation Kekkei Genkai made up of techniques that mix fire and earth-based chakra to create volcanic materials such as lava or rubber in different properties and usages. Lava Style is unique and has origins in the Land of Earth, Lightning, and in the Mist.

24.) **Dead Soul Corpse Reanimation Jutsu -** Using this technique, a user can temporarily reanimate a corpse, creating the illusion of a living person, and manoeuvre it at will with chakra. This is achieved by causing the heart to beat once more. The reanimated corpse can serve as either a short-time ally or an effective decoy. The said corpse can also use techniques they once possessed. The traces of surgery can also be erased with chakra, because of which there's no difference, at first glance, with a live person.

25.) **Angelic Sigil -** A sigil is a symbol used in magic. It works similarly to a magic circle but it is much more condensed and can only typically carry out one function or only one single set of instructions. It typically refers to a symbolic representation of the magician's desired outcome. The words of a statement of intent are reduced into an abstract design; the sigil is then charged with the will of the creator.

 _\- In the case with the Angelic Sigil found by Kakashi it was based on Angelic and Light Magic. It's intent was to shroud the room it was placed in and prevent anyone or anything from outside the room from sensing what is going on inside the room. Kabuto had to use an outside source of power to charge the sigil and make it work while simultaneously disrupting the Sealing Network that is placed over the entire Hospital Complex. It was extremely difficult to do as the sealing network is capable of detecting and identifying energies that are not chakra based._

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? I'm really proud of the way this chapter ended up turning out as it even took me by surprise. A lot has happened.

Choji still lost his match to Dosu but in reality it was a bad matchup from the beginning. I also was feeling like a jerk so I gave the plausible excuse that the Hidden Leaf was rigging the fights pertaining to the Hidden Cloud and Stone teams. It's a dick move on their part but it's also strategic and in the ninja world their is no such thing as playing fair.

I put a lot of emphasis on Kurotsuchi and Omoi's fight but mainly on Kurotsuchi herself and it's not hard to guess why. I'm giving her a little more to work with verses her canon counterpart while keeping it inline with the tone and theme of the story. I also tried to keep her personality somewhat the same. I don't know if I got it 100% down but it's close enough and it works for what the story needs.

If it's not already apparent, I de-aged them to make them more around Naruto and his classmates age. The same with the Hidden Cloud team. Samui was actually 29 years old in shippuden so I wanted to have everyone around the same age. I also went ahead and made Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi siblings. Kishimoto himself stated the when he was designing Akatsuchi that he just simply took Onoki and made him bigger and rounder. They even share a similar nose so. Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi both share very similar names which even align with Kurotsuchi's father: Kitsuchi. So I just decided that was enough evidence and justification needed to make that happen.

I expanded upon the Lava Style Kekkei Genkai and gave my own headcanon reason as to why it is both referred to and depicted to be in multiple different states throughout the Manga/Anime. When we saw it for the first time by Mei she spat real lava at Sasuke and nearly killed him, yet the next time we see it she spits acid? It didn't make any sense to me so I created some lore around the whole controversial subject to help smooth it out and hopefully make it understandable and make more sense.

The conversation that took place between Orochimaru and Kabuto was added in the same as canon and tweaked just a little to suit the plot and theme of the story. I also added in some hints and breadcrumbs into that particular conversation. It hints at other characters not yet revealed. I also stress yet again Balalaika's presence in the story and how even Orochimaru knows not to cross her under any circumstances.

As far as Kakashi's confrontation with Kabuto in Sasuke's hospital room I kept it about 90% the same with the exception of a few differences. For one Kabuto using special kunai with seals on them to keep the hospital's security system from activating. I referenced this powerful sealing array back in Book 1 along with who created it. ANBU Captain Shark as well as ANBU Lieutenant Rabbit are both characters from Book 1 as well, in fact they are from the same chapter. I value continuity so I brought them back to make the world feel more fleshed out.

I also felt like beefing up the ANBU Black Ops and boasting about them because they have a real pathetic track record in the Manga/Anime. Almost every time we see them with the exception of a few instances they always get either killed or pathetically beaten by the bad guy. It's to the point where you question why Kishimoto even created the concept of them if all he does is kill them off to make the bad guy look strong. So I took it upon myself to make them feel imposing and powerful within the story as well as to add some lore to them to better help flesh them out. I'll continue to do this throughout the story as I paint them in a much better light.

The whole Angelic Sigil thing was something I will admit I pulled out of my ass at the last second but as I went over the draft a second time I realized I could use it as another clue to fit into the story. So I let it stay and even googled up what real sigils are to get my information correct. The only prior knowledge I had on them was from watch the Supernatural TV show and even then I hadn't seen them mention it in any of the more recent episodes that I watched so I was left with no other choice but to turn to google.

Finally and most importantly Jiraiya is on the way. I'm happy to finally be able to use him after having to beat around the bush with him for so long. Even back in Book 1 I reference him yet I could never find a good place to insert him. So it's a great relief on my part to finally reach this point in the story where I can use him freely and without restraint.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it. It was a blast. THE WIND GOD OF THE LEAF!

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 49 (Enter Jiraiya the Toad Sage)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 48 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 6/30/2017


	50. CH: 49 Enter Jiraiya the Toad Sage

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Happy 4th of July everyone! This is coming out a little late in the day but it's here. This chapter was quite fun for me to write as it was a lot of dialogue and character interaction. I won't say to much but I enjoyed the hell out of the ending scene of the story. Iris isn't to happy with a certain someone.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 49

 _ **Enter Jiraiya the Toad Sage**_

' _I should have never woken up this morning.'_ Naruto thought as his left eye twitched in annoyance. The reason why was because Shoko was over at his apartment right now and she was close to hysteria. "You promised me you'd be careful out there!" Shoko shouted as she was in a simple pair of tan shorts and a white tank top. She was on break today and had come over to Naruto's apartment early in the morning after the announcement came out that the second stage was over. That meant the official one month break was in effect as invitation letters were being drafted up and sent to official dignitaries, famous individuals, VIP's, and world leaders.

It was also the middle of the summer and it just so happened that the air conditioning unit in Naruto's apartment was currently broken. The heat was too much in the apartment for a person to wear heavier clothes and to make matters worse the unit broke over the week that Naruto and the others were inside the Forest of Death. Aria wasn't even in the house during that time as she spent it at the casino so Naruto returned to the apartment last night to an inferno. He was far too tired to make the trip to the casino so late in the evening. He went to sleep without even getting under the covers of his own bed.

"Shh… keep your voice down Shoko. The girls are still asleep." Naruto grumbled as he drank a cup of water while he was in the kitchen. He was in a simple sweatshirt and shorts as well but the difference between them was that Naruto had many cuts and bruises all across his body with only half of them stitched up and bandaged. With the Five-Pronged Seal placed over his navel he couldn't gain access to the Nine Tails Chakra to heal himself. Let alone access Sōkyoku's powerful aura.

Shoko's mouth contorted into a frown as she placed her hand on her slender hips. She wasn't happy to see her partner in this state. "I know you're angry, but you have to understand that I did the best I could. This Chūnin exam was crazier than I expected. It was out of my control." Naruto defended himself as he tried to produce some ice around his body to cool himself off but then remembered that over the years it's become harder and harder for Naruto to summon his Ice Style without drawing on both his chakra and Yōki. With his Yōki blocked it was incredibly hard to call upon his most used power, if he concentrated hard enough he could separate his chakra from his Yōki but that's not something he could do in the middle of a fight and right now he was far too tired and fatigued to even try properly. It was too much effort for him right now.

"What happened out there, was the competition so powerful that they even managed to injure you?" Shoko questioned as she placed her hand on Naruto's cheek in a tender manner. There was a bruise there. Shoko would be shocked if there were Genin out there that could actually give Naruto a run for his money and injure him to such an extent. Naruto placed his hand over hers as his eyes soften. "You don't know? I'm surprised you didn't hear the news already." Naruto mentioned as he would have thought Shoko would have found out about Orochimaru being in the village from Dino. It would seem Hiruzen was keeping a tight lip about the Snake Sannin lurking around. Lord Dino was probably also keeping quiet as well as to not tip of the traitor.

"Find out what?" Shoko didn't like where this was going. It didn't sound good. "Orochimaru ambushed us in the Forest of Death… he placed a curse mark on Sasuke's neck and placed some kind of high level chakra suppression seal over my 8 Trigrams seal…" Naruto began his explanation of what occurred but he was cut off by Shoko's outburst. "WHAT! Orochimaru is here!" She didn't know about this… if the Snake Sannin was here in the village then that could only mean he was either after revenge against the Hokage for being chased out of the village years prior; or he was after someone or something in specific. The whole reason he went rogue was because he was caught doing illegal human experimentation. He loves experimenting on humans and modifying them. He was known for his sociological tendencies.

' _From what Naruto just told me he branded Sasuke Uchiha with his special Curse Mark Jutsu. The same Jutsu he gave Anko years prior. He wants the boy's Sharingan.'_ Shoko theorized as she went over all she knew about Orochimaru from her past. She's interacted with the man on numerous occasions over the years and she's never once fully trusted him. There was always something off about him. Shoko felt hatred and anger bubble up deep inside her as she thought of the fact that Orochimaru attacked her partner. The boy she privately thought of as her own son. It was unforgivable.

"SHOKO! Calm down!" Naruto's shouting brought the purpled haired woman out of her inner thoughts as she felt Naruto shaking her arms. Coming to her senses Shoko noticed that the entire room was shaking as if a tremor was rolling through. "What happened?" Shoko asked with confusion taking root within her voice. "What happened? You're what just happened. Put a cap on your chakra. It's shaking the whole building!" Naruto yelled as he glared at his partner in anger. He understood that she was angry he was attacked but that doesn't mean she can start leaking her killing intent and chakra everywhere. She keeps forgetting the fact she's a Kage level shinobi with massive chakra reserves. When she unleashes it unrestrained like that it affects the environment around her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… but when I think about what that man could have done to you, what he already has done to you it makes me so angry." Shoko apologized as she completely reined in her potent chakra. The apartment complex settled down as Shoko's chakra stopped disturbing the air around it. "Shoko take a seat. I know you're angry but I'm ok alright. I fought my hardest and did the best I could. That's how come we survived. I used your training and made the best out of the situation." Naruto said gently as he guided the older woman to a nearby seat at the kitchen table. "I hope you're proud of me." Naruto said softly as Shoko's eyes watered a bit. "Of course, I am… I'll always be proud of you sweetheart." Shoko said as she brought Naruto into her embrace. She squeezed him tightly as she just took a moment appreciate having one of the most important people in her life within her arms. It was moments like these that she treasured the most.

"Here, let me check your seal. I want to see what he did to you." Shoko suggested as she pulled back from her embrace. Consenting to this idea Naruto simply took his T-Shirt off since it was so hot and by nature due to his long-time connection to Eva he prefers colder temperatures. However, he did blush a bit since he was completely topless in front of Shoko. The older woman raised one of her slender eyebrows as she saw the small bashful blush on her young partner's face. A teasing smile came to her face as she poked his chest. "Someone's been working out… are you trying to impress little old me… or maybe you're trying to impress the many girls you've got in your life?" The purple haired woman teased while wiggling her eyebrows. The effect she was looking for worked as Naruto's small blush changed to a huge one as he looked away from his role model in mock anger. "Oh, be quiet! It's not like that at all!" Naruto said bashfully as he tried his hardest to rein in the blush on his face.

"I wonder what Hinata would think if she saw you like this? Then again I bet she sneaks peeks at you with her Byakugan." Shoko pressed on as she enjoyed seeing her surrogate son squirm. The very notion that his best friend… his crush would sneak peeks at him with her Byakugan never crossed Naruto's mind before, but now that it has he knew he could never look at Hinata the same way again. His face nearly burned off as his blush reached nuclear levels. "Would you be quiet! Hinata would never do that!" Naruto refuted as he fidgeted on the spot. "Okay… okay. I'm sorry. Calm down." Shoko placated with a few giggles escaping her lips every few seconds. That was good. She hasn't gotten Naruto that bad in a long time.

"Besides… Hinata is in the hospital right now." Naruto said in a quieter tone as he looked down… his darker thoughts were surfacing as he thought of the condition she was in at the hands of her very own cousin. "She's what?! What happened?" Shoko blurted out in surprise as this was not what she was expecting. "Neji happened. Her own cousin tried to outright kill her and when I get my hands on him he is going to pay!" Naruto answered as his tone gained in edge to it near the end as he balled his hand up into a fist.

Naruto spent the next hour explaining everything in high detail about all the events that took place since the Chūnin Exams started. Shoko was baffled by half of the things that Naruto told her. This year's exam was out of control basically. "You've given me a lot to think about sweetie. I don't even know where to begin." Shoko said as she sat back in her chair; she was overwhelmed by everything told to her. "I know but all I want to do now is go visit Hinata and the others in the hospital. After that I'll worry about the future." Naruto concluded as he didn't want to think about the amount of tribulations he's had to endure over the last week.

Shoko relented as she focused more on checking Naruto's seal. _'This is the Five-Pronged Seal.'_ Shoko noted as she traced her hand over his seal. "The problem with this seal is that it's designed as an odd number seal and when placed over your even numbered seal it disrupts your chakra in weird ways." Shoko explains as she frowns a bit. "Can you remove it?" Naruto inquired with curiosity in his voice. "Of course, I can. It's a high-level seal but nothing I can't handle." Shoko boasted with pride in her voice. "Someone's cocky?" Naruto teased as Shoko slapped him across his chest with a coy smile. "Hush you." Shoko refuted as she held out her hand. "The only problem is this seal is partially incomplete, which is further screwing over your control." Shoko added on as an afterthought. She could see that the seal wasn't fully there. "It must have been in the final seconds before he did it. Sakura managed to get off a brief distraction that must have affected him. After that all I remember is losing control and blanking out during the whole ordeal." Naruto explained the best he could as with how hectic that fight was the final moments leading up to when the Nine Tails Chakra took control were hazy at best.

"Daddy what's with all the noise?" A small voice spoke up breaking Naruto and Shoko out of their conversation. Turning around Naruto saw Iris standing in the doorway with a simple pink tank top and white shorts on. Even the girl immune to fire itself was feeling hot. She had her teddy bear John Paul in one hand while the other was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She didn't even have her signature pink bow tied up in her hair so her golden locks were sprawled everywhere from her bedhead. "Hey sweetie, you're finally up. Where's your sister?" Naruto said as all of his attention immediately switched over to his daughter. It was like that for every situation. The second his daughters were in the equation Naruto's entire focus and attention shifted to them. The markings of a good father, at least in Shoko's opinion.

"She's still booting up right now… hey Shoko." Iris explained with a yawn escaping her small mouth as she took notice of Shoko being in the apartment. "Ok that's good. Me and Shoko was just talking. I was telling her about everything that's happened over the last week." Naruto explained as he picked Iris up from around her waist and held her in his arms. She smiled faintly at being in her father's arms. She would have shown more enthusiasm at being held by her father which is her favorite thing in the world but she was beyond tired. The entire out of control fiasco of the past week has caught up with her and as a child she didn't have the stamina to weather through it, regardless of the fact she's actually a primordial being.

"Oh… ok… it's so hot… even for me." Iris mumbled into Naruto's shoulder. She was actually sweating a bit which was a feat in and of itself considering Iris's core body temperature is higher than a normal human's. Naruto just chalked it up to Iris's body displaying more human like symptoms despite not being human. She's been known to do so periodically. However, he wasn't going to take any chances as he poured her a glass of water and helped her drink it by holding the cup up to her lips. With one hand encircled around his neck and the other holding her precious teddy bear as usual there was no way Iris was going to hold the cup herself. "Here this should help. Daddy's going to fix that stupid air conditioning unit and then everything will be back to normal by tomorrow. In the meantime, we should attend to your sister while we still have the chance. Once she finishes booting up we won't be able to get a hold of her." Naruto spoke softly to his princess with a small gentle smile on his face as he's felt like he hasn't had a lot of time to spend with the girls and dote on them. This last week has felt like an eternity. For Naruto, it was times like these that were precious to him.

"What about your seal, let me fix it while we're here." Shoko mentioned as Naruto was getting lost in his little world alongside his daughters. It was a precious sight to Shoko, one she wouldn't give up for the world; but for her own peace of mind she'd like to remove that nuisance that was on Naruto's stomach. "Yeah, about that we should…" Naruto began to say in agreement but he tapered off in his speech for an unexplainable reason as he turned to look at Iris who looked into his eyes curiously. "…we can do so later on once we find a training ground to practice in." Naruto said after taking a noticeable pause. "Naruto… are you ok, what just happened?" Shoko questioned cautiously as she saw Iris's eyes for a brief millisecond turn green. It happened so fast she could play it off as a trick of the light. "Yeah, uh. I don't know what just happened but it's ok. We can remove the seal later on in the training grounds where it's safer." Naruto pacified as he handed Iris over to Shoko who took her without complaint. "I'll go get Chaos." Naruto said as he left to go attend to the powering up Angeloid.

"What did you do to your father honey?" Shoko asked once Naruto left the room. Iris's response was to just look at her with her eyes showing childish curiosity. Shoko wasn't convinced however. She knows that Iris and Chaos are more than what they appear to be. She just didn't know exactly what kind of supernatural being they were. She could see deep down far beneath the surface of Iris's eyes a hidden well of intelligence that she keeps hidden. She was convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Iris was some type of holy being. An Angel or other type of celestial being of some kind but she wasn't a hundred percent sure.

' _Not going to say anything huh?'_ Shoko thought passively as she knew that wouldn't be enough to get Iris to talk. Iris snuggled her face into Shoko's chest as she wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck. Shoko sighed at this as she got up from the table. "Come on, let's go get you dressed and ready for the day." Shoko would let the matter drop for now but she would do everything she could in the future to uncover the truth of the girls and make sure that not only them but Naruto himself is protected.

20 minutes later both girls were dressed in loose fitting summer clothes to protect them against the unbearable heat of the sun. Being stuck within the deep canopy of the Forest of Death for an entire week shielded the Genin from the harsh heat of the summer and Naruto was contemplating diving back into that unforgivable place if it would get him away from the sun. "I'm going to head straight for the Hospital, I can't wait any longer." Naruto said as he and Shoko left the apartment with Iris and Chaos grabbing each of his hands. "Ok. I'll head to the casino and pick Aria up and then meet you there."

"Eva stayed overnight at the hospital with Hinata. I'm sure they're fine." Naruto noted as he walked downstairs with the twins following behind him. "You let Eva be at the hospital all night? This is the first time you two have ever been separated for so long before." Shoko noted in mild surprise as Naruto and Eva are inseparable. "Yeah, I know… it was weird to fall asleep last night without her but that's all the more reason for me to get to the hospital and see them." Naruto agreed as he separated from Shoko who took off for the casino.

* * *

 _ **Administration District: Hokage Central Administration Building**_

Hiruzen was having a long day and it was only the morning. "Shikaku, I want you to hand this notice out to all active and inactive shinobi within the village. Genin Kabuto Yakushi is to be apprehended and brought in to the I&T Department for questioning. He is to be considered hostile and not to be approached alone. If anyone finds him they are to call for backup, and if it looks like he is involved with Orochimaru in any way I want to be notified immediately. Also, I want you to double our patrols at the walls, gates, and boarders. Please inform all Jōnin Captains of these changes and notify all of the clan heads as well." Hiruzen ordered as he handed a stack of papers to Shikaku Nara the Jōnin Commander of the Hidden Leaf Village. He's Shikamaru's father and clan head of the Nara Clan.

Shikaku wasn't the only one in the Hokage's office with Hiruzen. A few other high-ranking shinobi were in the office holding a meeting with the Hokage. The ANBU Commander himself with his intimidating metallic silver mask was standing behind the Hokage as still as a statue. Ibiki and Anko were standing behind Shikaku while Koharu and Homura were sitting in chairs directly in front of Hiruzen's desk.

"Understood Lord Hokage, it will be done. But we need to exercise extra caution with both Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. The boy has the same curse mark that Anko has and if that is the case then there is a strong chance that he could lose control like Anko did a few times in the past. We must also keep a vigilant eye on Naruto, it goes without saying how disastrous it would be if we lost him to a person like Orochimaru." Shikaku expressed his concern as it would be a devastating military lost to the village if they lost Naruto since he's the Jinchūriki host to the Nine Tailed Fox. Also losing the last loyal holder of the Sharingan would also be a blow the villages image. Shikaku however didn't want to blatantly say so as he's quite fond of Naruto and doesn't like to think of him as a military asset.

"I understand Shikaku, steps are being taken to make sure that Sasuke Uchiha is safe while in the hospital and beyond that point. As for Naruto Uzumaki…" Hiruzen stated as he completely agreed with Shikaku on the assessment that both boys needed to be taken care of properly. He was going to announce his decision on what to do with Naruto when a voice interrupted the old man. "I'll be the one watching over Naruto, it's my duty after all." Everyone in the room turned to see a tall figure crouching in the open window of Hiruzen's office and Shikaku and the others were shocked to see who it was.

"Lord Jiraiya? You're back." It was Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin and he had a small smirk on his face while peering over at his old sensei. "Long time no see Sarutobi sensei." The tall man hopped out of the window with his wooden sandals making audible noises as he walked over to Hiruzen's desk. "It sure has been a long time Jiraiya. What brings you back to the village?" Hiruzen questioned idly as he looked at his old Genin student from decades ago. On the inside however, he was happy to see his old student who till this day is still loyal to the village and keeps in regular contact with him. It really warms the old man's heart for that reason. Not to mention the fact Jiraiya is the author to the world famous Icha-Icha Adult Romance Light Novel series. He's raked in millions over the years as it's one of the most famous book series of all time. Other than being a world-famous shinobi, Jiraiya certainly took the time to expanded his legacy to other fields.

"I came back because I need to update you on some important information from my Spy Network, also so that I can finally meet a certain someone." Jiraiya revealed with a smirk as he was looking forward to meeting his godson. "Oh, and what is this intelligence Jiraiya?" Homura asked while looking at the Sannin. "Sorry counselor but that's for me and sensei to know…" Jiraiya refused as he declined Homura's request. Hiruzen saw that Koharu was about to open her mouth to speak up and Homura himself appeared to be offended so Hiruzen chose this moment to speak up before the situation could escalate.

"What do you plan to do with Naruto Jiraiya? I assume you know Orochimaru is back in the village somewhere. So, will you be taking him under your wing?" Hiruzen inquired as this was something he wanted to know about. Secretly he was hoping that would be the case. Naruto would be guarded 24/7 by one of the Legendary Sannin. When he's with his teammates he has Kakashi the Copycat Ninja as his sensei and when he's conducting official mafia business or just simply at his home he would have the infamous Biohazard herself Shoko Higarashi. Naruto couldn't be more well defended, the only loose end left was to ensure Sasuke Uchiha was guarded and secure.

"Yes, that's the plan. Besides if Orochimaru shows up I'll deal with him." Jiraiya assured as he nodded in his sensei's direction. "Excellent… I assume you will come back later to brief me on this information you've brought?" Hiruzen asked as he saw Jiraiya heading back for the window. "Yes sensei, I want to do some sightseeing for a bit. See how my home has changed in the time I've been gone. Oh… and I'd appreciate it if you guys keep the fact that I'm back in town quiet. I don't need any unnecessary hassle." Jiraiya stated in his parting words as he jumped back out the window before either counselor could get a word in.

"Hiruzen what are you doing? Jiraiya should report his briefing's right away upon returning to the village." Koharu reprimanded with a stern glare on her aged face. She wasn't amused by the behavior of both sensei and student. "Koharu it's quite alright. Jiraiya will return soon enough. You saw the look on his face. You can't keep a man away from meeting his only family in the world." Hiruzen pacified as he defended his old student and his actions. "Now, Commander I need for you to assign a protective detail on Sasuke Uchiha until further notice. We don't know when Orochimaru will strike again but I want us to be ready." Hiruzen ordered as the stoic silver masked ANBU Commander nodded his head slightly. "As you wish my lord."

Looking ahead of him Hiruzen could still see that the people left in his office had more to discuss with him. It was going to be a very long day and there was one thing for certain that Hiruzen knew. He was getting far too old for this job.

* * *

 _ **Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves Shinobi Hospital and Psychiatric/Rehabilitation Center**_

Naruto wasted no time getting to the hospital while jumping across the many rooftops of the village. He was happy he could navigate the village nowadays without the need of his Menma persona. It's been quite a long time since he's had to do so. Ever since he became a shinobi and by proxy a legal adult in the eyes and law of the village he's had less difficulty freely walking around without being harassed by some of the more ignorant villagers. Making it to the hospital in record time… mostly in part to the heightened pace Naruto set as he raced across the village… the blonde-haired boy and his twin daughters quickly filled out their mandatory visitors forms as they navigated the massive complex until they found Hinata's room.

Entering quietly the three-blonde haired Uzumaki's found that they weren't the only ones in the room. "Lord Hiashi!" Naruto blurted out as Hinata's father Hiashi Hyūga himself was in his daughter's room and right beside him was his younger daughter Hanabi Hyūga sitting quietly in a visitor's chair, but once she caught sight of the blonde-haired family she bolted out of her chair. "Big brother!" Hanabi ran straight into Naruto's awaiting arms while trembling slightly. "Hey, come on now Hanabi just because your name means firework doesn't mean you can just explode like that anytime you want." Naruto joked as he tried to cheer up the distraught younger girl. She was obviously worried about her big sister.

"Hinata's hurt, Neji hurt her." Hanabi said in a muffled tone from Naruto's stomach. "I know Hanabi, I was there but I couldn't do anything about it. It was an official match and if I intervened Hinata would be instantly disqualified. I'm so sorry that I let this happen to her. But I promise you I'll get Neji back for what he did to her." Naruto soothingly stated as he comforted the shaking girl. It tore at his heart to see the usually cheerful, if a bit sassy girl an emotional wreck. It wasn't like her.

"Hello Naruto Uzumaki, I believe this is our first time meeting each other." Hiashi spoke up in his regal and formal tone. His voice commanded respect and oozed authority. Naruto honestly expected nothing less from the clan head to the largest clan in the village. "Hello Lord Hiashi it's a pleasure to meet you." Naruto said as he bowed in respect to his superior and clan head. The many years of etiquette lessons from Shoko and Hinata paid off in moments like these since as an orphan whose raised himself longer than others have raised themselves Naruto never strove for perfect manners. He was always more concerned about his next meal and survival rather than trivial things like that.

"You seem to be quite familiar with my daughters… I believe you've been acquainted with Hinata for about six years now and Hanabi for at least most of that time. Yet, never once have you formally introduced yourself to me. I should take that as an insult being their father." Hiashi spoke as he gauged Naruto's response. Naruto felt like he just stepped on a land mine as he began to sweat. Bowing low Naruto didn't dare look at the man. "I'm sorry for my rudeness Lord Hiashi. I never wanted to impose on you, besides with my condition and social standing I didn't think you'd want me around your family. I'm sorry if I've offended you…" Naruto began a long tirade of apologies while never once looking up at the older man until he heard a fit of familiar giggles.

Gasping Naruto looked up to see Hinata awake and giggling at Naruto's expense. "Hinata you're awake?!" Naruto shouted as he practically teleported across the room. He had her in a tight hug within seconds while resting his face into the crook of her neck. "I was so worried about you. Back there I got so scared when you started coughing up blood. I nearly lost it!" Naruto sobbed silently into Hinata's side as he refused to let her go. His newfound feelings were starting to take over as he tuned out everything else in the room. "I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to make you worry like that, but I'm fine. I think the praying I do at night helped more than I thought. I had the blessing of a god on my side yesterday or else I wouldn't have survived." Hinata said cryptically while shooting Iris the tiniest of glances. Hiashi with his sharp vision caught this as he stored that tidbit of information away in the back of his mind. Seeing a boy hanging off his daughter for longer than he was comfortable with the older man coughed into his hand.

Jumping up both Naruto and Hinata had massive blushes on their faces as they faced the veteran Hyūga who's eyes were staring them down. "Uzumaki, I believe you should take a seat. Being that this is the first time we have met I wish to know you better, especially given your rather interesting relationship with my daughter." Hiashi spoke causing the blushes on both kid's faces to skyrocket to the melting point. "Relationship… I… don't know what you mean sir…" Naruto stuttered out worse than Hinata ever could as he subconsciously took a nearby seat.

"Father… Naruto and I aren't in that kind of relationship. We're just friends." Hinata tried to explain before she passed out again but when her father raised one of his eyebrows she knew she messed up. "Funny, I don't recall ever mentioning a romantic relationship between you two." Hiashi spoke in a frank tone causing both preteens to freeze on the spot. Their skins turned bone white as they knew they screwed themselves over by walking straight into that trap.

"Hahahahaha!" Laughter broke the two best friends out of their shocked states as Evangeline was falling out of the air with laughter. "Eva!" Naruto called out as he caught Evangeline within his open palms. "You should have seen the look on your faces. It was priceless." Eva was wheezing as she tried to breathe but found that hard to do. "Eva, you shouldn't be out right now…" Naruto said as he looked over to Hiashi who was calmly watching the scene play out before him. "Hey Naru, chill it's ok. Lord Hiashi is actually not as bad as we first thought." Evangeline pacified as she hopped onto Hinata's head.

"Yes Uzumaki… I am well aware of the supernatural world and it's many inhabitants. I'm also aware of your involvement with said world. This Winter Fairy is your familiar correct?" Hiashi inquired as he watched how comfortable Hinata was around Eva who was sitting on top of her head. "Yes sir. We've been together since my fourth birthday." Naruto admitted as he thought back to the grim circumstances that surrounded his meeting with his lifelong partner. "I see how interesting, even more interesting is the familiarity and ease that my daughters feel around her and your children." Hiashi noted as he looked to Hanabi who was playing and conversing with Iris and Chaos. The twins saw that Hinata was ok so they were holding off on tackling her in her bed. They would wait until after their father was finished being interrogated by the Hyūga clan head.

"Father, I've known about Eva and the girls since we were six. Naruto saved me from a bunch of bullies who were hurting me." Hinata explained with her eyes softening as she thought of how Naruto stood up for her and got injured protecting her. Her heart fluttered that day in gratitude and awe that someone would stand up for her like that. It was the day she made her first real friends… and not just any kind of friends. It was a friendship that would last a lifetime. "I see, this is very informative. Uzumaki, I want you to know that I approve of your friendship with my daughters. Because of you Hinata has made large leaps and bounds within her training. Progress that I know she would have never made otherwise so for that reason I thank you." Hiashi bowed his head ever so slightly in approval which had both Naruto and Hinata shell shocked. They weren't expecting such a response from the stoic clan head.

"Thank you, sir… I don't know what to say." Naruto said speechless as having a clan head bow to you when the difference in class and status was a large as it was between Naruto and Hiashi was pretty big. Furthermore, Hiashi approved of his friendship with Hinata which made Naruto feel like he just won a year's supply of free ramen. "However, don't think this means you can do as you please from now on Uzumaki. You are hereby required to stop by the Hyūga clan for occasional dinners and events and from this point on if you wish to spend time with either of my daughters you are required to inform me of your plans. This is mandatory and non-negotiable is that understood young Uzumaki?" Hiashi ordered as he laid down the law to a shell-shocked duo of preteens who didn't know what to say.

The group spent the next twenty minutes talking to each other before there was a knock on the door. Once it was opened it revealed Shoko with not only Aria behind her but Henrietta and the other girls of Section 2. "Guys? What are you doing here?" Hinata asked in shock as she watched the group of young mafia agents shuffle into the room. While it was true that she was closest to Henrietta that didn't mean Hinata never got a chance to finally meet the other girls of the mafia. Naruto made sure to introduce his co-workers to his classmates including Hinata over the years. They hit it off pretty well as the group of girls got along well with the Genin. It certainly put Naruto at ease over the course of time.

"Lady Shoko? What a surprise. It's been years since I've last seen you." Hiashi spoke with surprise and other hidden emotions within his voice. He hasn't seen Shoko in a very long time. "Likewise, Hiashi… it's been quite some time. I came to check in on your daughter. She's a friend of mine." Shoko elaborated getting Hiashi eyebrow to raise. "Oh… I had no idea my daughter was acquainted with a shinobi of your caliber. It would seem I'm being met with surprise after surprise today." Hiashi said with as much amusement as his monotone voice could aloud.

"She's surprised me over the years… she's turned into quite the capable kunoichi under both my wing and that of Naruto's. She's managed to impress me and earn my respect with her compassion and strength that she's displayed since the day I've first met her. Her care for Naruto and his family had made her a valuable friend and ally to me." Shoko said as she rubbed the top of Hinata's head affectionately with a soft smile gracing her lips. She's never really expressed her gratitude for Hinata coming into Naruto's life and now she felt it was an appropriate time to do so.

"That is very high praise for an individual of your stature to give out Lady Shoko, especially to someone like my daughter. It brings honor to my clan." Hiashi said while giving a noticeable deeper bow to Shoko than he did for Naruto. "You don't have to prostrate yourself like that Lord Hiashi. We're friends are we not?" Shoko said as she smiled faintly at the Clan Head of the Hyūga Clan. "I see, it would seem over the years I've forgot that fact." Hiashi stated as he stood from his chair. He stayed long enough and now he had other business to attend to back at his clan compound.

While this was going on Naruto walked over to the medical charts on the nearby wall and with his perceptive and expert eye he was able to discern all the information on the bulletin board. _'Hinata won't be out of the hospital for at least three weeks. The damage to her heart and cardiovascular system was much more extensive than I thought. The doctors also stated that her chakra circulatory system not only took damage from Neji's Gentle Fist but that it showed signs of unknown substances flowing within it. That must have been the Yōki her body produced. But… they said there is something strange going on with her chakra core and heart and it's affecting the rest of her chakra system.'_ Naruto was in deep thought as he tuned out the conversation going on behind him. He was trying to think of what this could possibly mean for Hinata and her future. He wanted to make sure it wasn't something he had to be concerned about.

"Naruto are you ok?" Hinata asked as she saw her best friend with a troubled look on his face. He was silent as he studied the medical charts and hadn't said a word in a few minutes. "Oh… yeah everything's fine Hinata, nothing to worry about over here. Believe it." Naruto said with a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. Naruto just lied to Hinata… right to her face. The look she gave him meant that she knew as well. Saying believe it was a verbal tick of Naruto's that he didn't say often unless he was in a heightened state of emotion.

"Hey Henrietta, is it ok for me to ask you to stay here with Hinata while she's recovering?" Naruto asked as he turned to the brown haired charming girl who blushed the tiniest bit at having her close friend address her. "Yeah, of course I would love too. But what about my duties at work. I can't leave the casino under normal circumstances." Henrietta pointed out as while she would love nothing more than to stay here at the hospital and watch over Hinata it would go against her own priorities of being a mafia agent. Also as a marionette she couldn't function for too long without lots of rest and being near her handler.

"Don't worry about it. This is your new mission for the next few weeks. I'll let Jose know of your new assignment and he'll work his schedule around it." Naruto stated which shocked the others since it's rare for Naruto to pull rank with the girls in Section 2. It was to the point where the others would sometimes forget that Naruto is actually their superior and equal to some of the senior agents within section 2. Since the girls can function without a handler they're ineligible for promotion and can't do full solo missions on their own.

"Oh… okay. Understood." Henrietta said in a slightly unsure manner as she stood a little more at attention since it was an official order from a superior, regardless of the fact it was from a friend her age. "Thank you, Henrietta… that means a lot." Naruto said as he felt relief that Hinata would have someone to look after her while in the hospital. "No problem, I'm happy to help." Henrietta stated as Rico piped up at hearing this. "Oh… Naruto can you assign me to this job too!" Rico asked with sparkles in her eyes. She was trying to get an easy job. "Nope, sorry Rico but you've been falling behind on your duties for the last month. You need to finish those and that's an order." Naruto said with a teasing smirk directed at the blonde-haired girl.

The bubbly girl pouted as she latched onto her friend as she whined and complained about his decision. "Master, I'll stay and watch Hinata as well on my off days." Aria suggested in her soft voice as she stood dutifully behind Naruto with her hands clasped in front of her. Her poise and polished manners were well crafted over the years as she got into her maid routine.

"So, you have a witch in your employ… I have a feeling you will continue to surprise me in the future." Hiashi stated as he made his way to the hospital door. "I feel confident leaving my daughter in your care. With that being said, Hanabi can stay here with her sister as well for the rest of the day. I have other business to attend to." Hiashi announced as he made his way out of the room. "You Uzumaki never cease to amaze me." Hiashi stated in a parting shot that he mumbled at a lower tone as he left before anyone could respond.

"What did he just say?" Naruto mumbled as he could have sworn Hiashi just mentioned the Uzumaki in a plural sense. "I don't know… anyways sweetie I have to take care of a few errands right now. I'll meet up with you later on today to take care of that pesky problem you have." Shoko said abruptly as she left as quickly as she could without letting Naruto say anything. If Naruto could take a wild guess he would assume Shoko was going to catch up with Hiashi outside.

"Well that was weird." Eva deadpanned as she flew back into Naruto's hair. She didn't know what was going on but she planned to keep her eye out for any more slip ups in the future.

Naruto stayed with the group of girls for the better part of the day as he also stopped by Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Kiba's room to see how they were doing. His conversation with Sasuke went smoothly as they spent half an hour talking about the other matches and their outcomes. Naruto warned his teammate of Gaara's dangerous abilities and advised him on some useful tactics to help give him the edge. It was well received on Sasuke's end as he enjoyed having the only person he would ever truly call his friend stop by and talk to him in such a way.

Sakura stopped by soon after as Naruto's conversation with Sasuke was winding down. She was shocked to see her other teammate in the room but it didn't deter her from striking up a conversation with him that lasted for another half hour. Soon Naruto had to leave as he went to visit Kiba and check in on his progress. He was not surprised to see that almost all of Kiba's injuries were healed already. He hit Kiba with a kick enhanced by Sōkyoku's healing powers instead of her destructive ones.

Kiba wasn't very receptive of Naruto's visit especially when he found out that Sōkyoku's powers healed him even during the fight. Naruto was on his best behavior as he didn't want to antagonize the Inuzuka heir. Naruto did his best to hold a conversation with the boy as he tried to mend the tension between them. It was choppy at best but Naruto decided to be satisfied with the outcome of their conversation.

Naruto's last stop was to check in on Lee who was still unconscious in his hospital bed. Naruto didn't stay long but he sent his best wishes to the fallen shinobi. It was around noon by the time Naruto and his girls left the hospital. After playing with Hanabi for a while the twins joined their father in meeting his other friends.

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"Now we can go find a training ground to use for the month. We need to train really hard girls for the upcoming finals which means I'm going to be training you as well." Naruto informed as he walked down a side street with his girls. Iris was dutifully holding onto one of his hands while Chaos was skipping down the road humming a tune to herself. Her lighthearted perpetual smile eased Naruto's mind a bit. He knew he was stressed out for quite a while now and spending time with his daughters in simply little moments like these was the exact medicine that he secretly needed.

Iris and Chaos needed to train. If he was going to get stronger then the girls would need to as well. Having them trail behind him in their training would not be beneficial to any of them. Their energy flows through him in very small quantities at all times and when it comes time for him to actively draw on their power if theirs is weaker it could prove detrimental in the middle of a battle. Not to mention with how immensely powerful they are and can be because of their species it would be foolish not to train them on how to handle their immeasurable powers.

"We should stop off at the local hot springs first daddy. There's a good restaurant right around the corner from it that sells good food. We could get something to eat before training." Iris suggested as her sky-blue eyes were dyed a greenish tint. It was an innocent suggestion, and one Naruto took into deep consideration and when Chaos added her own persuasion into the mix it made Naruto want to agree all the more but he managed to catch a glimpse at the fact Iris's eyes changed color and that instantly had him suspicious of their true motives.

"Ok we can go. Tell me, how do you know about this restaurant?" Naruto agreed as he asked Iris this question. He wanted to see what she'd do. "I heard it from Kakashi sensei, now come on let's hurry!" Iris said as she tugged on Naruto's arm. Naruto couldn't tell if she was lying or not since while Iris is a horrible liar this answer seemed honest enough. He decided it was best just to let the situation play out.

Ten minutes later the Uzumaki family was approaching the local hot springs in the neighborhood when they heard a strange noise. "Hey girls did you hear something?" Naruto asked as he stopped walking after picking up on this strange sound.

"Uh… I don't think so… what did it sound like?" Iris asked as she tilted her head to the side cutely. If Naruto wasn't so distracted by this new mystery of his he would be gushing over how cute the little princess was. "I don't know it… wait there it is again…" Naruto began to say but he stopped mid-sentence as he heard the strange sound again. _'Is that giggling?'_ Naruto thought to himself in confusion as he subconsciously took a step forward missing the quick look shared between the twins. "It sounds weird, what's making that noise and why is it coming from the hot springs?" Evangeline asked as she peeked her head out of Naruto's hair. She heard it too and was confused as to what it was. She was happy to spend the night over at the hospital where she watched over Hinata and secretly healed her as much as possible. It was hard especially since with her connection to Naruto damaged by the suppression seal on his stomach it made it very difficult for her to call on her own power.

The little fairy had to painstakingly separate her own Yōki from the chakra that is stored within her body by her connection with Naruto. After separating herself completely from Naruto's chakra she was able to use the remainder of her Yōki to begin healing Hinata's heart whenever the doctors weren't around. It took many hours into the night for Eva to feel satisfied that Hinata would be ok before the winter fairy passed out in exhaustion from the stamina intensive healing session she did for several hours straight. When morning came and Hinata regained consciousness the two girls spent the next few hours talking before Hiashi Hyūga himself came to pay a visit.

Eva immediately tried to hide within Hinata's hospital robe under a subtle illusion but Hiashi's keen eye caught her without even having to use his Byakugan. The man was very intimidating in that regard. Hinata immediately tried to come to Eva's defense but Hiashi shut her excuses down by revealing that he already had a vast knowledge on the supernatural world. It was an interesting conversation after that point but Eva pulled through with Hinata' backing. Now she was comfortable enough to leave her side knowing she would be ok now.

The family of blondes slowly approached the gate to the hot springs around the back of the complex since they were currently taking a back-alley street to stay away from the main pedestrian traffic of the main roads and also for the shade the many trees that line almost every street and alleyway in the village provides. Hearing the same sound again Naruto took a leap of faith in the most literal sense as he hopped the fence of the establishment and jumped to the nearest tree in the back. Iris joined her father up in the tree with a subtle gust of wind while Chaos in her usual fashion was somehow crouched down besides Naruto without any warning. Just like with every other time previously, no one sees the tiny terror actually physically move. Till this day it's still a mystery on how the Angeloid does it.

Naruto took a quick scan around the trees that surrounded them to look for whatever noise was captivating his attention so much. Looking down he saw that he landed near a divider fence that separated the two hot springs from each other. On one side was the men's bath and on the other side was the women's. Naruto didn't understand how people would even want to be in the hot springs when it was summer time but then he thought that it may be because they were looking for the feel of an outdoor sauna. He wasn't entirely sure as to the reason why the people were here in the middle of the day but he let that wandering thought leave his mind.

"Girls don't look over to the left ok." Naruto said as that was the place where the men were and most of them were completely naked. He didn't want his little girls to see grown men naked in broad daylight like that. He gave this warning a little too late as Iris just so happened to peer down at where her father was looking and saw a man standing up out of the springs without his towel on. The little princess's face turned red as she buried her face into her father's side. Naruto gave an exasperated sigh that grew bigger as Chaos's maniacal giggles in the back were not helping.

Turning to the other side of the fence Naruto saw a bunch of women including a few teenagers close to his age in the baths and they were giggling and splashing water at each other. Naruto even caught glimpses at their naked forms which brought a blush to his face as well. A splash of water to his face let him know that Eva wasn't particularly happy with his bodily reaction. Before he could either defend himself or comfort Iris who refused to remove her face from his side Naruto heard the same giggling noise from earlier and it was really close.

The noise was so close in fact that as Naruto looked above him to a branch that was at least ten feet away he saw the culprit. It was a bear of a man who had a hulking appearance based upon how imposing his body was and he was wearing predominantly green and red clothing. However, the most noticeable features about him was his long mane of stark white spiky hair and the large scroll attached to his back. _'Is this guy spying on the women in the bath?'_ Naruto thought in disbelief while ignoring the tiny voice in the back of his head that was stating he was just doing the same thing.

"Is this guy some kind of pervert?" Eva questioned in disgust as she watched the man giggle profusely while scribbling words down in some kind of notebook. "I think he is and we need to stop him." Naruto agreed as he tensed his muscles. It was an invasion of a person's privacy to be doing something so vulgar in the middle of the day at a public place no less and Naruto also wanted to set a good example for the girls. It would be wrong of him to just leave without ever confronting this man for his behavior. That would be him giving off the message to the girls that it's ok to do this kind of thing and get away with it.

Leaping off of the tree branch he was on he jumped over to the man who seemed to notice his appearance. Landing on the same branch as the man Naruto leveled him with a strong glare. "HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" Naruto growled at the man who was now sweating profusely since Naruto wasn't exactly quiet with what he had to say. "Hey, keep it down kid! You want us to get caught!?" The man whispered back through gritted teeth. Naruto gave the old man a stupefied look as he couldn't believe the nerve of the man. "I want you to get caught you freaking pervert. Do you know that what you're doing is wrong and immoral?" Naruto questioned as he pinned a glare down on the man who seemed unfazed.

"Hey kid I got no time for your righteous speeches. I've got juicy research to get back to." The man dismissed with a casual wave of his hand as he went back to writing in his notebook. Naruto huffed in offense at being so casually dismissed by a stranger who was caught in such a position. "I'm taking you in; you're nothing but a dirty old man." Naruto said while trying to hold on to his composure. He didn't know what it was but something about this man got under his skin and not particularly in a bad way which was surprising to Naruto but if he had to describe it then he would say it reminds him of how he and Anko get along with her behavior and how they have that loving yet aggravating sibling rivalry.

"I'd like to see you try pipsqueak. Now get lost." The man said as he tuned Naruto out completely. For whatever reason that was beyond Naruto's understanding he charged at the man which was uncharacteristic for his calmer and calculative nature when it comes to engaging in combat. Naruto missed the small smile that morphed into a smirk on the man's face as he turned to give Naruto his attention. "Not so fast kid!" The man slammed his hand down on the small branch they were on and a cloud of smoke erupted causing Naruto try to stop but it was too late. A tongue of all things flew out of the smoke and wrapped itself around Naruto's waist. With a simply movement Naruto found himself flying through the air curtesy of a toad once the smoke cleared and Naruto could see what was summoned.

Hitting a tree branch Naruto grunted in mild pain as he was not expecting that to be the move the man would have gone for. "Daddy!" Iris called out as she glared at the man before her. Rocketing off the branch she was perched on Iris aimed right for the white-haired man in hopes of attacking him but that was not meant to be. Taking her fans out she was prepared to cut the branch he was on to get him to fall but he reacted far quicker by grabbing her by the back of her shirt. In a split-second Iris found herself disarmed of her war fans and held within the impressively strong arms of the unknown man.

Before Iris could even begin to struggle or reverse her position with her incredible flexibility and instinctual levels of Taijutsu she was stopped cold in her tracks by a loud smack. Iris's face erupted into a shade of red she didn't think she could do. This unknown man just spanked her bottom casually as if she were his own child. Iris had a dumbfounded look on her face as she went as still as a statue. She didn't even know how to respond to such an action. No one except for her father has ever held her in such a way much less place their hands on her bottom. She was mortified and completely embarrassed beyond all belief to have someone other than her own father handle her in such a manner. "Now you've got to be careful little one. Didn't your parents ever teach you not to play with dangerous weapons?" The old man with his deep voice teased as he tossed Iris's shell-shocked body away from him into Naruto's waiting arms who caught her without much difficulty.

"Iris are you alright? What happened?" Naruto questioned as he saw how shocked his daughter was as well as just how red her face and skin were. She already had a higher body temperature than a human but now it was as if her skin was on fire.

"What did you do to my daughter!?" Growling Naruto put his daughter down but he was shocked to see Chaos hanging off the man's broad shoulders. He didn't even see when she got their and apparently neither did the man as he let off a yelp that alerted the people in the hot springs below.

"Hey what was that?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hey honey did you hear something just now?

"What the?"

"Was that a scream?"

Many inquisitive inquiries like that and much more started to congregate from the hot springs below as the man got a panicked look on his face. Jumping to the branch Naruto was on the man picked Naruto and Iris up in one single swoop before high tailing it out of the complex with the shouts of the patrons in the background. The man's haste was well warranted as a few kunoichi and shinobi were in the baths and they could be seen hopping into the same batch of trees just occupied by the quarreling Uzumaki family.

Dropping the Uzumaki family off three blocks away in another side alley the man panted exaggeratedly while letting out a long-winded sigh. "That was close, almost got caught." The man said nonchalantly while stretching his limbs. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? What's wrong with you?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to his feet. He couldn't believe the bland attitude the man displayed along with his bizarre behavior. "Oh, can it kid! Because of you I won't be able to peak in that hot springs anymore! They'll probably be on high alert! This is all your fault." The man whined as he pointed an accusing finger at Naruto's face.

The aggressive stance the man took just now caused Iris who was behind Naruto to reflexively hold a hand to her bottom as her face burned with embarrassment. She was sending a sun melting scathing glare at the mountain of a man in front of her but he seemed completely unfazed by her childish glare. She was humiliated beyond all belief and it was too much for her childish pride to handle. It was shattered.

"My fault! This is your fault for perving on those innocent people and I hope they are on high alert! It will keep you away from them." Naruto reprimanded as he pointed right back at the man. He didn't understand why he was so worked up or why this man could get him into such a heightened state of emotion but he decided to put that thought to the back of his mind for now.

"How could you say such a thing! Do you know who I am?!" The man asked with an appalled look on his face. "I don't care who you are and Chaos get down from his back. He's a bad man." Naruto reprimanded as he pointed to Chaos who was in a constant fit of giggles while latched onto the man's very broad shoulders. In fact, she had never left his shoulders since being first spotted.

"She's obviously here because she knows how great I am. How naïve of you, you're a foolish boy not to know of my greatness." The man stated as he patted Chaos on the head who giggled with a tiny blush on her face. It was rare for Chaos to blush and it was usually a sign she was comfortable around a person and she liked them. That didn't happen often, it was very rare.

"Does it look like I care who you are old man!?" Naruto questioned as he glared at the man who was interacting so well with one of his daughters. "You should… I'll tell you who I am. I'm known in the north, east, south, and west. From the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. I am the wandering hermit. The greatest author. The biggest chick magnet the world has ever known. I am the all-powerful, all knowing, all famous Toad Sage. I am Jiraiya the Legendary Sannin!" The now identified Jiraiya sang as he did a ridiculous kabuki dance with Chaos laughing her head off from his shoulders. She was having too much fun right now.

"No way…" Naruto fell speechless as his mouth became permanently unhinged. Jiraiya the Legendary Sannin. The Toad Sage himself. One of the most famous and most powerful shinobi to ever live was also one huge and shameless pervert. Naruto's mental image of one of the greatest shinobi in history would forever be scarred from this day forward.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this chapter was very fun to write and I couldn't help but write the scene between Jiraiya and Iris. She's not going to let this go I promise you. Shoko and Naruto bond and spend time with each other again after what felt like a long time (Which it has). As usual she's a worried mess and dotting all over Naruto who's not having any of it.

Hiruzen is dealing with the security of the village along side Naruto and Sasuke while actively searching for Kabuto. It's a staggering task for the old Shinobi who had to come out of retirement. Jiraiya has made it known that he's going to be looking after Naruto from now on and that can only mean endless amounts of headaches and trouble for Naruto.

Naruto's visit to Hinata in the hospital was a bit of a tricky scene for me to write as I added Hiashi in at literally the last second. Writing Hiashi is quite difficult since I lack the experience with his character and he's only made very small cameos and appearances in the story. I'm still not 100% sure on his character archetype or his personality. I'll flesh him out as time goes on. He's a bit of an enigma to me at the moment. I've dropped a few clues in that conversation, some more obvious while some more subtle but the entire scene was quite important.

Finally we get to see Jiraiya himself in his own natural habitat. Doing what he does best and I felt like a kid in a candy store while writing him. His mannerisms and every action that he took was so much fun to write and what he did to Iris was by far the best thing I've ever written. It was pure gold and something I couldn't pass up. Jiraiya will be the happy go lucky, free spirited pervert that we all know and love and he may come off as a huge dick as far as Naruto's concerned and that's what I'm banking on. Iris is going to hold a childish grudge against him and Chaos is going to love every second she spends with Jiraiya. He's going to be the funny loving grandparent that lets you do everything your parents wouldn't normally let you get away with and little Chaos is going to take full advantage of that and spend a lot of time with Jiraiya. Who knows he may even rub off on her personality... ;)

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 50 (The Chaotic Pervert)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 49 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 ** _Published:_** 7/4/2017


	51. CH: 50 The Chaotic Pervert

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know and love is just starting his career as a ninja but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

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 ** _Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with yet another chapter and it is a festive one. I had way more fun with this chapter than I should have and that's ironic since this is only the tip of the iceberg when compared to the chapter that follows. Naruto's patience and beliefs will be shattered by our favorite Toad Sage in this chapter. Never has Naruto come across a person who will get underneath his skin the way Jiraiya can. Iris herself will be having the worst day possible and Chaos will feel as if christmas came early. The tiny terror has some plotting to do within this chapter. So read on as their are a few surprises in the back half of this chapter.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 50

 _ **The Chaotic Pervert**_

Naruto couldn't believe it. His entire life he was led to believe that Jiraiya was a righteous shinobi who was a symbol for everyone to strive for. Now all of that was thrown out the window. Years ago, Hiruzen told Naruto he would learn about him while he was in the academy and the old man was right. Naruto did learn a lot about the legendary shinobi back in the academy and he remembered the awe he felt at hearing the stories of the man and how heroic he was. Now all of that was ruined completely by what was shown to him today.

"You're Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin…?" Naruto mumbled in disbelief as he stared at the man who still had his daughter hanging off his shoulder. "You bet I am kid! I bet you're looking for an autograph now that you know how awesome I am?" Jiraiya teased as he flexed his muscles in an arrogant way. A cheesy smile was on his face as he heard Chaos's laughter ringing in his ears. "No way! I don't need any autograph from a rotten old man like you." Naruto immediately retaliated as he would not condone this type of behavior around his daughters. As a boy starting puberty, he would freely admit that the sneak peek he just got at the girls in the hot springs was way more stimulating than he thought it would be but he couldn't let that impulse control and define him.

It would be bad enough if he were raising two sons. That kind of behavior would encourage them to do that to other girls not only their age but old and it would basically be him teaching his sons to disrespect women. On the other hand, he was raising two daughters. Females, which means their gender is the target of this inappropriate behavior. If he were to act like that it would send a horrible message to his daughters that what he was doing was ok and that it's ok for them to be spied on by total strangers. It would be over his dead body before he allowed anyone or anything to peep or spy on his daughters in any malicious or degrading way. They'd be dead before they would even get the chance.

"I want an autograph!" Chaos shouted in glee as her eyes lit up in happiness. No one will ever know how Chaos did it but she suddenly pulled out a book from out of nowhere. However, it was a special book… one we've seen before. It was a predominantly black and orange book with a deformed pumpkin on the front and the title read: **_[Scary Stories for Halloween]_**. This was the very same book that Naruto would often read to the twins at nighttime usually at Chaos's request. "Oh, what do we have here? So, you're a fan of Halloween?" Jiraiya asked in the tone a parent or adult takes with a child when they're entertaining them. Chaos's eyes lit up in excitement as she shook her head yes.

"Wait a minute… Chaos if I remember correctly you said an amphibian gave you this book." Naruto stated as the gears in his head started to turn. _'She never specifically said what kind of amphibian that day yet she wants Jiraiya to sign her book… and Jiraiya is the Toad Sage.'_ Naruto correctly deduced as he sent yet another glare Jiraiya's way. "You gave Chaos this book?" It had to be the only explanation as to why Chaos would have it and want Jiraiya to sign that book specifically.

"Well… I wouldn't quite say I gave it to her directly. She just so happened to receive it from one of my toads." Jiraiya sheepishly stated in a drawn-out manner with added animated hand movements. "So, you just hand out random things to little kids?" Naruto asked incredulously… he couldn't fathom the randomness of such actions. It didn't make any sense since there was no motive. "Haven't you ever heard of Christmas kid." Jiraiya said in a sarcastic smart-ass jab. "Christmas…?" Naruto questioned in confusion. "Don't worry about it kid." Jiraiya waved it off as he overlooked the glare Iris was sending him from behind Naruto's leg.

Jiraiya wrote his signature into Chaos's book with the girl squealing in delight. The tiny terror had a megawatt smile on her face as she kissed Jiraiya's cheek in appreciation. This shocked Naruto greatly since Chaos wasn't this affection with anyone other than him and she certainly didn't kiss others but him either. She's really taken a shine to the Toad Sage. "Ladies of all ages can't resist my charm. This is your last chance kid, I'm willing to give you an autograph if you just say please." Jiraiya taunted as he smirked at Naruto who was trying his hardest to restrain himself. "No thank you." Naruto said as he forced this out through gritted teeth. "Your lost then…" Jiraiya stated while shrugging his shoulders.

"So, I take it you're a ninja then; judging by that headband on your head?" Jiraiya inquired while eyeing Naruto's headband. "Yeah, I'm a Genin." Naruto answered easily enough while comforting Iris by rubbing the side of her head who was still sending off childish death glares at Jiraiya. "Based on the time of year, does that mean you're participating in the Chūnin Exams?" Naruto was quick to confirm this as he stated he was advancing to the finals. "You're going to the finals huh? That means you're pretty strong then." Jiraiya complemented with an appraising look in his eyes. "Yes, Dada is the strongest Genin in the village!" Chaos confirmed with a giggle and childish laugh.

"Strongest Genin huh? That's a lot of boasting." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this as this was interesting news for him to hear straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. "He'd be a lot stronger if he were to train with you Lord Jiraiya." Chaos suggests as her eyes briefly flash red. Naruto missed this as he looked up in surprise at this random suggestion. "Hey, that's not a bad idea kid. Just imagine how strong you'd become with me leading the way." Jiraiya stated as he contemplated the idea. He had his hand placed under his chin in a thinking pose with his face scrunched up in contemplation.

"No way, absolutely not! I refuse to be trained by some shameless pervert. That suggestion isn't funny Chaos." Naruto adamantly refused with a shout as he placed his arms in a "X" formation. He was not willing to entertain the thought of being taught by someone like Jiraiya, even if he was one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Oh, shameless pervert or not I'm still one of the Legendary Sannin. My power and skills are undeniable. You'd pass up the chance to be trained by me. Unless you have another S – Rank shinobi stuffed into your back pocket I don't see this opportunity coming along your way again kid." Jiraiya said as he was secretly gauging Naruto's response. _'I could think of one such shinobi…'_ Naruto idly thought to himself as he thought of Shoko. _'Unfortunately, he makes a valid point. There aren't that many Kage level shinobi in the world, much less any number who would willingly train a Genin out of the blue.'_ Naruto thought bitterly as he didn't want to acknowledge the fact Jiraiya made a good point.

"That may be true but I can't have you influencing my daughters, besides I'm getting by just fine on my own. I always have." Naruto stated but of course he was mentioning the time he and Eva were on their own. Ever since Shoko and Anko entered his life he hasn't been alone. He's learned the most from them on how to be a shinobi before he graduated. He owes a lot to them in that aspect, but he also secretly understands the implications of being taught by Jiraiya. The man was a legend and he was the Jōnin sensei and master to Minato Namikaze. The man who became the Fourth Hokage. That was an impressive pedigree.

"It's interesting you'd refer to these little mini brats as your own daughters… aren't you a little too young to be a father, who'd you knock up?" Jiraiya questioned as he looked Chaos and Iris over and couldn't help but see similarities between them and Naruto other than just the generic blond hair and similar eye colors. They shared other genetic traits with him that weren't very apparent on just a simple glance. It was uncanny how much they actually resembled him. You could definitely say they were related.

"Have you no shame!? Have some decency with the way you word that!" Naruto yelled with a massive blush on his face. Jiraiya was blunt and straight to the point, not to mention a bit on the vulgar side with how he states things. You couldn't just out right ask a 12 in a half year old who they had sex with while two six-year old children were right there and then word it in such a crass way. Not to mention the fact 12-year old kids shouldn't even be having sex, let alone having knowledge of what it was.

"What? It's just a simple question. There's no denying the fact these girls look just like you, all I'm asking is who's the mother?" Jiraiya bluntly asked as he shrugged his shoulders. "That's none of your business, let's go Chaos we're leaving." Naruto stated as he didn't know how much more he could handle being around the man. He's never met someone who could get under his skin in such a way. It was a mystery. What made it worst was he wasn't truly angry at the man. Offended and repulsed in some respects but not angry and that confused Naruto as he knew if anyone else had ever had the nerve to talk to him in such a way with his daughters present he'd do something so terrible Chaos would be feeding off of enough negative energy to last her a life time.

"Oh, don't be like that. Ok I'm sorry I apologize for my behavior but you don't have to be a party pooper. Look at your daughter's face. She doesn't want this to end yet." Jiraiya intervened as he tried to appease to Naruto by pointing out the fact Chaos had a rare pout on her face. She was having a blast right now and didn't want things to end. Taking one look at Chaos's face was a mistake on Naruto's part and he knew it as seeing the disappointment and sadness buried deep within her expressive if mostly insane purple eyes tugged at his heartstrings. Even after all of these years he still doesn't know how to properly refuse his daughters or put his foot down all the time. His heart has far too big a soft spot for them. It was his biggest weakness and he flat out knew it.

Seeing Naruto turn back to give Jiraiya his attention once again the old man mentally cheered in his mind. "Ok tell you what kid, how about we race to Training Ground 7. If you win then I'll leave you alone and admit that you are just fine on your own; but if I win then you have to admit that I'm not so bad and receiving training from me wouldn't be the worst decision you could ever make." Jiraiya proposed as he leaned against the wooden fence of the alley. Naruto contemplated this offer as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And what's in it for you? Why would you single me out with such an offer, also why would you give Chaos that book? Have you been watching me?" Naruto questioned as there were far too many unknowns in this situation.

"We'll I'm bored for one, you've caught my attention as usually when kids your age meet me they are all over me asking for autographs and to just generally hang out. As for the book, well that's a secret and I'm a master spy kid, it's my job to watch everybody." Jiraiya explained the best way he could with a nonchalant attitude. He gave his response, he wasn't trying to beat around the bush. Naruto wasn't convinced as he felt something fishy about Jiraiya's response. Something wasn't quite right.

"Well, while you're thinking on that me and Chaos here are going to be on our way to the training ground. I hope you can keep up!" Jiraiya quickly stated in a rushed manner once he saw Naruto was distracted and preoccupied by his suspicions. "What… wait… hold on, get back here!" Naruto yelled once he saw the Toad Sage take off with his daughter hanging off his shoulder. "Sis!" Iris exclaimed in shock as she wasn't expecting this. Both blonde haired Uzumaki could hear Chaos's squeals of delight in the distance as they saw the sage get to the first building.

"Come on Iris, follow my lead!" Naruto quickly stated as he jumped out of the alley way and to the closest roof top. He wasn't going to let this total stranger run off with his daughter. "Ok daddy!" Iris was hot on Naruto's heels as she managed to keep pace with the older boy despite the fact she had much shorter legs than him.

Jiraiya was fast. Scratch that… he was the fastest person Naruto's ever come across and he had to admit he wasn't that surprised. Annoyed… yes, very much so. But surprised… no, unfortunately not. "Get back here!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs as Jiraiya's infuriating laughter was mixing in with the familiar perpetual giggles of his daughter. "You've got to try harder than that kid, just screaming your head off won't help!" Jiraiya taunted as he picked up his pace.

"I don't think so! **Shadow Clone Jutsu**!" Naruto challenged as he placed his hand in the familiar cross shaped sign. Four clones of him came into existence as they each started to take different buildings and routes. "Come on sweetie, we'll take the shortcuts we know." Naruto encouraged as he veered off his former course. He knows the villages infrastructure like the back of his hand. He knows every shortcut and route there is within the massive village. He was going to use this to his advantage. Iris was right behind him as father and daughter cut corners and roof hopped across the maze-like buildings of the village. They were taking every old short cut they could remember that was allowing them to gain ground on the master shinobi who with no difficulty was traveling across the village.

Naruto was so busy trying to catch up that it took him by surprise when he received the memory feedback of one of his clones. It got dispelled by Jiraiya himself who somehow outwitted it. Picking up the pace Naruto pushed himself to get ahead of the white haired old man but he was falling short and having his other three clones systematically taken out minutes apart wasn't helping. Taking a turn that he knew would allow him to close the gap between him and his target Naruto went full force around the corner only to be shocked when he ran straight into a pair of lips?

It was a huge toad easily twice his size that was predominantly lime green in color with yellow spots splashed all over its body. It had big round purple eyes and two large pink blush marks on its cheeks. It also had a large red violet bow on its back which pleased Iris internally but she was more shocked at what occurred next. The toad also had very large orange lips which in some regards was a plus in Naruto's book but it was canceled out by the fact Naruto ran straight into them.

Naruto immediately felt weird. He couldn't even hear what the toad said. **"Genjutsu: Kiss of love."** The toad both sounded and looked extremely effeminate but there was a hint of a male undertone to the voice. "Daddy? What's going on?" Iris wearily asked as Naruto stopped moving. "Hey Naru, can you hear me?" Eva questioned as she flew down to his face. His eyes had a faraway look in them and he was looking at Iris and Eva with confusion evident on his face. "Sweetie why does your face look like a toad?" Naruto asked slowly with his eyes glazed over. "He's under a Genjutsu." Eva whispered as she saw the toad behind Naruto smile a bit. "Now show them your love honey." The toad commanded in his feminine tone as Naruto looked at Iris who had an unsure look on her face.

"Daddy?" Iris said slowly with uncertainty seeping into her voice as Naruto went to grab the little blonde-haired girl. Iris could have easily dodged her father's attempt at grabbing her if she really wanted to but she didn't make much of an effort in that regard. She didn't feel or sense any aggression or killing intent from her father so she knew he wasn't trying to hurt her but the princess wasn't expecting what happened next. Naruto picked Iris who didn't resist up into his arms and began kissing her all of her face. He had a completely dazed look in his eyes as it was clear he wasn't in control right now. "Naru, what are you doing?" Eva cried out in shock as she was not expecting this turn of events. Iris's face was close to bursting into flames as the megawatt blush on her face couldn't be replicated. Just like earlier with Jiraiya, Iris yet again completely froze up within her father's arms as she had no idea what to do in this situation.

To be frank she didn't mind the fact her father was kissing her, if anything he could do it all day long and she wouldn't even bat an eyelash. She knew she was spoiled and a bit vain when it comes to hogging all of her father's attention. She never claimed to be perfect, but it was the obvious fact that he was under a Genjutsu that was making this uncomfortable for the blue-eyed girl. A Genjutsu in which she looks like a toad? Yeah… she didn't see any appeal in that at all.

' _I've got to stop this, I only have a little bit of Yōki to spare but it should be enough.'_ Eva calculated within her mind as she built up her energy. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!** " Eva ripped the air molecules from the surrounding environment to her side as she infused her Yōki within it to create a powerful stream of high pressure cerulean colored water. On her command, the water stream shot off at the enemy toad with a ton of force behind it. "Oh, that won't work on me little fairy. **Water Style: Water Pistol Jutsu!** " The toad spoke as it built up a small dense sphere of water within its mouth as it compressed the aqua ball under a ton of pressure. In seconds, it shot off the bullet of water with force far greater than Eva's technique as it completely ripped through Eva's water like it wasn't even there.

"What?! No way!" Eva couldn't believe how easily her attack was overpowered. Granted she didn't have much Yōki to spare since Naruto still has the suppression seal on his stomach but the amount of energy in the attack should have been more than enough to knock the big toad over if it hit. Meanwhile with Iris she was trying to push her father's face away from hers as she couldn't take much more of the weirdness that was plaguing her family today. "Ok daddy you need to snap out of this now!" Iris sucked in a breath of air that she then superheated with her affinity for fire before blowing it out directly into Naruto's face. The air was very hot, not quite hot enough to burn Naruto's face but hot enough that it could create an outside stimulus that was strong enough to awaken his subconscious mind within the Genjutsu. Once a person is aware they are under a Genjutsu it loses its absolute power over them. A person will have a much easier time breaking out of a Genjutsu if they are mentally aware of it than not. Only the most powerful of Genjutsu's in the world can override this general rule.

" **Genjutsu: Release!"** Naruto shouted as he surged a large sum of chakra within his body to completely break the hold the strange toad had over him. A pulse of chakra was expelled from Naruto's body that knocked the toad over and off the roof they were on. It fell into a small pool in the back of a person's house causing all of the water to splash out of the pool. "Okay, that was weird. I never want to go through that again." Naruto panted as he regained his breath. He ejected way more chakra than he thought. It was a pretty strong Genjutsu and the art of illusions is one of Naruto's weakest areas as it is for most front-line shinobi.

"You're one to talk daddy…" Iris mumbled out as she held her hands to her blushing cheeks. They were stained permanently red in embarrassment and the skin all over her face was bruised a pale pink from all of the kiss marks Naruto left on her face. If it wasn't for the shape of the marks then you could easily mistake what they are and just assume Iris has chicken pox. "Honey, what did I do? What happened to your face?" Naruto questioned as he knew Iris's face didn't look like that a minute ago. Iris squealed as she placed her trusted teddy bear in front of her face to hide herself from her father. She couldn't face him after what he did to her, it was just far too embarrassing.

"Oh my, it looks like you've defeated my friend Gamariki. Not too bad kid but you took far too long to do so." Jiraiya stated as he appeared out of thin air. "YOU! What's the big idea!" Naruto yelled as he spun around to face the Toad Sage who had a look of pure amusement on his face. "Since you took so long I'll have to penalize you. It is a race after all." Jiraiya said as he scooped Iris up into his arms for the third time today. "I'll just be taking this little spit fire here as my prize. This should motivate you enough to kick it into high gear!" Jiraiya said as he took off with Iris in his arms. She was still to shocked from earlier so she couldn't even resist as she was carried off with the Sannin.

"Iris!" Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration as he took off after the hyperactive man who now had both his daughters. "Eva, do you have enough Yōki still?" Naruto quickly asked as he was planning to push himself to his limit. "Yeah, just a little bit. I wasted what little I could split off from you earlier." The winter fairy replied as she inched out what little Yōki she had left at the time. She would need more time to split off her Yōki from Naruto's chakra but that would take hours if not the rest of the day. That suppression seal really needed to go.

"That will be enough." Naruto confided as he closed his eyes and thought of both Iris and Chaos. His daughters entered his mind and in an instant, he felt both of their energies flowing through him. It was barely there with the condition he was in and this was definitely something he couldn't do in the middle of a high paced battle but with the amount of concentration he was pouring into this chase this was something he could achieve on a one-time basis and it was a lucky thing to since they were quickly approaching the training ground areas.

" **Acceleration!"** Naruto was briefly coated in his familiar cloak of mixed energies as he rocketed off the roof top he had just touched down on. He was clearing two to three extra blocks at a time as he started to close the gap between him and Jiraiya.

"Was that Naruto I just sensed?" Shoko mumbled to herself as she was busy picking up a few bags of groceries as well as equipment from a local store on a random busy street. She could sense the all too familiar spike in Naruto's chakra that was unique only to him, furthermore she could tell exactly what technique he was using too since she herself has been on the receiving end of it on more than one occasion. Especially since she was the very first person he used it offensively against many years ago in a practice match. He was close by Shoko calculated as she had just finished speaking to Hiashi outside of the hospital before taking off to do her own errands. She wanted to make sure she and Naruto had something to eat later on that night as well as training equipment to use.

Soon enough Naruto makes it to the training ground but Jiraiya was nowhere to be found. He was rather low on chakra all things considered and he was at a monumental disadvantage against an opponent as superior as Jiraiya was but he was trying his best to hold on.

That was when Naruto felt it. Using the last strains of energy coming off of his cloak Naruto was able to use his enhanced reflexes to deflect a blitzing blindsiding attack from Jiraiya who was in the shape of a large tree that matched those around them. Being on guard now Naruto could instantly tell that the man was cloaked underneath one of Chaos's illusions. It was a simple one and one the girl should be capable of despite the severe limit on her abilities. She wouldn't be capable of anything past this point and definitely nothing complex like she would probably normally pull out.

"You can drop the illusion Chaos." Naruto reprimanded as he watched Jiraiya appear before him. Chaos was on his shoulder with her default eerie smile on her face which Naruto has become so used to that it actually brought him comfort to see while others would think it creepy. Iris was held like she was a bag within Jiraiya's other hand and the look on her usually serene face was anything but pleasant. "I must say that is quite the interesting power you've got their mini brat. I think it's pretty cool." Jiraiya commented on Chaos's illusion powers. Chaos beamed at the praise given to her as her eyes lit up in happiness. Very few people thought her illusion powers were cool since she usually abuses them to scare and prank people.

"Ok, I've played your game so put my girls down." Naruto demanded as he saw a playful twinkle spark in Jiraiya's eyes. "Oh… well you didn't actually beat me here, you were close but not close enough so it looks like I win." Jiraiya said with a cheesy smile on his face. "Would you put me down now!" Iris screeched as she was being suspended in the air by the back of her shirt. She felt beyond degraded after everything that's happened to her today. "Boy you really are a spit fire. So, you ready to admit that I'm not so bad?" Jiraiya teased to Iris as he looked up to address Naruto who looked extremely annoyed. "Ok, I lost fair and square. Now put my daughters down please." Naruto said as he let out a huge sigh. He was really trying to calm down. He was going to try the civil approach.

"Make me…" Jiraiya childishly taunted as he was dead set on being immature today. Naruto couldn't take it, he really couldn't. Jiraiya was without a doubt the most annoying and infuriating person he's ever run into within his entire life. "THAT'S IT!" Taking off recklessly from his spot Naruto charged the Sannin as his patients was completely fried for the day. Naruto launched a kick at Jiraiya that he saw from a mile away. Simply raising his leg up the old man blocked Naruto's first attack like it was nothing. Gritting his teeth Naruto spun his whole body around into a powerful falling axe kick that Jiraiya raised his eyebrow at. Taking his free hand Jiraiya simply grabbed the strong kick without breaking a sweat. In a moment like this Naruto would have frozen Jiraiya's hand with his ice style but with most of his abilities heavily suppressed, it would take him far too long to squeeze out the power to work his way around his limitations.

Kicking out with his other leg Naruto was hoping to kick Jiraiya straight in his stomach but the older man raised his leg up yet again blocking his attack. Moving on the offensive Jiraiya lashed out with a heavy thrust kick that launched Naruto who was still in midair nearly 20 feet away from him while coughing up spit. "Pretty good but why do I sense you're holding back?" Jiraiya asked as he felt something was off with Naruto. From what he knew the boy was far more powerful than this.

"It's not exactly my fault. Ran into a little trouble not too long ago." Naruto answered as he got to his feet. "Would that trouble happen to be Orochimaru?" Jiraiya scouted with his voice taking on a deeper and more serious baritone. Naruto subconsciously straighten up at hearing this as he looked towards Jiraiya in a new light. "How would you know that?" It was a simple question but it came out a bit more defensive than what Naruto probably intended.

"I received intel that Orochimaru was spotted back in the Land of Fire recently which drew my attention. I returned home only to discover that he infiltrated the village and it's Chūnin Exams. I was told that he ambushed a team while in the forest. I can safely assume that was you then." Jiraiya informed as he twitched a bit when Chaos started to mess around with his spiky hair. He hasn't had a playful kid around him in a long while. He was a little unused to the experience.

"What do you plan on doing about it?" Naruto couldn't help but question as this was much more interesting than bashing Jiraiya's face in. "If I find him, I'll take him in. It's as simple as that." Jiraiya stated while keeping his inner most thoughts to himself. "But you must be pretty tough to survive against my old teammate. It makes me sad to see you holding back against me." Jiraiya said as he took off from his spot while Naruto braced himself. The old sage was yet again shrouded in an illusion perpetrated by Chaos as he closed in to be within feet of Naruto when his danger senses skyrocketed.

A shift was sensed from Jiraiya as he switched targets and caught a sword of all things from nearly decapitating him. The man caught the sword with his bare hand but if that wasn't shocking enough then the owner of the sword would be the bigger shock. It was Shoko herself with her beautiful long sword on the offensive against who she thought to be an enemy attacking Naruto.

"Shoko! What are you doing here?" Naruto shouted in surprise as he was not expecting to see his partner here so soon. This was unexpected on his part. _'This person blocked my strike and caught my sword. That shouldn't be possible unless they're on my level. If that's the case who is it and how did they get into the village?'_ Shoko was in full combat mode as she added some weight and pressure to the deadlock which was happening before her very eyes. "I came when I sensed your chakra spike. You were chasing someone and judging by the fact you're still in bad shape yet you resorted to your High-End Skills means that you were desperate. Who is this guy?" Shoko needed to know who she was up against. It was no small feat to grab her sword like that and not be fazed. Only high-class S-Rank Kage level ninja could do that and not die or be injured and if that was the case then this person was of the utmost serious threat to Naruto.

"I'm someone who you don't want to go up against little girl!" Jiraiya said menacingly while altering his voice. He was going to enjoy this. "Is that so?" Shoko said dangerously as everyone could feel the cap that keeps her immense chakra reserves sealed tight loosen. The air grew heavy as the wind started to blow. Shoko's power continued to be as impressive as always even after all of these years as she geared up to attack the obvious threat. Ripping her sword free from the man's grip Shoko swung her weapon at where she assumed the man's head was as it was hard to tell with the shifting inky blob that made up his appearance. This illusion was a simple one that Chaos often uses to scare the local neighborhood bullies and sometimes the innocent kids that live around the village to get her fill on negative energy.

Ducking the very fast attack, the man lashed out with a solid punch that Shoko blocked with the flat of her sword. Spinning while gaining momentum the young woman ripped into an air displacing roundhouse kick that could kill a human being if it were to connect. The snapped neck and crushed skull from the sheer force of her blow would do that to a person. In this particular case, she wasn't dealing with an ordinary human. She wasn't even dealing with an ordinary shinobi either.

Right before Shoko's kick could connect the blob parted its body allowing the powerhouse kunoichi to see Iris's face poking out into the open. Shoko like the veteran she was stopped her foot inches away from taking the child's head clean off as a shocked looked crossed the woman's face. "IRIS!?" The purpled haired woman was understandably surprised at this development but she was not one to stay shocked or distracted in a battle for long. She was trained far better than that. However, before she could get her head back on straight the blob suddenly spit in two catching the older woman within its viscous grasp. Shoko's next move would have been to pulse her potent chakra to blast the assailant off of her and then snatch Iris up with her immense speed before anything could stop her but she froze up at the next thing to happen to her.

"Boy little Shoko you sure have blossomed into a beautiful young woman." Jiraiya's baritone voice whispered into Shoko's ear as she felt a hand caress her left breast. Time froze as Shoko's mind tried to comprehend what was happening. If she had recognized the voice speaking to her then she didn't show it as her power violently skyrocketed. **"Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice!"** Shoko roared as she swung her sword around with such force that the very air itself was cut like a hot knife through butter. A small vacuum was created in the wake of Shoko's attack as an invisible shockwave cut the surrounding trees horizontally off of their bases. Naruto barely managed to duck to the ground as he had a panicked look on his face. He almost died.

"Holy cow! You could kill someone woman!" Jiraiya yelled in a comical way as a frightened look was on his face as he was on his stomach flat against the ground, he just barely managed to duck and dodge Shoko's attack as well. That was a very close call on his part.

Shoko finally managed to get a good look at the assailant she was facing and her eyes widened in absolute shock. The illusion that Chaos was cloaking Jiraiya under was dissipated due to the sheer force of Shoko's attack and the fact Chaos's concentration was broken. Albeit, the tiny terror didn't have much energy to spare anymore as it is. Her body has restrictions on it due to Naruto's current condition so it was only a matter of time before she would have to drop the illusion on her own.

"Master… Jiraiya…" Shoko whispered in shock as her sword fell from her hand alongside the severed trees in the background. "Hey little pipsqueak. Been a long time huh?" Jiraiya said with a sheepish chuckle as he slowly got to his feet. "Wait… wait… wait… Shoko you know Jiraiya? You just called him master!" Naruto who was stunned by this news asked in bewilderment. "Yes sweetie, this man at one point in time was my master. He taught me a few things back in the day. I wasn't his disciple or anything like that, but he looked after me when I was a child and would pitch in a lesson to me whenever he could while I was still a Genin." Shoko explained as her eyes misted over a bit. She hasn't seen Jiraiya in 12 years. There were only two men in the entire world and who ever lived that Shoko would ever call a father figure. One was Lord Dino who is the Kingpin of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia and the other was the man who stood before her now. Jiraiya the Toad Sage. She had the utmost respect, admiration, and love for the older man even if she detested his perverted nature.

"It's been so long…" Shoko said in a choked-up voice as she threw her arms around the gruff man's neck and embraced the man who she fondly thought of as a second father figure to her. Or the perverted fun-loving uncle…

"I know, it's good to see you again Shoko." Jiraiya said with a gentle soft tone as he genuinely hugged the emotional woman back. He really did miss her from the bottom of his heart and was deeply ashamed and saddened that he couldn't be there for either her or Naruto. The moment was ruined when his hand started to go a little lower than Shoko's waist. She was an extremely curvaceous woman with a figure that could be considered inhuman. Large bust, wide flared hips, and a very tight and shapely butt. She had the full hour glass figure and she was 36 years old. Any man would turn into a mindless lust filled zombie at the sight of her body. You would have to question if she were a succubus.

"Master…" Shoko said sweetly as she pulled her face back to look directly into the sage's eyes. "Yes…" Jiraiya gulped. "You're a pervert!" Shoko punched the man straight in the stomach causing the mighty shinobi to crumble to the ground in a pained heap. "I would have never guessed you would know Jiraiya so well Shoko." Naruto said in wonderment as he watched the older man curl up on the ground in supposed pain. It was all an act as a single punch couldn't take out a man of his power but it would seem the Sannin loved his cartoonish comedic antics.

"Most of the time he's not half bad… but in times like these he can be insufferable as you can see." Shoko said with an annoyed huff and twitch of her eyebrow. A tiny embarrassed blush was on her face which was incredibly rare since Shoko was so mature and not easily flustered. However, with the culprit being Jiraiya of all people and already being quite familiar with his usual antics Shoko couldn't help her reaction. She's very close with him and sees him as a father figure.

"You still have a strong punch I see." Jiraiya said as he suddenly popped up off the ground. He seemed unfazed as he smiled a small proud smile at the woman which she returned in gratitude. It's been a very long time since she was praised by an equal and in this case superior. Especially when it's Jiraiya of all people.

"Are you forgetting someone…" A small voice spoke up with rage seeping through every pore of her being. Everyone's attention was drawn to Iris whose entire body was glowing a radiating golden light. "OH…" Jiraiya lamely stated as Iris's rage was being directed solely at him. Iris's clothes were ruffled up and dirtied by Jiraiya's actions throughout the day. From racing across the village to briefly engaging Naruto in a scuffle and finally Jiraiya dropping to the ground to avoid dying by Shoko's hands. Iris was hot and sweaty from everything that had happened today and she was royally pissed off. "LET ME GO!" Iris yelled as she blew a superheated ball of fire at Jiraiya's face that exploded into a shower of her red-hot feathers.

"Aaahhhhh!" Jiraiya was screaming his head off as he tried to brush the burning feathers off his face and hair. He unceremoniously dropped Iris to the ground as he himself dropped to the ground and started to do the classic stop-drop-and roll procedure. Iris dusted herself off as she growled out in aggravation. She stomped her way over to her father while sending Jiraiya dirty looks. Once within reach she snuggled into Naruto's side before settling down.

"What in the world?! What was that? And are these feathers?" Jiraiya was flapping around on the ground like a fish out of water as this caught him by surprise. Chaos was off to the side giggling in her psychotic ways while enjoying the torment going around.

Looking up into the sky Naruto saw that the sun had moved across the sky far more than he thought it had. It was now casting more richer and darker shades across the horizon. It was starting to become evening time and a sunset wouldn't be too far passed that. They had wasted the entire day on this incident and now there wasn't any time to get any meaningful amounts of training in before nighttime. The day was ruined.

"I hope you're happy. You've wasted practically all of my time to train today. Now I'll have to wait till tomorrow to start." Naruto growled out as Jiraiya popped up from the ground as if nothing was wrong with him anymore. He still had one of Iris's feathers stuck within his wild mane of untamable white hair but it wasn't taken into consideration. "Oh, don't look at it like that. You got some training and exercise in today. I put you through the ringer today kid. I could only imagine Genjutsu must be pretty tough for someone who has massive chakra reserves like you, yet you pulled through like a champ and you pushed yourself quite a bit under a stressful situation." Jiraiya pointed out tactfully as he held his hands out in a defensive posture.

' _Was that his intention all along. To secretly test me while pretending to be aloof? I wouldn't put it passed him. It would make sense for someone of his status.'_ Naruto analyzed as he was starting to see the bigger picture. Jiraiya's actions today weren't as careless and random as he first thought. This was all one big test orchestrated by the old man.

"Regardless of that fact I've had enough for the day. I'm going home." Naruto stated as he let out a sigh. "Really, that's a shame honey. I brought some training equipment earlier." Shoko mentioned with a disappointed pout. She could see the look on Naruto's face. He was worn out physically but especially mentally and emotionally. Tomorrow was another day to start training. "I can't do much more for the day. I'm too spent, I'm sorry." Naruto apologized to Shoko as he grabbed Iris and transformed her into her pendant form. He missed the devious smirk that crossed Chaos's face as he took her hand in his own. He turned her into her choker form before placing her around his neck and attaching Iris to the chain hanging off it.

"I'll come home with you. I'll cook dinner for you guys tonight since me and Anko were mooching off of you for the last few days." Shoko said softly as her motherly instincts started to kick in. She wanted to attend to him now that he was exhausted. Shoko funny enough neglected to mention how she and Anko practically moved into his apartment with how much time they spend with him. They even have their own rooms that he renovated out for them over the years. "Sounds good to me." Naruto said with a nonchalant wave. It would take some stress off of him so that was a plus. If it were left up to him he would try to prepare the dinner for the night even though he was exhausted which would have added to his already compiled stress and exhaustion. He had the unhealthy mentality of stubbornly being the sole provider within his house. It was brought on from raising himself all his life and always having to provide for himself and only himself.

"Master… I want you to stop by the casino later on tonight for some drinks and so we can catch up ok. It's been far too long." Shoko said as she placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder as she started to guide him out of the field. "Will do, I still got some research to take care of so this will give me time to get it done." Jiraiya replied with a small genuine smile. Shoko pouted as she glared at the old pervert. She knew exactly what type of research he was going to do. She also didn't forget about the groping he just gave her. That one punch wasn't enough punishment for the sage. She was going to punish him properly later.

Seeing the others leave Jiraiya picked the stray feather out of his hair and looked at it. _'What are you little one?'_ Jiraiya silently thought with his lips frowning a bit. "Oh well, time to go do that research. I got a lot to talk to little Shoko about later tonight." Jiraiya said with a shrug of his shoulders. He was about to take off when he felt a weight settle on his shoulder. "Hi there." Chaos said with a near psychotic giggle. To Jiraiya's credit he didn't freak out externally but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit disturbed by Chaos's ability to invade a person's personal space. "Hey, shouldn't you be with your father?" The old man questioned as he saw the instability and insanity imbedded deep within Chaos's eyes.

"Yep, but we have to have some fun still." Chaos insisted with a giggle. "Fun?" Jiraiya questioned with his eyebrows furrowing. "The hot springs…" Chaos insisted with a grin. "You want to go back to the hot springs?" This was getting interesting to Jiraiya as he wasn't quite sure of Chaos's intentions. "I can get you into the hot springs if you promise to train my Dada." Chaos proposed with excitement and temptation laced in every word. "Oh, and what's in it for you if I go along with this?" Jiraiya questioned in interest, he wanted to see where this was going. "Dada needs to get strong. Really strong and I know you can help him… you have a role to play after all." Chaos said as her eyes turned red. "A role?" Now the tiny terror had all of Jiraiya's attention. He knew this was serious.

"Life's one big game and everyone has a part to play." Chaos said as she was basically beating around the bush. This flippant answer didn't escape Jiraiya's notice as he started to feel suspicious of these circumstances. "And why would Naruto need to get so strong so quickly?" Jiraiya asked as he pressed forward. He would keep the other statement she made in the back of his mind for now. "You never know when unexpected things might happen in the future. Ambushes, battles, invasions, kidnappings, war, apocalypses. Anything is possible. You should always be prepared. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Chaos answered in a bone chilling manner that instantly set Jiraiya on high alert. The way Chaos's tone changed as she put extra emphasis on the different scenarios that could play out didn't go undetected by Jiraiya who felt a pit of anxiety forming in his stomach.

"Well little lady when you make such a convincing argument how can I… the great Toad Sage refuse. Sure, I'll take your father under my wing. But you need to hold up your end of the bargain." Jiraiya agreed in a loud and boisterous tone but on the inside, he was anything but cheerful. _'Something isn't right with what this little girl just said. The way she put emphasis on those scenarios bug me. It's almost like she's saying they will happen. All this does is give me an even stronger excuse to watch over Naruto.'_ Jiraiya surmised to himself as he and Chaos took off to the hot springs.

The duo made it back to the same hot springs from earlier in the day and this time due to the time of day there were at least twice as many customers than last time. There were also a large number of older mature woman present as it was the time of day when people were starting to get off of work. The classic 9 to 5 schedule was a blessing for Jiraiya in this moment. A perverted impish grin came to Jiraiya's face as he pulled out his notebook and started to furiously take notes. His eyes roamed all across the pool as a wide variety of women were trickling in. On a scale of 1 to 10 there were a lot of 6's and 7's as this was a decently popular hot spring so a lot of people frequented it. A few 8's and 9's was around, but they were few and far between until Jiraiya struck gold when a perfect 10 walked into the baths with the others.

"Oh god! I see perfection before me!" Jiraiya whispered furiously as blood started to leak from his nose. The woman had to have been a celebrity or supermodel with the exotic look she radiated compared to those around her. While Jiraiya was scribbling away in his note book Chaos was scanning the entire area of woman and taking digital photos of them with her eyes. She was gaining all kinds of statistical information on them that a pervert of Jiraiya's caliber would be able to twist around to sound sexual.

Jiraiya was keeping a considerate eye out for Chaos during this time ever since she said her bizarre warnings from earlier. She gave him a lot to think about and it had him both suspicious and on guard. However, in this moment he missed the malicious smile that crossed Chaos's face nor was he able to sense her impure intentions. The duo was disguised as a rock that was forming the perimeter of the springs. They were one of many, but luckily none of the other women were choosing this spot until this gorgeous woman decided to come sit over where Jiraiya and Chaos happened to be.

Jiraiya's heart was getting ready to beat out of his chest as he was breathing heavily. This was too much for his aging heart to handle. There was no way this woman could possibly be human. If he didn't know any better he'd think this individual getting closer to him was a succubus or another kind of being of temptation. Under the illusion Chaos took a small step back as the woman sat down right where Jiraiya was. Just as she was about to lean back Jiraiya lost control of himself as he pushed forward.

A scream tore through the springs as a distortion rippled across the woman who was before them. Instead of a gorgeous woman it was a young lady of around twenty. She was plain and average in every sense of the word instead of a being of inhuman beauty. The illusion protecting Jiraiya was gone as well allowing every female in the water to see him groping the poor woman. Sadly, for Jiraiya there were a couple of kunoichi in the pool yet again and they didn't look to happy with the perverted older man.

Jiraiya's screams were heard from halfway across the village as Chaos was up in the exact same tree they originally found Jiraiya in earlier that day. The malicious smile on her face increased as she absorbed the negative energies from the poor man's plight. A psychotic giggle escaped her lips as her eyes flashed red. _'That was so much fun.'_ The tiny terror simply disappeared from her spot in the tree while leaving Jiraiya to his ultimate fate.

Naruto and Shoko had just returned home to his apartment as they walked inside. Setting the bag filled with her purchases down on the table Shoko stretched her shoulders as she went to open a window to let fresh air into the apartment. The air conditioner has yet to be fixed and the apartment was an inferno. The powerful kunoichi never noticed that she gave a certain terror the perfect entrance. Meanwhile with Naruto, the blonde was instantly burning up from being inside the hot apartment so he reached for the sink as he was going to pour himself a cup of water. The water was pouring from the facet when he remembered he still had Iris and Chaos attached to his neck. Reaching up for the disguised twins, Naruto's hand was inches away from them when the water pouring from the sink started to flood out like a geyser. The water splashed up into Naruto's face causing him to flail around in surprise.

When he was finally able to see again he saw Chaos sitting on the countertop next to the sink and her perpetual smile and giggle was oozing out of her. Iris chose this moment to transform back as she wore an annoyed expression on her face. Her clothes went from being dirty to wet now. Today just wasn't her day.

"Today was fun." Chaos giggled as her eyes eerily flashed red.

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 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the number of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

2.) **Genjutsu: Kiss of Love -** Gamariki kisses the opponent, placing them in an illusionary world. When the user's trapped in his genjutsu, everyone that the person sees in this illusory world will also have Gamakiri's face. Another side effect of this technique is that Gamariki has full control over the victim and his usual modus operandi is to make the victim overly affectionate towards those they are closest too.

3.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and heavier than normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

4.) **Water Style: Water Pistol Jutsu -** This technique is demonstrated as being both a technique on its own and as a two-way cooperation ninjutsu between Gamariki and Jiraiya. Using this technique, Gamariki can blast off a wave of high speed water from his mouth with extreme precision and force. When combined with another person's chakra, this technique becomes a two-way collaboration water technique that can slice the target into multiple fine-carved pieces.

5.) **Genjutsu: Release -** The most basic of chakra control techniques as well as the beginning tier in Genjutsu. The Jutsu simply involves you injecting your own chakra into another person's chakra network to disturb it and wake the person up from a Genjutsu that they may be under at the time.

6.) **Acceleration -** _Accelerating Turn_ works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.

7.) **Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice -** An upgrade and advanced form of the _One Slice_ technique the user swings their sword at such a high rate of speed that a shockwave forms and blows back anything in the vicinity. In addition, clean razor-sharp cuts appear on anything caught in the swing of the sword. This technique is actually the follow up combo technique to Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_ hence the similarity in name.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this chapter was awesome to write. Getting to use Jiraiya in the story was a god send for me. It's so much fun. To recap Jiraiya is a massive pervert... the end.

Chaos and Iris drop some hints that they are manipulating things subtly as Chaos pushed for Jiraiya to train Naruto as well as give off a very creepy premonition for the future. Weather her words can be believed or not is subject to debate but what can be agreed upon is that their is some subtle manipulations going on in the background.

Iris herself has had the worst day ever... minus getting mauled by her father which she didn't mind to much. Albeit looking like a toad from Naruto's perspective is a major turn off. Jiraiya's crass and vulgar nature and way of talking shines through as he asks some extremely embarrassing questions. Gamariki himself makes an appearance much to my happiness as I did enjoy his character a lot. He's funny and getting him to manipulate Naruto was way too much of a golden opportunity for me to let slip by.

The biggest surprise however, would probably have to be Shoko having a close relationship with Jiraiya of all people. She explains a small tidbit of her past in regards to the Toad Sage and how when she was still just a genin he would teach her a few things and how he even took care of her as a child. This of course is balanced out by his perverted nature toward her which she has shown to reprimand him for.

The weirdness is not yet through as next chapter syphons off of the good vibes this chapter brings.

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 51 (Explicit Content)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 50 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 7/14/2017


	52. CH: 51 Explicit Content

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with yet another chapter and this one will have your minds exploding. I cut loose in this chapter and did some crazy and questionable things that really push the boundaries of this story. I had an absolute blast writing this chapter. My creative juices were flowing and while some may credit this chapter as a [filler] chapter I will disagree. The plot is here and while it is not focused on heavily it is still present in subtle ways. However, the main focus of this chapter was for it to serve as a character developing centric chapter focused entirely on Iris and Chaos with a particular emphasis on Chaos herself. You will not believe the crazy stunt these two pull and the consequences that follow.

So without further adieu... sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 51

 _ **Explicit Content**_

Tap. Tap. Tap.

This repetitive sound was at a low octave in the background as the dominant sound heard throughout the room was the scrapping of utensils against the porcelain plates at the breakfast table. The atmosphere within the Uzumaki household was for the most part at an all-time high as it was early in the morning and the residences of the large vacant apartment building were enjoying a warm prepared breakfast made by the patriarch or the household. Naruto Uzumaki himself had made the food the others were currently eating which was nothing new. He is usually the primary provider in the house and cooks on a consistent basis. That notion however didn't mean the others didn't enjoy his cooking even now.

The only attribute that was putting a dampening on Naruto's mood was the fact that there was one extra guest in his house right now… a guess he didn't personally invite. Naruto; Evangeline who was within Naruto's hair; Iris and Chaos who were each sitting on opposite sides of him; Aria; Anko; and Shoko were all sitting around the table having a typical family breakfast. It was nothing new for them, but what was new was the fact Jiraiya himself with his hulking physique was sitting down at the table alongside everyone eating contently without a care in the world. The content and satisfied smile on his face couldn't be faked as he was enjoying the food he was eating as well as the familial atmosphere he was basking in alongside the others.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Naruto was impatiently tapping the eating table with his finger as he glanced at the Toad Sage out the corner of his eye. The old man was acting like nothing was wrong with his presence here. He was even making childish faces at Chaos who was sitting closest to him. The little girl was responding positively to the old man's antics as she giggled her ever lovable and signature giggle. Her eyes were bright and full of energy as she was thoroughly being entertained by the charismatic Sannin who apparently was good with children. Iris meanwhile had a grumpy face on as she tried to ignore the man who humiliated and embarrassed her the previous day. It was safe to say the little princess wasn't happy at all when the sage showed up at their house a few minutes ago.

"Honey you should eat your breakfast before it gets too cold." Shoko advised with concern as she pointed out the fact Naruto was barely touching his pancakes and sausages. They were a highly unusual cuisine in their world and not something you could find anywhere else. Naruto's knowledge on how to make this food was not so surprising all things considered. "Oh… I will Shoko… right after I ask you a simple question." Naruto replied with a certain edge to his voice as he glared at his partner. Shoko had the decency to have a sheepish look on her face as she was glancing at Jiraiya who was as aloof as ever.

"Yes…" The woman was stalling, that much was clear. "I distinctly remember this strictly being a family affair. What is he doing here?" Naruto pointed out with an annoyed glare directed at Jiraiya who perked up at being addressed. A twinge of pain flashed through his eyes at hearing the way Naruto excluded him from the family. "Oh… you see, I invited Master Jiraiya over for breakfast today so that you can get to know him better." Shoko explained while slowly taking bites out of her meal. She was trying to help Jiraiya out and protect his feelings. "Without my permission…" Naruto tacked on with a frown. Shoko looked uncomfortable as she sent more glances at Jiraiya. "Well kid… I thought it would be a good idea if I get you comfortable around me. You know… seeing as how I'm going to be training you from now on." Jiraiya plugged in while eating his breakfast. He saw that he had to interject into the conversation now.

"Excuse me…?" Naruto paused as he blinked. He wasn't expecting this. "Well, I did win that little challenge between us yesterday and I did promise your daughter here I'd train you." Jiraiya explained as he gauged Naruto's reaction. "Wait… Chaos made a deal with you?" Naruto asked in surprise. He knew she suggested that he be trained by Jiraiya but that was only a suggestion. She never said he had to. But now it sounds like she made a full-on deal behind his back. Naruto felt an epiphany hit him as he now knew how Kakashi felt a few months back in the Land of Waves where he went behind his back to make a deal with Zabuza and ultimately spared his life.

"Yeah… she did me a favor and in exchange for that favor I'd have to help train you." Jiraiya elaborated as he silently sulked in the back of his mind. _'Although it turned out pretty crappy towards the end though. Who knew this little girl was so devious that she could play such a cruel prank on me.'_ Jiraiya was well aware that he was pranked by Chaos and while he had to begrudgingly respect the girl for taking advantage of such a prime opportunity it still didn't mean he had to accept the fact he got played. "You asked her for a favor…!? What was it? Chaos why would you go behind my back while knowing full well I didn't want this...?" Naruto admonished as he was about to reprimand the tiny terror when he was interrupted by a simple gesture from the girl in question.

The unstable girl grabbed a hold of Naruto's right hand underneath the table as she let off more giggles. With her other small little hand, she continued to eat her pancakes that was leaving syrup all over her face. Naruto took a pause as he silently listened to the distinct sound of Chaos's giggle. He always keeps in mind how Chaos has her own special way of communicating with others. The tones and inflections that she puts into the sounds that she makes as well as the physical gestures that she performs are how she communicates with others.

She was asking him to trust her. This was something that she really wanted and she was actively trying to advocate for it. He felt Chaos lightly tighten her grip within his hand. The others around the table couldn't really see this happening but this was a private moment between a father and his daughter. This notion actually surprised Naruto a bit. Chaos was a simple little girl at heart. She never asked him for much and she was usually content with what she had and the state of the world around her. She usually didn't have much of a will to go off on her own or nag for things. She was the epitome of the expression _'Going with the flow.'_

Now however, she was exerting her will for something she really wanted. It was also for his benefit too which didn't particularly surprise Naruto. Chaos is highly obedient and usually subservient to his will just like her sister Iris. She only really acts out because of her unstable personality and need for negative energy. This unique event unfolding right before him now was extremely important to Naruto. This was a major milestone for his daughter and he knows they are his weakness. He would do anything for them at this point in time. To see Chaos herself want something for him like this and actually push for it in her own subtle ways was meaningful to Naruto. As much as he had his own opinion on Jiraiya, his daughter's opinions were much more important to him than his own.

Naruto sighed as he squeezed Chaos's hand back. A tender smile shifted onto his face as his heart was moved by what the girl was trying to do. This was important to her, so regardless of his own opinion and will… this now has to become important to him too. The power that his two daughters have over his heart always amazes him. "You really want this huh?" Naruto said softly to Chaos who stopped eating and turned to him with her childish eyes gazing at him with confusion. Naruto of course knew this look was fake. Chaos was much more intelligent than that and he knew that she was well aware of what he was talking about.

"Ok, I'll do this for you sweetie." Naruto was giving in and while he would still hold out his reservations and hold onto his opinion about Jiraiya that wouldn't stop him from at least giving the thought some consideration. Some of the pressure and stress of the decision was taken off of Naruto's mind and shoulders since he now knew he was doing this for his daughters. Naruto took a brief moment to be thankful for the fact he was a father. Making this decision felt good.

A small smile crossed Chaos's face as she simple went back to eating. That smile was enough to let Naruto know he made the right decision. No words needed to be said between father and daughter and that was ok for Naruto. He missed to almost untraceable smile that flashed across Iris's face but he did manage to catch the one that formed on Shoko's face. "Okay… I'm willing to give this a try. We can go out and train later today." Naruto conceded as he turned to give Jiraiya a small but polite smile. The sage had a small smile on his face as well as his heart was moved by the tender scene that the just played out in front of him.

"Well then it's settled. I look forward to working with you kid." Jiraiya said with a cheesy smile on his face as he held his fist out. Naruto raised his eyebrow at this but none the less held his fist out as well. The size difference between the two males' hands were very noticeable but that didn't stop them from fist bumping. Naruto felt a spike of genuine happiness rush into him the second his fist connected with Jiraiya's and this startled him since he could usually only sense the emotions of his daughters and Evangeline since they were connected to him. He didn't quite understand what that strange phenomenon was but he would keep it to himself.

To the surprise of no one Jiraiya's happy smile turned into a lecherous one as he started to giggle perversely. "Ok my apprentice! Do what must be done. Bring me more research material and I'll teach you stuff beyond your wildest dreams." Jiraiya boisterously said as Chaos started to laugh uncontrollably. She had a dark hood draped over her head shadowing her face and Naruto had to do a double take since she didn't have that a second ago. She had her eyes glowing an eerie red color while laughing a dark laugh. Iris slapped a palm over her face as she shook her head in annoyance and exasperation. "Uh… no. I'm not helping you with your perversion." Naruto quickly shot down the old man's attempt at his usual antics. He was not going to aid him in such deplorable actions.

Shoko had a soft smile on her face as she looked lost in melancholy. A look of nostalgia and happiness could be extracted from her eyes as she finished off the rest of her food. "You and Chaos seem to be getting along really well Master Jiraiya." Anko pointed out as she licked the syrup off her face in a slightly sensual manner. This foreplay didn't escape Jiraiya's watchful eyes as he took out his notebook in a bout of inspiration. "Oh, you bet aunty! He even signed my book yesterday." Chaos chirped in happiness as she pulled the same book out from seemingly nowhere. As always no one knows how she does this. Naruto peered suspiciously over at his daughter as he was trying to see where she was hiding it but he couldn't see where she was keeping it. For now, this strange phenomenon would remain a mystery. She was still ecstatic about this autograph and wouldn't stop talking about it ever since they returned home the previous day. "You're giving out autographs?" Anko asked in shock, this was news to her. "Yeah, you want one?" Jiraiya shamelessly plugged as he was always up for indulging his fans.

"Hell yeah!" Anko was ecstatic as she unsealed a stack of books onto the table. One of them was the classical orange while the rest were various colors but one thing that they all shared in common was the titular title. [Icha-Icha]. "Anko language!" Naruto was quick to reprimand his older sister figure for her foul language around the girls. He would have left it at that if he didn't manage to catch a glimpse at what exactly the books were. "Oh… you have the complete volume one original series. It looks like I have a true fan over here." Jiraiya praised with glee as he pulled out a pen and started signing all of the books in rapid succession. "Chaos don't!" Naruto snapped as he slapped her hand away from reaching for the books.

"Master… maybe you should put those away with the children present." Shoko added in as she pushed the books away from Chaos's reach. Aria took it upon herself to levitate the books away from the table after Jiraiya signed the last one. It wasn't suitable for the children to read… but what no one took notice of however, was the fact Aria slipped her own book into the pile of literature for Jiraiya to sign and she silently retrieved it in the following confusion.

"I still have a few things I need to talk to Sarutobi Sensei about so I'll be heading over to the Hokage tower in a minute. Afterwards I'll be ready to train you." Jiraiya announced as he finished his food. It was delicious. "Ok, I guess I'll be ready." Naruto responded as he was resigning himself to what was to come.

"Before I go... I do need to ask you Naruto? How did you make this food, it's delicious?" Jiraiya asked in seemingly general curiosity. "I made it, but I wasn't the one who created it. Iris asked me to make this a long while ago." Naruto revealed as he just finished his food. As always, he eats pretty fast. "Yeah! It's out of this world." Chaos chirped as she had the syrup around her face wiped up by Naruto who was shaking his head in mild exasperation at the fact Chaos is such a messy eater. "Yeah… I agree." Jiraiya stated as he sent a suspicious glance towards Iris who seemingly averted her eyes that were tinted the tiniest shades of green.

"Well I'm off, time waits for no man… especially one as awesome as me." Jiraiya announced as he popped up from his chair. He had the decency to place his used plate and utensils into the nearby sink and wash his hands. At least the old man had great table manners. "I'll walk you out. I need to stop by the casino for a moment anyways, Lord Dino needs me for a quick meeting. Foreign dignitaries are starting to show up in the village for the upcoming finals." Shoko stated as she did the same. She was determined to spend as much time with her loved one after not seeing him for 12 years and she would use every excuse and opportunity to do so. "Oh… and Naruto I need you to bring me juicy research material. I need inspiration for our training." Jiraiya tacked on as he and Shoko were by the front door. "Like I said earlier, the answer is no." Naruto quickly replied with a deadpan stare at the Sannin who hissed his teeth in defeat.

Anko made her intentions clear as she headed back to her room within the apartment to most likely gawk at the autographs she just received. She didn't have to train her team since they weren't in the finals and since they participated within the Chūnin Exams they were excused for the entire week following the second stage. Basically put, Anko could sit around and do nothing. Ibiki didn't need her either despite the fact he was ordered to look into Kabuto Yakushi. Despite the fact Anko could do nothing for the rest of the week, secretly she has had her mind preoccupied with Orochimaru's return and all of the ramifications that come with it. She wouldn't be sitting idly by for long.

Jiraiya quickly agreed as he and Shoko left the apartment building. He wouldn't pass up this opportunity either… he's been gone for long enough. "Well in the meantime I should do something as well." Naruto proposed as he stretched his limbs. "Aria… you and I could use some work on our Taijutsu, so how about me and you go spar downstairs." Naruto suggested as he knew this would be a great opportunity to practice since his chakra was still temporarily sealed off. "Of course, master… I'd love to." Aria was quick to agree as she also knew she could use a little practice with her hand to hand combat skills. As a witch whose powers revolved around ESP she could just move things with her mind and fight in that manner. It's highly unorthodox in this world of ninja's where everything is much more grounded and physical when it comes to the nature of combat.

"We'll wash the dishes Dada and clean up the house while we wait." Chaos announced as she already had cleaning supplies in her hand. Iris seemed startled by this like she wasn't included within the plan but Naruto just accepted this at face value. "Ok girls… just don't break anything. Be careful and clean everything properly." Naruto conceded as he left the girls to their chores. He was happy they were starting to take initiative around the house.

Now it was only Iris and Chaos left in the room and the princess turned to give her twin a suspicious glance. "Okay, what exactly are you planning? We're not cleaning anything are we?" Iris asked as she face Chaos who was giving her a mischievous smile. "Master Jiraiya needs research material so that he can train Dada. We need to go get him some." Chaos explained as she intertwined her hand within Iris's. The two sisters prefer to be holding hands on a consistent basis. They enjoy being around each other no matter how they may outwardly deny this with their different personalities. Iris smiled faintly as she always does whenever she holds her sister's hand. There are multiple reasons why they maintain such close physical contact throughout the day.

For one the twins just generally enjoy each other's presence and twins usually display this close form of affection. Another reason is because Iris uses her powers to suppress Chaos's ability to encompass an area around her within her sphere of influence that allows her to cause unnatural and supernatural phenomenon as well as bad luck. By being around Iris or touching her Chaos's sphere shrinks down to a manageable level that can be controlled better. "You actually believe that excuse?" Iris asked incredulously.

"Of course, and I know where to get some." Chaos insisted as her eyes glowed in excitement. Seeing where this was going Iris tugged on Chaos's arm. "Chaos we can't leave the house without daddy's permission. We'll get in big trouble." Iris was trying her hardest to talk her sister out of her crazy plan. This would surely get them in trouble. "Oh, come on. Live a little. Dada will thank us later and I'll take the blame." Chaos insisted as she tugged on Iris's arm this time. She grinned a blissful smile as she and Iris slipped out of the house with no one being the wiser.

* * *

 _ **Red Light District**_

Iris protested the entire way there but she couldn't persuade her sister to turn back and she most definitely wasn't going to abandon her and leave her to continue on with her crazy plan. So, the princess was forced to go along with her sister's schemes only to make sure she was ok.

' _Thorn Hub… really?'_ Iris had an annoyed twitch flickering across her left eye as she stared up at the store across the street from her. The shop they were looking at right now was the biggest adult themed shop in the village and it was situated in the heart of the Red-Light District. Due to the laws of the village the shop couldn't have any kind of location in the other areas of the village. It had to remain within the borders of its assigned district due to the type of business, merchandise, and clientele it dealt with. You even had to show id that stated you were 18 years old or older to enter the district. The village's government and laws were very strict and uncompromising. Iris and Chaos however didn't have to deal with this since they were currently being cloaked by one of Chaos's illusions that had them invisible.

As they looked around they couldn't even see any other kids or teenagers around despite the fact it was 10:00 in the early morning and it was summer time so both the civilian schools and the ninja academies were out of session. That went double since it was the time for the biannual Chūnin Exam. "Come on let's go." Chaos was eager as she dragged her sister into the shop after another patron entered. The door swung close behind the two as they were hit with cool air conditioning. The large store was clean and organized as many rows and columns of shelves divided the store up into sections and aisles according to theme and subject. At least 10 shoppers were in the shop currently and at least two clerks were at the front desk for checkout.

The girls moved quickly upon Chaos's insistence as they went to the magazine section of the store. No one could see them thanks to their invisibility which was a god send right now. They didn't want to be caught. Going down an aisle that no one else was on the girls started to look at the different books and magazines populating the shelves. Iris used the limited amount of control she had over her wind to pick up items off the shelves to inspect them. She didn't have the use of her own hands since one of them was holding onto Chaos's and the other was securely holding onto her precious teddy bear John Paul. She never goes anywhere without him.

Chaos was taking her unused hand and picking up magazines of her own as she scanned each and every one of them with her internal scanners. She was saving all of them to her memory. "Oh, look at this Iris. This girl is really pretty." Chaos begged as she opened up a modeling magazine that featured women in different attire. It was safe even for kids to look at even in a store like this but this wasn't the section with illicit products. "Wow, she's really beautiful." Iris was enamored by the beauty of the model who was extremely attractive, especially in the attire she was advertising. "You'd look really pretty in this dress Iris." Chaos said sincerely as the dress itself was beautiful in design and coincidentally enough matched up well with Iris's particular taste. The princess blushed and smiled bashfully at her sister's kind words as she pulled the unpredictable girl closer for a hug. To return the favor Iris pulled a colorful looking issue off the shelve with her wind and brought it in front of them. She wanted to find something that would match her sister next.

"Look at this one sis." Iris in turn showed Chaos one of an equally attractive woman who was modeling a new brand of clothes. The clothing hugged her form perfectly showing off all of her glory. "She's pretty." Chaos had a smile on her face as she saved the image into her mind as well. She had the interesting ability to summon whatever image she saves in her mind into the real world with her illusions. It was handy whenever she had something she wanted to show someone but didn't know how to explain it or give proof to it.

"Let's go look over there." Chaos pointed to another aisle a few rows down and not seeing the harm Iris agreed as she and her sister dodged any of the patrons moving about the store. They were still undetected which was perfect as they made sure to put the magazines back exactly where they found them so that they would leave no trace or evidence of their presence in the store. Repeating the process over again the girls started to look through the magazines on the shelves but this time the woman in the books were only wearing bikinis, swimsuits, and lingerie.

"The girls in here are pretty too. But they're poking their butts and chest out." Iris pointed out with a confused look on her face. "They also have a whole lot of makeup on." Chaos added in as the women in the pictures had a lot of makeup on their faces. "Yeah, daddy doesn't allow us to wear any kind of makeup. He says we are pretty enough without it." Iris commented as she put the issue back on the shelf with the use of her wind. "Yep, Dada thinks we're really pretty." Chaos cheered as she twirled and skipped down the aisle with Iris following close behind. The princess had to place a finger over Chaos's mouth to keep her quiet. They didn't want to be caught.

It would seem the further they went down the aisle the more provocative the women in the pictures became as they were wearing skimpier clothing. "They're wearing such thin clothes. Aren't you supposed to cover up with it?" Iris mumbled as the bikini's the women were wearing in the magazine's the girls were looking at now were much more revealing than those found at the front of the aisle. The designs of the lingerie and bikinis were also showing a steady progression to a more revealing motif.

"Do you think we will look like that when we get older Iris?" Chaos questioned innocently with a tilt of her head. She was idly keeping an eye out for any pedestrians walking by so that nothing would go awry but thankfully they didn't run into any mishaps so far. "Maybe… I hope so." Iris said as she frowned just a little bit. She looked herself over and frowned some more as she counted all of the curves she didn't have. She was a child so she knew it would be unrealistic of her to have any feminine physical traits but she was also thinking along the lines of her physique. She was very toned and had a decent amount of developing muscles from the extensive and high intensity training and exercises she puts herself through alongside her father. She wasn't muscular like a boy, but she was very well toned and she knew at the very least it would affect how she would develop when she got older.

"Worried you're to petite and you'll never grow?" Chaos teased with a giggle. She found something to tease her twin about. "What?!... No! I'll get curvy like the women in this book. Just not as fast. Besides you already have a tiny head start on me. Your hips are already wider than mine." Iris denied as she tried to think positively. She decided to point out a prominent fact that was a distinction between her and her twin. For one Chaos didn't have any muscular definition at all. She didn't need to. Her mechanical muscles underneath her skin provided her with all the superhuman strength she could ever need and since they are powered by not only her magical energy but internal mechanical battery systems she could pump out all the power into those muscles she could ever want.

Another physical trait was the fact Chaos already had hips that were curved in nature despite being a child close to 7 years old. That shouldn't be possible giving a child's physique but with Chaos it was a little different. "Well that's because I've got a lot of nuts and bolts down there to help me move my legs and waist." Chaos explained with her signature giggle as she patted her hips in emphasis. While Chaos stated this in a joking manner, she was actually telling the truth. Chaos had a complex gyro system in place around where her hip and pelvis bone would be if she were organic. It helped her move her legs and articulate them in flexible ways that you wouldn't be able to achieve without either having the natural talent for it or years of training. Chaos was extremely flexible just like her sister but while Iris put a lot of training and some natural talent into this physical feat… Chaos just natural excelled at it.

Hidden in that particular area of her body, were also a lot of complicated components and important cores that was well protected by the Angeloids almost impenetrable exoskeleton. It was nigh indestructible and Chaos benefited from having advanced prototype models placed into her given her special status in her previous life. As of now they all still serve her well even if she doesn't use her body to its fullest potential like she used to.

"You'll probably get all super-duper curvy when you get older… I'll get that way as well, but I'll be much more petite and slim than you'll be." Iris conceded as she placed the book back on the shelve. She was a tad bit embarrassed by how revealing the clothing in the pictures were starting to become. It was a little too much for her more modest mindset. "Don't worry sis, you'll be gorgeous when you grow up. Besides with your divine aura constantly around you all the time you attract people to you." Chaos said as she rubbed Iris's back. She would usually just laugh or tease her sister over the fact she worries so much about her physical appearance and how she'll look as she grows. It was a byproduct of having a mentality that was far older and mature than her physical body. Chaos knows it's a trivial matter that bothers Iris and even the princess herself acknowledges this fact but she usually can't help it when those complaints come around.

While Chaos had her unique attributes granted to her for being an Angeloid, Iris on the other hand had her own buffs. She was a divine being blessed with a perfect biological body. Since the day she was first _'born'_ Iris has always had an invisible and undetectable aura around her that causes a certain type of allure. All creatures regardless of their gender or physiology takes notice of Iris and can become enamored by her automatically. She can manually control this to manipulate people but it's not within her normal character to do so. It's a passive ability of hers that doesn't affect a person in any negative way other than just attracts them to her. "It's what happened to Inari too." Chaos mumbled that under her breath as a sarcastic jab that Iris didn't catch. "You say something sis?" Iris asked with a cute tilt of her head. "Nothing, come on let's look over there. I think we'll find what we're looking." Chaos said quickly while snickering as she pulled her twin over to a section of shelves that had a sign hanging over them.

 _{Explicit Content: Age's 21 and Up!}_

The girls didn't notice this sign as they went to look at the issues packed onto the shelves. "Oh my god! What are they doing?!" Iris nearly yelled as she and Chaos picked up the first book. Not only was there a woman on this page but a man as well and they were doing something way less innocent than a simple kiss. It was much more graphic. Iris dropped the book in shock while her face turned ruby red. Her usual crystal-clear baby blue eyes were replaced by comical dazed swirls as her mind came to a grinding halt. A customer became curious as he peeked his head into the aisle, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary even though he could have sworn he heard the voice of a little girl. "Uh… must be some new toy or something." The guy mumbled as he walked away. Luckily Chaos managed to put the book back before anyone could see it on the floor.

Once the man left Chaos quickly picked the book back up off the shelf and opened it to the page they were on. "Is she in pain? She looks like she's screaming." Chaos noted as she tilted her head from side to side trying her hardest to make sense of the picture in the book. "Eww. Put it back Chaos." Iris squealed quietly as she squirmed next to her sister. Not only were the two people in the picture naked but the man was doing something to the woman that from Iris's perspective looked painful if the expression on the woman's face was anything to go by.

"Wait hold on. This must be the research master Jiraiya needs." Chaos insisted as she tucked the book away somewhere? She just simply put it behind her back as if she had a backpack on and the book disappeared. At times like this it was best just not to question Chaos's quirks. Going over to another book Chaos opened it up and her eyes widened. "Are those octopus' tentacles?" Chaos mumbled with a strange face. "What's that white stuff… is that glue?" Iris questioned as she thought of the useful item. "It looks more like melted marshmallows." Chaos disagreed as she thought of the smores Naruto made for them one time.

"Why does the girl look so young? She looks only a little older than us." Iris grimaced as she placed the book back on the shelve. She was starting to get really uncomfortable with the content her pure eyes were seeing. Seeing as how they were running out of time and they've been away from the house for so long the girls decided to grab as many of the books as they could, using Chaos's strange ability to simply store an infinite number of items without any consequences. They collected nearly 20 different magazines by the time they were satisfied with their quota. "Are those toys?" Chaos asked in excitement as she saw an entire section dedicated to products in sealed packages with clear plastic coverings over them showing what's inside the box. There were a lot of unmentionables that the two girls couldn't even begin to understand but they did see a lot of whips, chains, and bindings. They also saw products that looked like lotion and creams. "They look like weapons…" Iris trailed off as she eyed the whips and chains. "Let's go Chaos. We're running out of time." Iris insisted as she pulled her sister along.

"Wait one last thing, this book looks interesting. It has kunoichi as the title." Chaos paused as they were about to sneak out the store. A particular magazine caught Chaos's eye at the very last second and something was nagging at her to read it. Giving into her intuition Chaos picked the book up and opened it. "Wait, we've seen some of these girls before. Isn't that Ms. Suzume. She taught at the academy. But why is she wearing so much leather?" Chaos stated as she noticed the normally uptight woman wearing some revealing tight leather clothes.

The girls skipped a few pages until they stopped on one that completely blew their minds. "Aunty Anko! Ms. Shoko!" The girls yelled in absolute shock as they saw their two-family members together on the page and they were doing adult related things. They looked a little younger in the picture by at least 3 years but it was still somewhat recent. The twins were so shocked that Chaos accidently dropped her illusion right in the view of several customers. "Holy crap are those kids!?" A loud commotion broke out within the store as several customers started to swarm the two girls with curiosity guiding them. The clerk at the front of the shop was actually a shinobi and once he heard the commotion happening in his store he quickly made his presence known as he walked up from behind the girls who were scrambling to put an illusion around their faces.

"Ok you damn kids, I'm not dealing with this crap anymore. You're coming with me." Judging by the tone of the man's voice it would appear this sort of thing happens a lot. It makes sense in the grand scheme of things since teenagers and kids who are bold would try stunts like this if they were dared or pressured into doing so. "What the? You're younger than my kids!" The off-duty shinobi exclaimed in shock as he saw the stature of Iris and Chaos and realized that they were just small children. Not even adolescents or teenagers yet.

"Sis let's go!" Chaos shouted as she just managed to throw up a small illusion up around their faces. Since it wasn't traditional Genjutsu the shinobi wouldn't be able to dispel it, especially since it wasn't affecting him since he wasn't the attended target. "I got us covered!" Iris wasn't banking on being subtle. She knew they were in a very tight spot so she went full force. A whirlwind whipped up right in the middle of the large store causing all of the products on the shelves including the thousands of magazines to fly up into the air and spin around the store. The wind was so strong that it knocked the clerk off his feet with the man letting out a yelp of surprise. He wasn't expecting this from two 6-year old's.

Iris wrapped her arm around Chaos's waist and taking her other hand, which was now free since she placed her trusted teddy bear on her back with a special clip launched a gust of wind out of her palm that propelled her and her sister out of the store nearly knocking the main doors off their hinges. Landing in a heap in the middle of the street with Chaos's minor illusion starting to fail Iris picked her sister up into her arms bridal style and jumped to a nearby building in one mighty leap of physical strength augmented by a small gust of wind that kicked dirt up into the nearby pedestrian's eyes blinding them and preventing them from seeing their faces.

Iris raced across the rooftops after she put Chaos back on her feet while chanting a panicked phrase. "We're in trouble!" The princess was repeating this over and over again as she sucked in large volumes of air. She exhausted herself with straining the limited amount of energy she had in her body. Working under the constrictions Naruto had on his body was a hassle at a time like this.

"Come on Iris you're running too slow. Pick up the pace!" Chaos pushed as she was currently running far faster than her sister. "I'm trying! I'm too tired!" Iris complained as she was slowing down more and more. "Fine… I can get you motivated." Chaos argued back as she suddenly and without warning started to wave Iris's underwear in front of her face. "Chaos! How many times do I have to tell you! Don't take my underwear in public!" Iris screeched as she suddenly tripled her speed.

Chaos's stunt worked as the twins made it back to the apartment in record time after shaking off the persistent clerk who actually left the store to chase after them. He never stood a chance against the two-escape artist who are masters of evasion and soon the girls were standing at the balcony to their father's room. "We're finally home, come on hurry inside!" Iris rushed as she and her sister slipped into the house undetected. Or so they thought.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Apartment**_

"Girls! Where have you been?!" Naruto's stern tone greeted the twins who froze in their tracks. Naruto was standing imposingly within his doorway in a tank top and shorts. He and Aria got done with their training session a long time ago only to discover the girl's missing. Naruto was ready to freak out and turn the entire village upside down and it was only thanks to Evangeline and Aria calming him down that he didn't fly off the deep end. Soon enough Shoko returned to the apartment which was a blessing since she was able to keep Naruto in check once he started to get antsy again.

They were just about ready to start looking for them when Naruto sensed their presence enter his sensory range. He was not happy right now. The twins made quick eye contact with each other before Chaos stepped forward. "We went to go get some books. Master Jiraiya said you had to get him some so that he would teach you Dada." Chaos admitted as she was attempting to take the blame. It was her fault and she didn't want her sister to get in trouble for it. "You what…?" Naruto said slowly as he clenched his fist.

Jiraiya who had just entered the room's doorway paled as he knew his big mouth caused this earlier. The conversation was moved to the downstairs kitchen where there was more space as the twins were sitting down in two chairs surrounded by the rest of their family and upset father. Never before have they ever been in this much trouble. "His research material." Chaos squeaked as she dumped the whole collection onto the table causing Naruto's face to nearly explode in embarrassment and mortification. He was still a little too young to be seeing some of the magazines currently scattered across his table and it didn't help the fact that as of the recent months he's started puberty. Seeing the cover art on some of the books was making him feel an interesting way right now.

"Oh my god." Shoko whispered as she covered her mouth in shock. This was the very last thing she expected to see. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you two are in… not to mention how worried I was when I found you two had suddenly vanished?!" Naruto was trying not to raise his voice. He never had at the girls but this was crossing a line he didn't even think needed to exist. "I'm just going to go." Jiraiya whispered awkwardly into Shoko's ear as he slid out of the room like a true shinobi. Never before in his entire life did his mastery over his shinobi skills come in handy and with his long tenure as a ninja there were multiple times where the level of stealth he just showed could have come in real handy.

"We're sorry daddy. We thought that this might help. We didn't plan to be gone that long." Iris spoke up as she had her head lowered down in shame. She knew they weren't getting out of this one. "Doing something like this doesn't help girls. Jiraiya already agreed to train me and I accepted the offer of my own free will. I will not let his perverted nature rub off on you two!" Naruto growled out as he took keen notice of how exhausted and tired the twins were. He could sense they barely had any energy left in their bodies and that they were ready to collapse at any minute. To see them in that state internally worried Naruto to his core, but his anger was taking the driver seat for the time being.

"It was my fault daddy. I should have realized this…" Iris started to say as she wanted to shift the blame to her. Chaos cut her off as she tried to direct all of Naruto's attention onto her. The thing that crushed Naruto the most was the fact he knew deep down that Chaos was responsible for this and that Iris was only trying to cover for her and keep her out of trouble. The loyalty and love that the two sisters had towards each other tugged at Naruto's heart strings and deep down he was proud of them for always sticking up for each other but as of now this wasn't the time for sentiment.

"I can't believe you two would sneak out of the house for something like this. Why would you take these things? Did you read these magazines?" Naruto asked as he saw the twins make quick eye contact. It's said that siblings who are very close, especially twins can _'read'_ each other's minds and hold entire private conversations between themselves with just simple eye contact. For Iris and Chaos this myth is both true in the most literal and figurative sense. "Yes…" Iris squirmed in remorse as her pale cheeks tinted a rosy pink as she recalled some of the things she witnessed in that store.

"We also saw this." Chaos pointed out as she pulled out the book that had Shoko and Anko's picture in it. Shoko inhaled sharply as she went pale. Anko looked like a deer caught in the headlights as she wasn't expecting to have her dirty laundry left out in the open for her nieces to see. "Shoko… Anko… what is that?" Naruto asked slowly as he saw two of the most important women in his life in quite the compromising position. To simply put… they were both naked in the picture holding each other in a way that wasn't just simply friendly… you could almost say it was a little too friendly.

"Sweetie… I can explain." Shoko hesitated as she placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Oh crap." Anko deadpanned. She had nothing to say to defend herself. "You and Anko…?" Naruto couldn't even get out the words he wanted to say. It was just far too much for his brain to handle right now. "Daddy please don't be mad at Aunty Anko and Shoko. We're the ones in trouble." Iris quickly piped up as she didn't want her father to take his anger out on them. Iris knew that one thing that was secretly frustrating Naruto for the last week was the fact the seal was messing up his connection to them and interfering with his chakra control. It was a point of immense frustration for the boy who wants to get back on track with his overall training.

"Naruto… I'll just say this quickly. When two adults consent and come to an agreement they can do these types of things…" Shoko began to say as she wanted to make her point before Naruto wouldn't want to listen to her anymore. "I'm just going to forget I ever saw this picture." Naruto quietly stated as he wasn't even consciously aware of what his mouth was saying. His mind was almost completely fried.

Iris and Chaos on the other hand were squirming in their seats as they saw their father take a deep breath. "Now you two." Naruto began as he saw the twins straighten up in their seats. Their backs were rigid and you could sense the nervousness emanating from the both of them. "You are grounded for the next two weeks. No dessert, no ramen, and no candy. You will be going straight to bed at your bedtime as well. Also, the only time you're stepping foot outside of this house is when we go training and you'll have to do extra. Am I absolutely clear!?" Naruto forced out as he put his metaphorical foot down. He needed to let them know they weren't getting away with the stunt they just pulled.

"Yes sir." The twins were as obedient as can be as they responded almost as soon as he finished talking. It would suck but they knew they'd have to put up with the punishment. "Girl's hopefully this will be the first and last time I ever have to do this. But I want you to know that what I say goes. There are rules for a reason and I'm only doing this because I love you." Naruto began as he was about to do something he never thought he'd ever do. But in the back of his mine he was doing it to make sure that something like this never happens again. "We love you too daddy." The twins said this in unison automatically as they never skip a chance to tell their father this.

"Turn around." Naruto said simply as he exhaled a deep breath. The girls stood up from the chairs with trepidation in every step they took as they weren't sure what to expect. It was in that next moment that the girls for the very first time in their lives received a spanking. Never before has their father ever had to do so and they never thought he would but in the privacy of their own thoughts as they made their way back to the bedroom after it was over the twins understood that he only did it because he was truly worried. It went without saying that with Orochimaru lurking around the village and knowing for a fact he was targeting them it was understandable that Naruto would lose his mind and freak out when he discovered them missing from the house. They really worried him.

"I need time to think so could you guys just go for a bit." Naruto said as he had a distant look in his eyes. Shoko, Anko, and Aria all looked at each other before they quietly left the room without saying a word. Once they were gone Eva flew down to Naruto's face with a look of concern reflecting in her blue eyes. "Do I have to go too?" Eva whispered as she saw Naruto gaze back at her. "Of course not. I'd only be able to think half as well without you here." Naruto replied back with a faint smile.

It was a teasing compliment and Eva received it well as she returned the smile while hugging Naruto's nose. She was worried for her other half. "I never thought I'd ever have to do that." Naruto mumbled as he looked at the hand that he used to spank the girls. It was slightly red and it only made him remember the small regret and shame filled tears that fell from both of their eyes. Chaos wasn't the type to cry. It was almost impossible but in this moment, she did and Naruto wouldn't expect any less from Iris. The princess is a crybaby when it comes to doing anything that would upset him. She's the biggest daddy's girl in the world.

"I didn't think you'd have it in you. But you did the right thing. You had to let them know that you're the boss of the house and that they are to obey you. It had to happen one day… but I'm proud of you. You handled it really well." Eva praised as she smiled a gentle smile at her other half who felt a little better at the kind words. "I guess… I just hope they've learned their lesson. I don't want to do that again." Naruto said sadly as he turned his attention to the stack of magazines on the table. A faint blush stained his cheeks as he was unsure about what to think about them.

"We should burn these…" Naruto trailed off as he hesitantly picked one of the magazines up. The cover art was bad enough as he was going to throw it away in the trash. The two blonds stood in the kitchen for nearly three minutes before the urge hit them and Naruto opened up the issue. Naruto nearly dropped the book right then and there as the first page wasn't tame at all. "She's really pretty…" Eva trailed off as she tried to salvage the situation. She was trying to find a silver lining but there were none. These products weren't safe for kids. It was a simple as that.

Eva flipped open an issue that had decent cover art and was happy to see that the women in the page all had clothes on and weren't doing anything inappropriate. "Wow. Ok this is a lot better." Naruto said surprised as he thought every last magazine the girls brought home were completely filthy. "Huh, now I can really say it like I mean it. The girls in this book are really pretty." Eva restated in a sarcastic manner as she pointed out several attractive women on the pages. "Yeah, I agree. They are really pretty… but I think you're way prettier than them Eva." Naruto mumbled out in a distracted manner until what he let slip process in his mind. Eva's startled gasp brought him back as his face exploded in a massive blush.

"Naru!" Eva exclaimed with a bashful and embarrassed blush covering her entire body. Every inch of her skin was dyed red in embarrassment as Eva took her ankle length bush of flowing hair and covered up her face and as much of her body as she could. She wasn't expecting Naruto to say something so bold out loud. "I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me." Naruto scrambled as he tried to look his partner in the eye. "You haven't flirted with me like that in ages. What caused you to say that?" Eva pointed out. It was no secret that they would commonly flirt with each other in a friendly way. They've done so for many years. In recent times Naruto has seemingly cut back on this behavior and it was something the two partners haven't really talked about until now.

"I don't know… I guess all of this stress has caused my emotional barriers to come down. I shot my mouth off without thinking." Naruto stated as he offered up the most likely reason for his brazen compliment. "Did you mean it?" Eva asked shyly after a brief pause in the conversation. She was shyly looking at Naruto's face which was burning with an uncontrollable blush. "Yeah, of course Eva. I've always thought that." Naruto said softly while gazing into Eva's own eyes that softened at the comment. The two blondes got lost in each other's eyes until the air around them started to get a bit stiff and awkward. They broke eye contact when they realized they were now a lot closer to each other that before.

Turning away from each other, the partners actually managed to engross themselves in the safer magazines that they could honestly say they enjoyed. "Do you think Hinata and Henrietta will look like these girls when they get older?" Eva questioned in a sly manner as she looked out the corner of her eyes to see Naruto's response. Naruto's cheeks which were only now just cooling off from earlier lit back up like light bulbs as his imagination envisioned his two female friends in such an older state. The imagery was pleasant if the half way innocent expression on Naruto's face was any indication to judge by.

"Pervy Naru." Eva teased with a giggle as she hugged the side of Naruto's face. Her expectations weren't disappointed as the two friends got into a friendly argument with each other that allowed all the stress that was accumulating over the past week to simply melt away. This light-hearted moment after so much drama and stress was exactly what Naruto needed as he wiped a stray happy tear from his eye. "What should we do with this stuff now?" Naruto asked as he watched Eva adopted a thinking pose. "We should keep it." Eva said in a slightly embarrassed tone as her cheeks gained a dusting of pink. "Really… we should get rid of it." Naruto protested but it sounded extremely weak. He didn't even believe his own words.

"Oh, come on. Half of them aren't that bad and it even brought us the stress relieve we needed. We don't have to look at those other ones. We can lock them up, so what do you say Naru. No one has to know." Eva persuaded as she was unknowingly being influenced by her more demonic instincts that are for the most part domesticated. "I… guess so. Right. No one has to know." Naruto said slowly as he gathered all of the magazines into one pile and with a simple hand sign sealed them all away into a backup storage seal on his arm. It wasn't being used and he drew it and many others like it on his arms for whenever he needed to carry large quantities of supplies. It was thanks to his steady progress in the field of Fūinjutsu that allowed this to be possible.

If there was any guilt that he was feeling at the moment, he decided to make peace with it as he wouldn't second guess himself. "So, I take it we won't be starting our training today either?" Eva questioned in a vein of sarcasm and exasperation as they were being delayed quite a bit with their training. They only had a month and it would seem they were starting to fall behind. "Yeah, tomorrow is another day…" Naruto answered as his eyes wandered over to the door that would take you to his room. The girls were there right now and you could see the look of longing in Naruto's eyes. "You want to go see them don't you… you're a big softy." Eva said in the softest tone she could muster. She felt the same way. She wanted to make sure her little sisters were ok after what happened. "Yeah… I can't help but have them on my mind." Naruto said with a faint smile as Eva silently nodded in agreement.

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Iris and Chaos were sitting silently in Naruto's room as they thought over everything that happened today. "I hope you're satisfied now Chaos. It hurts to sit down." Iris said with a sniffle as she gently rubbed her bottom. This was a first for her. There were many occasions in the past where Naruto would lightly tap her bottom is she were acting out or doing something wrong but he never went full out and spanked her in such a disciplinary way. It was an entirely foreign experience for her.

"Yep!" Chaos exclaimed as she barreled into Iris and embraced her with a tight hug. She let out her signature giggle as Iris was trying to pry her off of her with an aura of annoyance surrounding her. It took Iris a couple seconds to take notice of it but the giggle she just heard from Chaos was missing its spark of life. Something wasn't right.

Iris sat still with Chaos attached to her waist as she silently read Chaos's inner emotions when it finally dawned on her. A softer look takes over her face as the irritation she was feeling began to melt away. "You were trying to get in some laughs and good memories… weren't you?" Iris said softly with a shade of compassion and empathy mixing into her tone. She now knew what this was about. "Yeah. I just wanted some fun memories to look back on. I thought it would be pretty unique if we actually got in real trouble for a change." Chaos whispered as she looked into her sister's eyes. She had dried her tears a while ago but now they were starting to come back slowly. She wasn't someone who knew how to cry easily. Her complicated and broken inner psyche prevented this from being an easy task but there was just something about being around her father and twin sister that made what used to be an impossibility now possible.

"I guess you're right. We've never really gotten into real trouble with daddy before. A first time for everything I guess." Iris slowly stated as she could see something still eating away at Chaos. "There's more isn't there?" Iris said softly as Chaos gazed down into her lap with a rare look of uncertainty. "I just really thought it would be fun. I just wanted some nice memories before… before…" Chaos couldn't finish her sentence as she clenched her small fingers into a fist. Her dazzling purple eyes were clouded over with uncertainty, apprehension, and even fear. "Before the darkness comes." Iris simply stated as her eyes started to dye themselves a rich emerald green. "Yeah." Chaos whispered as she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"Iris… I'm scared." Chaos said in the weakest and most vulnerable voice she's ever displayed. There was a long pause in the conversation between the two before she said this but once it was said the tiny terror curled up into a physical ball of insecurity as Iris adopted a pained look on her face. The primordial being gently grabbed her frightened sister and pulled her curled up form into her lap. Guiding her head to rest against her chest and shoulder Iris began to gently rock back and forth with Chaos in her embrace.

"It's ok my child. I'll always protect you… always." Iris said as her eyes fully turned green. She placed a gentle and tender kiss on Chaos's forehead as she held her tighter. Eventually the twins found their limbs entangled within each other as they fell asleep on Naruto's bed tightly embracing each other.

This was the scene Naruto and Eva walked in on and from the moment they entered the room they could feel the change in atmosphere. They just missed something very important but looking at the girls as they were right now caused Naruto to throw that thought to the back of his mind. It was only 1:00 in the afternoon but Naruto suddenly felt more exhausted and tired than he's ever felt in a long time. His heart was calling for him to reach out for his daughters and so he did as he climbed into the bed and grabbed the both of them into his embrace. Eva decided to wedge herself in between Iris and Chaos's heads as Naruto took a few minutes to just simply gaze at them. Deep down in the deepest corners of his heart he's already forgiven the two. He just simply couldn't stay angry at them. He didn't know how.

"I love you girls." Naruto whispered in the gentle tone he reserves only for them as he decided to close his eyes and go to sleep. Maybe an impromptu afternoon cat nap was what he really needed. A faint foreboding premonition crossed the back of Naruto's mind that shot a jolt of worry up and down his spine and that caused him to squeeze his daughters' closer to him. He would push that thought away for now. He didn't want this moment to end.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys how was that? This chapter was insane with its quote unquote explicit content and it was comical to write. I threw in so many subtle references to the things the girls were seeing in the magazines and in the store around them. The imagery is all very much there, but I left it as vague as vague can possibly be on purpose so that you all can fill in the blanks with your own imagination.

This was very much a Chaos centric chapter as we delve in and explore her character in depth and see just how subtle and wild she can be with her actions. Her subtly squeezing out as she got Naruto to agree to being trained by Jiraiya without even saying a single word. her actions were enough to completely change Naruto's mind and I wanted it to be a very significant and impactful moment between the two as Father and Daughter. It was truly an important stepping stone for Chaos's overall character and personality and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

With the way the chapter focused so heavily on the twins I thought it would be perfect to demonstrate exactly how they interact with each other and how close and intimate (platonically) they can be with each other just like with real life twins. I also thought it would be a perfect spot for some information and lore dumping as I delved a bit into Iris's and Chaos's physiology and characteristics that makes them so unique and different to any other character in the story. Other than the fact that they aren't human.

I also couldn't pass up the opportunity to somehow drag Shoko and Anko into this fiasco and as for what they were doing in that magazine... well I'll leave that up to your imagination. I also couldn't let the opportunity for the panty snatch Chaos gag to come back into play. It offers up some serious motivation for Iris to put some pep in her step.

The twins finally getting into serious trouble was meant to mimic a slice of life themed scene as this was major character interaction and development for everyone involved as it added an extra layer of complexity to everyone's character. The twins getting not only grounded by receiving their very first spanking was a significant moment for them and their development as children so I tried to articulate and handle the entire scene and situation as perfectly as I could. I think it turned out well but let me know what you guys think, I'm eager to hear.

I spared no expense in throwing in a tender bonding moment between Naruto and Eva who haven't really gotten one in a while. This was supposed to be them once again dancing around the elephant in the room while also touching on the iffy subject of puberty and how it influences the young minds of 12 year olds. Even though the choice of them keeping the porn magazines doesn't have any real significant or impactful ramifications within the rest of the story I still decided to and it in hoping it would be an educational and factual representation of their mindset and it was my hope that this scene would add more layers to their characters and make them seem far more relatable and grounded.

Finally the last scene with Iris and Chaos was highly significant and spoke directly to the plot I was mentioning. The timing of this was also purposeful as things aren't all rainbows and sunshine on the upcoming horizon.

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 52 (The Toad Contract)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 51 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 7/21/2017


	53. CH: 52 The Toad Contract

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back yet again with a new chapter. I've been pumping these babies out all month and I'm real happy at my rate of progress. I've been in a good groove lately as far as my ability to continuously write is concerned and I'm pleased to be able to produce this many chapters within only one month.

Strap yourselves in because this chapter is going to be good. I won't spoil anything but Naruto and Jiraiya experience some actual bonding time that will leave a lasting impression on Naruto for years to come as he finally gets rid of the suppression seal Orochimaru placed on him. With it gone brand new doors of untapped potential and opportunities will fly open for Naruto as this is the starting line for him as he starts on his rise to fame and power. I drop some hints for techniques to come as well as future training struggles so get excited for that.

The second half of this chapter is very lore heavy and significant in terms of character building and exposition but it gets dark and heavy real quick. Pay close attention to the entire conversation. Some very interesting things will be said. So with that being said, without further delay: Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 52

 _ **The Toad Contract**_

Here he was… just as he promised. Naruto and Jiraiya were in training ground 7 with Shoko and Aria standing off to the side. Iris and Chaos were also there under the watchful eye of Aria. The twins were still grounded but earlier that morning they had a heartfelt conversation with their father were he properly forgave them for what they had did. It was a touching scene and one neither Naruto nor the twins would ever forget. So, while they were forgiven and things were back to normal between the twins and their father, Naruto still decided to keep them grounded to show them he wasn't going back on his word. He was truly trying to set an example for them.

"So, let's get started then. Tell me exactly what you can do." Jiraiya asked as he sat down on a stone sticking out of the ground. He had Naruto sitting patiently in front of him ready to start his training. "I can do quite a lot actually… but with this suppression seal placed on my stomach I can't really do much." Naruto admitted while patting his stomach in emphasis. "I see… well then we'll just have to get rid of that pesky thing." Jiraiya insisted as he got up from his rock. "I want to have a quick sparring match with you so that I can gauge your level of strength, so let's get rid of that seal." Jiraiya explained as he motioned for Naruto to lift his shirt up.

Jiraiya watched as Naruto channeled chakra throughout his body which caused his 8-trigram seal to appear on his stomach. The old sage immediately saw what the problem was when extra simples appeared around the seal. "Now this won't do… this won't do at all." Jiraiya chuckled with a shake of his head. He outstretched his hand and channeled chakra to the tips of his five fingers causing purple flames with glowing kanji to ignite into existence. "This will sting a bit, so brace yourself. **Fūinjutsu: Five-Pronged Seal Release!"** Jiraiya slammed his hand into Naruto's stomach completely shattering the original imbalanced seal Orochimaru placed on him.

The effect was immediate and everyone felt it. A massive surge of chakra exploded from Naruto's body as all of his suppressed energy that was being bottlenecked within his chakra circulatory system for the last week was released in one massive surge. The pressure that was being created within his body because of the fact there was a cap on his system while his body was still producing chakra caused this potent overflow. Jiraiya who was closest to Naruto was blown off his feet in total surprise while Shoko who was standing a few yards away braced herself and managed to stay grounded. The entire area around Naruto became whitewashed as a thick layer of frost built up along the grass and trees in the training ground. A whirlwind of frigid air chilled everyone to their bones as it tore through the area creating an updraft that would go on to mix with the immense heat being produced by Iris. Black clouds rolled into the area above the training grounds that dumped copious amounts of snow onto everyone due to the rapid change in weather caused by the unstable temperatures. It was a phenomenon no ordinary person could say they've ever witnessed before.

"What the hell!?" Jiraiya wasn't prepared for this outcome. He wasn't expecting such a potent backlash from his new student. If the energy coming from Naruto was incredible, then the combined energy spiking from Iris and Chaos was unlike anything the experienced shinobi have ever felt before. Aria reflexively threw up a barrier that immediately fractured against the immense outpour of energy the twins were displaying. Their eyes had transitioned over to their true forms as they looked themselves over in wonder.

A beautiful canvas of pure white fire was surrounding Iris while her body itself was engulfed in a radiant gold fire that caused the surrounding plants, grass, and trees to grow exponentially. Gale force winds were pushing into everyone's faces as Iris's powers raged out of control. As for Chaos… her wings involuntarily sprouted behind her back and flared outwards in a magnificent display. It wasn't something you could see on first glance but her wings actually grew at least two to three inches in overall size and volume. The unknown steel like material that her wings were made out of was much more reflective and glossy in appearance and the purple coloring of it was much more vibrant. Chaos let out her patented giggle as several trees came crashing down around them due to her powers to cause natural disasters and bad luck suddenly taking a massive spike with her powers being returned to her.

It took a minute, but the unprecedented power surge from the Uzumaki family died down once the access energy finally ran its course. "Holy crap…" Jiraiya mumbled as he struggled to his feet. He had to shake off a light layer of frost that had built up on his hulking frame due to Naruto's errant powers. The sage blew fire into his hands to warm himself up while channeling a small but focused stream of Fire Nature Chakra throughout his body to raise it back up to comfortable levels. "I can't believe the level of power they all share, it's monstrous." The old sage gawked as he looked around him to see the area completely flash frozen with frost covering everything within a thirty-yard radius. The area around Iris was overflowing with vegetation and budding life as the ice couldn't penetrate the area of prosperity.

' _This power. Did this happen because my chakra got capped and suppressed?'_ Naruto's chakra felt far denser than it's ever felt before. In a metaphorical sense, the blonde haired Uzumaki felt heavier, like he would sink to his knees at any minute. "I feel so strong… this is crazy." Naruto said aloud in wonder as he looked his body over while clenching his fist. A light aura of chakra was surrounding his body that started to fade after a few minutes once it ran its course. _'It's just like with Kushina…'_ Shoko thought with her eyes tearing up. She looked all around her and could see the ice terraforming the landscape around her as well as the clouds up above and the powerful kunoichi couldn't help but feel a deep seeded wave of nostalgia rage throughout her body.

' _I never thought I'd ever live to see this again. History truly does repeat itself.'_ Jiraiya reminisces as he starts to chuckle out loud. "Well damn kid. I didn't know you had this much power trapped inside you. I knew you were holding out on me the other day." Jiraiya boasted with a grin on his face. He likes what he sees before him. He could definitely work with that. "I feel great. All of my power is back." Naruto said with a happy grin. A metaphorical weight was lifted from his shoulders as he felt something in the back of his mind he's been missing for too long. The presence of Iris and Chaos was back and he could feel them as if they were standing right next to him. All was right with the world as far as Naruto was concerned. He's never felt better.

' _Those kids… this is something completely unexpected. The power they just unleashed was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Seeing it with my own two eyes now I can make a pretty strong guest as to what Chaos is. I never thought I'd see one but I'm almost positive she's an Angeloid. A machine created by the Fallen Angel's faction, the Grigori. But her sister… I don't know what the hell she is and that worries me. Everything around her just suddenly started to grow and is now overflowing with life. I don't even need to be in Sage Mode to feel the immense amount of natural energy in the atmosphere.'_ Jiraiya was positive he could ID what Chaos was and that in and of itself shocked him to know she was most likely an Angeloid, but he was still baffled by what Iris could be. It was a mystery that was starting to boggle and irritate him.

"I think it only appropriate to test out this new-found strength of yours. How about a quick little spar?" Jiraiya suggested as he was interested on his own to find out what his new apprentice was capable off. "Right now?" Naruto asked a little startled as he was not expecting Jiraiya to be hyped up. "Yeah, come at me right this instant kid. Go full throttle and give it your best shot." Jiraiya goaded as he gave Naruto the universal gesture of 'come get it.' Shoko herself was a little surprised by Jiraiya's excitement as that wasn't usually his style. "Master… are you sure about this? Naruto's pretty tough." Shoko advised as she's sparred against Naruto hundreds of times over the years. She wanted Jiraiya to be aware that Naruto wasn't an ordinary Genin. Is he a threat to someone of Jiraiya's caliber? No, absolutely not. But he was incredibly talented and experienced and that could take the old sage by surprise.

"Oh, I'm sure little Shoko. This kid got nothing on me. Go full out Naruto. Let me see what you can really do now." Jiraiya taunted as he grinned at Naruto who for a reason he couldn't explain felt invigorated and compelled to meet the old man's challenge. "Ok, you asked for it then." Naruto didn't understand this feeling of excitement that was flowing through his body right now but he was going to take full advantage of it.

" **Accel Turn!"** Naruto's chakra spiked to Jōnin levels as he cracked the ice underneath his feet. He rocketed off from his still position with Jiraiya's eyes widening in surprise as he never got to fully observe this technique up close when Naruto used it to catch up with him the other day. _**'Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu!'**_ Naruto was going for subtly as he built up the chakra into his fist for his inevitable clash with Jiraiya. The Sage caught Naruto's strong punch with a single hand effortless while hiding his smile at Naruto's finest. Jiraiya immediately noticed his hand starting to turn cold and seeing the frost building up on his hand left him with a grin plastered across his face as he quickly threw Naruto away from him.

' _I've heard from Shoko that his mastery over his Ice Style is incredible and that it is his most versatile asset. I can now see why she would say that.'_ Jiraiya noted as he wasn't given any time to rest by Naruto who still had gallons of chakra to burn. Tearing the ground up on purpose to mask his subtler movements Naruto dashed back in at Jiraiya ready for more combat. **"Ice Style: Ice-Make Jutsu!"** His ever-faithful twin wakizashi appeared in his hands as he clashed with Jiraiya who was using the armored plating on his hand guards to deflect all of Naruto's masterful swings.

Naruto went low as he attempted to take Jiraiya's legs out from under him but the old shinobi with some fancy footwork managed to dodge the quick strikes and move himself back into a fighting position. Jiraiya shattered Naruto's swords with two simultaneous lightning fast palm strikes that even with Naruto's enhanced reaction speed couldn't perceive. Getting his bearings Naruto threw up an ice mirror when Jiraiya lunged in for a third palm strike. The brief second that Jiraiya lost visual eye contact with Naruto due to the mirror appearing in his face was all the time the Uzumaki needed as he replenished his Accel Turn for another run.

" **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"** Naruto was quick as he slammed his foot into the ground unleashing a dense trail of large icicle shards that would have skewered Jiraiya alive if he were an ordinary ninja. The sage was ready for this as he effortlessly dodged out of the way of what turned into a large wall of ice. He walked straight into Naruto's follow up attack.

Clones.

Eight clones swarmed Jiraiya who began demonstrating a masterful display of Taijutsu that outclassed anything Naruto's ever seen before. It was truly a spectacle to see as all of Naruto's clones had either their pair of swords or quarter staffs in hand and Jiraiya was still dominating the entire confrontation between them. Naruto knew that he needed a maneuver to break up the monotony of the fighting going on in front of him as he wasn't getting anywhere trying to engage Jiraiya in Taijutsu. Even with numbers it wasn't working so he would move on to the next best thing.

"Detonate." At least three of the clones surrounding Jiraiya exploded into large fireballs trapping the Toad Sage in the epicenter of the blast. The other 5 clones surrounded the perimeter of the area ready to attack at a moment's notice. When the dust settled Naruto and his clones were surprised to see Jiraiya's entire body covered by his long mane of white hair. He looked like a giant spike ball. **"Ninja Art: Needle Jiz** **ō** **."** Shoko's raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as she didn't think Naruto would get Jiraiya to start using ninjutsu. Her gaze of curiosity turned to pride as she turned her attention to Naruto who was tensing to make his next move. Iris and Chaos on the other hand were enamored by the sparring match going on in front of them as their heads swiveled back and forth with each movement that the two combatants made.

"You've done well so far kid but let's take this to its finale." Jiraiya announced from within his defensive shell. "Right." Naruto's clones all slammed their hands into the ground simultaneously. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"** A long trail of ice rushed across the ground from all of the clones right to where Jiraiya was erupting into a large glacier of ice with the old sage trapped in the center. "Is it over?" Aria questioned while holding onto the girls. While short, this sparring match was suspenseful. "Far from it." Shoko said with a smile.

Jiraiya flared his chakra. That's all he had to do. The ground in the training field started to shake as Jiraiya unleashed just a small portion of his monstrous chakra. This amount was nothing to him as the ice entrapping him immediately started to crack and break. Never before has Naruto seen something quite like this as his eyes widened in shock. He felt like he was about to sink to his knees with just how dense Jiraiya's chakra was. _'Incredible.'_ Naruto simply thought as he was at a loss for words.

Jiraiya's power completely shattered Naruto's ice prison with no effort at all sending ice chunks flying everywhere that smashed into Naruto's remaining clones causing them to dispel. "I'm not out of this yet! **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!** " Over a hundred shadow clones phased into existence as they all started to rush the Sannin who had a giddy expression on his face. "That's quite impressive, but it won't be enough. **Ninja Art: Art of the Raging Lion's Mane!** " Jiraiya's already long hair extended to ridiculous levels as he used it like a whip to start decimating the army of clones coming his way. To Naruto's credit his clones were not just simply charging in. They were all attempting different maneuvers and strategies to get the upper hand against the experienced Shinobi but nothing they could come up with within the moments of their existence would be enough.

As for Jiraiya he was showing off as he started to split his hair apart into multiple whips that shaped themselves into the head of lions. They tore through all of Naruto's clones with ease and the Uzumaki Genin could do nothing about it. Within seconds all of Naruto's clones were gone and only the original remained as he saw Jiraiya retract his hair back to its original shape. "Not too shabby huh?" Jiraiya boasted while Naruto felt a bead of sweat go down his face. He couldn't lie to himself. That technique was highly impressive. "Yeah… I'd say so." Naruto mumbled as he tensed. "You're still holding back a little bit, so give me what you've got left kid. This demonstration is for me to see everything you're capable of." Jiraiya explained as he watched Naruto nod his head in understanding.

"Eva, you ready?" Naruto said as he clapped his hands together. "Born ready!" The two partners synced up as a massive surge of chakra and Yōki poured its way out of Naruto's body. It felt so good to be able to do this again after having their powers sealed. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva was ready in a heartbeat as she summoned a blue and white themed magic circle that amplified the power of her signature technique. Naruto wasn't idle either as he sped through a chain of hand signs while infusing his Yōki rich chakra into the attack. **"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!"** The partners combined their attacks together using Eva's Magic Circle as the focal point to make it work and the effect was immediate. A massive torrent of water enhanced by Naruto's wind tore through the field as Jiraiya's eyebrows raised up in surprise.

"Oh boy. I might actually have to use a stronger technique to stop this. **Fire Style: Flame Bomb Jutsu!"** Jiraiya poured a relatively small percentage of chakra into the attack as a large fire ball spewed forth from his mouth that was dark orange in color as everyone could feel the heat coming from the large flames. Iris raised an eyebrow at this as her bright blue eyes showed how impressed she was. Naruto felt confident in his attack as he was sure it would be able to overpower Jiraiya's attack but he became shell shocked when Jiraiya's fireball actually managed to break through his own attack and overpower it.

A massive billowing cloud of steam tore through the clearing that obscured the view of everyone present. The heat coming off of the steam was staggering as Aria started to sweat a little. Shoko had an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face as she was focusing entirely on the match before her. Her eyes were darting back and forth as she was looking for things only her experienced eyes could see. She could tell the match was soon ending. She could also sense Naruto's chakra reserves and he spent quite a lot of energy in such a short amount of time. Knowing how her partner thinks he was going to capitalize on the steam and launch a last-ditch attack. It was a spar after all so there was no need to prolong it for too much longer.

Shoko's prediction proved to be correct as dozens of ice kunai and shuriken flew out of the steam towards Jiraiya who quickly summoned a Toad who was dressed in battle armor. All of Naruto's kunai bounced off of the toad's tough armor without laying a scratch on the material as Jiraiya watched Naruto charge out of the steam with his Accel Cloak blazing a trail behind him. His twin swords were in hand as he flew across the ground at staggering speeds to close the gap between him and Jiraiya.

"I've got you now kid." Jiraiya declared as he shot off several large flame balls the size of large stones directly into Naruto's path. "I'm not done yet! **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"** Naruto cut an intricate path of deviation through Jiraiya's assault, he wasn't missing a beat until the old sage decided to switch up his pattern of attack. Now coming directly at Naruto was four fireballs that he wouldn't be able to dodge at all. All of his avenues were cut off unless he could rapidly change his trajectory in an abrupt manner. He had too much forward momentum going for him with his cloak amplifying this and he wouldn't be able to destroy all four fireballs at the same time since he couldn't build up enough chakra for an appropriate attack.

A Shadow Clone.

The thought came to Naruto's mind in an instant as he would use the clone to slingshot throw him out of the path of the fireballs while it took the hit. A sound plan and one he was going to put into action as making a shadow clone was incredibly easy for him. The difference came in when he tried to create the clone. Instead of the signature sign of a shadow clone popping into existence with a cloud of smoke, Naruto's cloak morphed and split off to form a clone that was a translucent blue in color. Naruto noticed an immediate dip in his overall speed as the clone shot off at surprising speed and obliterated Jiraiya's attacks with a swing of its fake swords. The clone dispelled itself with a dispersion of kinetic energy that blew the dust around it away.

' _Holy crap! It happened again. This happened when I was fighting Orochimaru too… I'll worry about that later. I don't have much energy left and that weird clone cut more of it down so I've got to make this last one count.'_ Naruto noted as he was yet again heavily surprised by the bizarre clone he conjured up when under the influence of his Accel Turn. **"Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation!"** Naruto used up the vast remainder of his chakra to disappeared from his spot in a violent burst of speed. He came in at blistering speeds as he tried to take Jiraiya's head clean off. The sage would admit the attack was fast but he's seen moves and techniques that were far faster.

Ducking under the mighty swing with a reaction speed far faster than what Naruto thought the old sage was capable of Jiraiya grinned as Naruto left himself completely exposed and out of position. Worst yet he was in midair and couldn't dodge any follow up attack. "Get him Gama!" Jiraiya coached as the toad he was standing on top of shot it's tongue out at blistering speeds and wrapped it around Naruto's waist like a whip. It was so fast even Naruto with his dwindling enhanced reflexes couldn't see it.

The toad's tongue reeled Naruto back in with a lot of torque which Naruto couldn't escape from. _'I better make the most of this!'_ Naruto panicked as he twisted himself around far enough in the embrace of the toad's strong tongue to have a shot at Jiraiya. **"Accel Punch!"** Naruto let his fist fly with the last ounces of his chakra cloak leaving his entire body to focus around the center of his fist as Jiraiya grinned his infectious grin and caught Naruto's powerful punch effortlessly. A massive gust of wind and kinetic energy blew past Jiraiya's face and disturbed the trees behind him but the old sage never budged an inch.

"Damn kid. You've got guts and talent." Jiraiya praised with a look of pride on his face as he nodded at Naruto in respect. The fight was over now and the two combatants were back over with the others reviewing the fight. It took them nearly fifty minutes to get through the entire fight while Naruto explained to Jiraiya all of his abilities and what he could do with them. To Naruto's surprise the conversation got very interesting as Jiraiya had a lot to say and many interesting spouts of wisdom to impart that allowed Naruto to catch a glimpse at the man who is hailed as one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Ok, so now that we have a great understanding on your abilities we can move on to what I'm going to be teaching you since you're my new apprentice." Jiraiya dictated as he grabbed the scroll that was on his back. Naruto felt a certain amount of giddiness enter his system that took him by surprise. Not all of that belonged to him and it took him a few seconds to realize that Chaos's emotions were flaring. He almost forgot that with his connection to his daughters and Eva restored he can sense their emotions and communicate with them through short range telepathy.

"Now before I explain what this is to you I feel like I should clear the air between us." Jiraiya announced as his facial expression changed to be dead serious. Naruto straightened up at this as a pit formed in his stomach. "Naruto, I know you're the Jinchūriki Host to the Nine Tailed Fox." Jiraiya bluntly stated which caused Naruto's breath to hitch in his throat. "Before you react I just want you to know I hold no ill will or prejudiced views towards you for being a Jinchūriki. I'm a seal master kid. I know the difference between a kunai and the scroll it's sealed inside of." Jiraiya said as he held his hand out to stop Naruto from reacting.

"I don't know what to say…" Naruto was rendered speechless as Jiraiya completely took the wind out of his sails. "Don't say anything. You will find that not everyone in the world will hold any resentment towards you for your status. It's all about meeting the right people in life. They're out there, you just have to have the guts to go look." Jiraiya said with a small smile as he ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto blinked slowly as he just simply stared at the old man. He couldn't even remember the last time someone's ruffled his hair in such an affectionate way. It was a foreign feeling that Naruto's completely unfamiliar with.

A small smile that was out of his control crawled onto his face as he once again felt the same inkling as earlier. Naruto could honestly say he was starting to see the true side of Jiraiya. "Thank you, Jiraiya." Naruto said in sincerity as it was rare for Naruto to see someone approach him in such a manner and just flat out accept him for who he was and not for what he holds. Shoko who was off to the side cracked a tearful smile as she turned her head away for a quick moment to recompose herself. That one scene made her happier than she's ever felt in a long time.

"Now the use of your Tailed Beast Chakra will be essential in the future. It may even be important for the technique I'm about to teach you." Jiraiya explained as he unrolled the scroll that was attached to his back. A few names were written down on it in the front section and Naruto's eyebrows raised up to his hairline. "That name… that's the name of the Fourth Hokage. Minato Namikaze." Naruto mumbled in reverence as he looked at the signature signed in blood on the parchment paper used in the scroll. Jiraiya shot Shoko a quick look that no one was able to see as he turned to look back at Naruto. Shoko who was just now recomposing herself bit her bottom lip as she shifted in her place. She placed a hand discreetly over her heart.

"This is the _Mt. Myōboku Toad Clan Summoning Contract_. If you sign your name in this scroll with your blood then you will enter into a blood contract with the Toad Clan that will allow you to summon any toad to your side to aid you in battle. They are one of the three summoning contracts apart of the _Three-Way Deadlock_ combo. They are incredibly powerful and versatile in nature." Jiraiya explained with pride dripping from every word he spoke. He was proud to be the current holder of the Toad Contract.

"I want you to be the next holder of the Toad Contract." Jiraiya offered as Naruto's eyes lit up in surprise. "Really…?" Naruto was speechless. Naruto wasn't naïve. He understood how much of an honor it was to have a Summoning Contract, especially when it comes from a famous shinobi. "Yeah, sign your name in blood with the hand you want to summon with." Jiraiya instructed while carefully watching the hidden excitement swimming in Naruto's eyes. He truly looked like a 12-year-old kid in this instance. It was rare to have Naruto demonstrate his more childish innocent side since raising Iris and Chaos has forced him to mature far faster than he would have naturally. Being forced to be in the role of a parent for so long had changed Naruto's personality.

Naruto was more excited than he would care to admit. Biting his thumb enough to draw blood Naruto pressed his fingers together to spread the blood to each digit. Tracing his full name in blood Naruto then pressed his five fingers at the bottom of the paper with a sense of accomplishment accompanying him. "Here are the hand signs." Jiraiya demonstrated as he showed which hand signs to make. Committing the demonstration to memory Naruto repeated the hand signs while channeling his chakra into the palm of his hand.

" **Summoning Jutsu!"** Naruto shouted as a sealing array spawned underneath his hand. A poof of smoke erupted from the point of origin beneath his hand and once it cleared Naruto and everyone else was stunned to see a small tadpole flopping on the ground helplessly. "What…?" Naruto was barely able to form words as Chaos exploded into laughter in the background. Iris's lower lip was trembling as she would admit to herself that what just happened was hilarious. She was trying to school her facial features as she was not trying to get in more trouble with her father but it would be difficult.

"This is going to take a while." Jiraiya thought with the blandest and most disappointed face possible.

Thirty minutes would elapse with Naruto stubbornly trying and failing to produce a successful summon. "You had an alternative motive in mind for teaching him this technique right master?" Shoko asked as she and Jiraiya stepped back to discuss Naruto's lack of progress. "Yes, you'd think his problem would be because he has too much chakra and not enough control but that's not the case." Jiraiya noted as he watched Shoko turn to him in curiosity. Seeing that he had her attention the sage elaborated further. "His chakra control and capacity are decent for his skill level. The problem is that he has far too many conflicting energies inside his body. The summoning Jutsu is a time and space manipulation technique and having so many energies inside his body would screw up the perfect balance he would need." Jiraiya explained properly while sighing. He knew this was going to be very time consuming.

"So that's why you taught him this technique right off the bat?" Shoko inquired as she was familiar with Jiraiya's thought process. She was starting to see where he was going with his intentions. "Precisely, I can't teach him much of anything else unless he learns to separate his different energies and use them independently from one another. Once he does that I can finally teach him seriously." Jiraiya explained himself as he watched Naruto fail yet again. Chaos wasn't helping as she was hyperventilating off to the side with how hard she was laughing. At least Iris was trying to help and cheer her father on but it wasn't doing much.

"By teaching him seriously… you mean techniques like the Rasengan right?" Shoko said with a quick look towards her father figure. Jiraiya's face briefly took on a serious look as he shook his head in affirmation. "Yeah… it is his birthright after all. But that won't be all." Jiraiya stated as he watched Naruto flop to the ground in frustration. It was going to be a very long day.

* * *

 _ **Entertainment District: Monte Carlo Casino/ Jasmine Dragon Mafia Headquarters**_

It was late at night and Naruto's day wasn't getting any shorter. He found himself in a meeting with the rest of Section 2 and 4 that he'd rather not be in all things considered. He had a home with a comfortable bed desperately calling his name. Lord Dino was sitting behind his desk with his old grey hair contrasting against the rich and vibrant colorings of his robes. The rest of his office was also very vibrant and grand in coloring but it was an atmosphere that everyone's used too by now.

"That takes care of this week's update on drug rings and their activities. The new one that sprouted up in Tanzaku Quarters has caused some problems within the last few months. But it's nothing that can't be taken care of sir." Aspen stated in his stoic no-nonsense tone. He was reading off of a clipboard that had a neat stack of papers attached to it. Naruto's eyes were sagging in tiredness. He exhausted himself not only in his spar with Jiraiya but also by carelessly wasting his chakra in the Summoning Jutsu all day after that.

"It's been a long time since I've been there. I wonder how the place has changed?" Jose quietly speculated with a small wishful smile on his face. He knew quite a few people from that town. Naruto perked up just a tad bit at hearing of this place as he's never been there before but the name rang a bell. "Lord Dino, if I'm not mistaken don't you own that city?" Naruto questioned as he was trying to recall a specific piece of trivia he learned many years ago when he was still a rookie.

"Why yes little Naruto I do. I own not only the city but the castle and land around it. The city was built by my great-grandfather many years before the founding of the Hidden Village System. My father made a deal with the honored First Hokage, Lord Hashirama. In honor of the business deal done between my father and the First Hokage he fertilized the land around the city and used his famed Wood Style to create a beautiful and dense forest that till this very day surrounds the compound the city is built in." Dino explained which made Naruto feel a bit giddy at the story. He loved to hear interesting stories like that.

"Tanzaku Quarters or Tanzaku Town is known throughout the Land of Fire and other parts of the world as the City of Gambling. It is the largest gambling centralized city in the entire country. It's also home to our Mafia's compound in the Castle's estate." Dino elaborated with a hearty chuckle. He took a sip of the ever-present tea on his desk as he's had an entire lifetime of fond memories in the town he owns. The atmosphere in the room became lighthearted as many of the members started to banter with each other. If Naruto wasn't so tired he'd partake in the festivities but he was drifting off to sleep.

"Lord Dino, I also have some news to share with you." Jean said with his deep and baritone voice. He was still a hard case and straight shooter even after all this time and the friction between him and Naruto hasn't died down much in that time either. "Please, don't keep me waiting Jean." Dino indulged with a nod. "I've received an update from our operatives out in the field that they lost track of Kabuto Yakushi. They also lost track of several Sand Ninja including Baki. What would you like us to do sir?" Jean informed as he handed Dino a scroll.

Naruto was now fully awake once he heard Kabuto's name mentioned. He knew there was a search party out looking for him issued by the Third Hokage and the government. He was to be seized and arrested. Anko was also a part of that party as well so he wasn't in the dark about this bit of information. The mafia themselves were out looking for the young man as well and they've just recently lost him. That wasn't good.

"I want you to double your efforts in finding this young man. The sooner we find him the sooner we can turn him over to the proper authorities. Bring in our underground specialist and have our local probes keeping an ear to the ground. He's stuck around the village for all this time after revealing himself, which means he has no intention of leaving and is still very much in hiding somewhere. He's upsetting the balance in the village with so many ninjas on high alert looking for him." Dino said as he placed the scroll in his desk. "I understand sir. I'll get to it right away." Jean announced as he left the room. He had nothing else to report and if anything needed to be brought to his attention everyone knew where to find him.

"Anything else…?" Dino inquired as he looked around the room. Naruto while perked up was quickly losing interest yet again as he leaned back in the couch he was sitting in. Henrietta was next to him and so was Rico and Triela. She had just returned from the hospital after spending the day with Hinata. Since this was her new assignment handed to her by Naruto himself and approved by the others in the division that's all she's been doing for the last few days. Jean was heavily annoyed when he found this out and was going to reverse the order but Lord Dino vetoed his objection.

Naruto's head was resting on her shoulder which was causing the chestnut brown-haired girl to blush up a storm. Rico was snuggled into Naruto's side with her hands wrapped around his waist. The bubbly girl was incredibly affectionate with Naruto who she had the tiniest crush on. She viewed him more as a twin brother than anything for the most part. She just couldn't help but find him attractive as well, but that was a minor detail she could overlook about 90% of the time so it never really negatively affected their friendship in any way or her friendship with others. Angelica who was very sick today had her head resting in Henrietta's lap while the rest of her body was curled up in the couch. Her treatments and test were hitting a tight snag. Shoko was doing everything she could for the poor girl to make her feel better but she was also concerned about her fluctuating condition. Naruto always had the sick girl in the back of his mind and he would often read her stories and play with her whenever he got the chance.

Since becoming a full agent and handler in the mafia Naruto put in a formal request to be Angelica's handler. Dino seeing the care and sympathy Naruto was carrying for the girl agreed wholeheartedly. It caused a tiny bit of friction since Naruto was still and currently is the handler to Aria but Dino was perfectly ok with bending the rules a bit. Naruto also decided to take Claes under his wing as well since like Angelica she was without a proper handler. While Angelica looks to Naruto as an older brother and her savior, Claes views him as the annoying older brother that meddles to much with her inner feelings. Naruto always knows exactly which book to bring her that would capture her interest. Claes is confined to the casino as she is used as the primary test subject for the Marionette program that gave the girls back their lives. Her importance to this task and research became much more essential when Angelica's condition started to deteriorate.

Claes is an antisocial girl by nature and she usually becomes irritated with Naruto because he's easily able to read her true emotions. He knows exactly which buttons to push to either make her happy or frustrate her, and he uses that knowledge of his while making decisions on many of her tastes and favorite things to do and once he puts his mind to it he always tries to fulfill her wishes. Because she is confined to the Casino for most of the year she has developed a deep love and fascination with literature and books of all kinds and he brings her a new book almost every week that she always ends up enjoying. The antisocial girl secretly loves Naruto very deeply but she would never outright admit it. It's not in her nature too. Naruto offering to be her handler even though she couldn't be assigned missions anymore meant more to her than words could express. They both knew it but words didn't need to be spoken for them to understand this fact. It was the same with Angelica, but that girl was far more affectionate than Claes ever would be.

"Lord Dino we actually have one last thing to discuss." Victor Hilshire spoke up with his own deep voice. He was the handler for Triela. "Oh, what would that be?" Dino asked curiously. The old man would admit that he passes on quite a bit of responsibility to Shoko and a few other senior members of the mafia to handle. He of course oversees everything and gets involved with certain situations but he also likes to relax. He's old and would much more prefer to spend his days enjoying the comforts of running his casino and what it has to offer instead of worrying about the criminal underworld, but it's a difficult job and someone has to do it. As of now he takes updates from his senior staff in these weekly and sometimes daily meetings to stay on top of things as he doesn't have the patience to do so on his own anymore.

"The new business contract we were commissioned to due involving the new experimental chakra armor. It's hit a financial snag and coupled with the fact Shoko has had to concern herself with our marionettes and other projects it's caused our progress to slow down. She's been quite busy." Victor explained as he showed Dino a scroll that had blueprints and diagrams drawn on it. It was intricately drawn by none other than Naruto himself. A fun fact that he doesn't express much to anyone is the fact he can draw very well. He's an excellent artist and he even drew a highly detailed blueprint version of his own apartment years ago when he and Eva first moved in. They used it to map out the large complex and to pinpoint all of the areas in which they would need to repair.

When Naruto was asked to draw these blueprints by his superiors he was understandably confused and interested. He was kept privy to what was going on with its development, it was an interesting concept and something that as an adolescent boy would capture his attention. "We've gotten some of the mechanics for absorbing Ninjutsu down and we're working on Genjutsu but it's going slowly. The absorption of magic is out of the question as of now since magic is such a diverse energy source and not as streamlined as Chakra. Our business partners are starting to grow discontent with our lack of progress. The scientists that they sent over here to work with us on this project are sending back negative criticism." Victor explained as Dino looked over the latest blueprints and reports with his experienced eyes. He let out a tired sigh of annoyance as he set the scroll down.

"Children these days… trying to pressure the mafia. The lack of respect these days. Send them a warning Victor. It will be done when it gets done." Dino grunted with irritation laced in every word. He didn't have the patience to deal with certain individuals. He was definitely to old.

Jose sent an amused looked towards Victor and Aspen as they shrugged their shoulders. This was nothing new for the men. Lord Dino never had any patients for disrespect or ignorance and the old king pin was very irritable towards such subjects which was a stark contrast to his usual cheerful and fun-loving self. "Yes sir. It will be done." Victor conceded with a resigned smile. Messing with the mafia is one of the dumbest things a person could do. "Sir, this new tech can be much more useful if we focus on developing it for the girls. It may save their lives." Naruto commented with a small frown as he didn't like how pushy their clients were being. He found it to be much more beneficial if they were to focus their efforts on making it compatible for the girls. With the multiple prosthetic limbs that they have this armor could protect them and even sustain their lives. It could even help Angelica and Claes.

"I understand that my boy. I've kept that thought well in mind but some of the technology that's being implemented into this research is foreign to us and comes from our clients up north. We may have the financial means to fund this project but we don't have all of the materials ourselves…" Dino explained in a withered tone as he took another sip from his cup of tea. "… however, that doesn't mean they can simply demand that we speed up our efforts. The contract had no express time limit and I will not have their ignorant poor words reflect badly on our family. To think we've been business partners with them for more than two decades…" Dino rambled as it was very late and he wanted to head to bed himself. Old men tend to get cranky when they start to miss out on their sleep.

"It never used to be like this… the man who's in charge now is fishy. I don't like it any more than you do Naruto but I intend to do a little digging myself if that would help." Aspen spoke up as he gave Naruto a little nod. Aspen's come to gain some respect for Naruto after the mission to wave. He had a lot to learn and while the mission was a success the Uzumaki's actions were questionable at best back during that time. Since then Aspen has actually reaped the benefits of Naruto's actions as he now has a valuable asset and contact in Zabuza Momochi. That was a major bonus that he thanked the child for, even though Naruto formally apologized to him for how he handled the whole fiasco. Since then Aspen has taken Naruto under his wing in the months following the mission to teach him a lot about the spy network. They've developed a mutual respect and friendship with one another. But the thing Aspen respected the most about Naruto was his care, loyalty, and devotion to his comrades and to the mafia family. Naruto cared deeply for the girls and always did everything he could to help them and their best interest. That earned him points in Aspens book.

Naruto agreed as he was going to comment back on what his superior had to say when a prominent knocking on the room's door alerted everyone that someone was there. "Come in." Lord Dino ordered as he took another sip of his tea. He could now sense a foreboding aura in the air. This sentiment was shared with the others in the room as they all tensed. The door opened and Chef Adam came in with a grim look on his face. "What is it Adam?" Dino cut to the chase as he looked at one of his senior staff.

"Lord Dino, it was just discovered 5 minutes ago that Hayate Gekkō was murdered. His body was found 7 blocks from here at the edge of the entertainment district." Adam said in a grave tone of voice. The room grew quiet as everyone let that sink in. "Yūago is going to be devastated…" Naruto whispered in shock as he was introduced to the new ANBU Captain a while back right around the time Shoko introduced Naruto to Hayate as a sparring partner. Yūago is Hayate's fiancé and they were going to get married some time towards the end of the year. Everyone was invited and Naruto was quite eager to go… now however, he just felt incredibly sad.

Shoko, Anko, Kurenai, and Yūago are all best friends so it was inevitable that he would eventually meet the elusive agent. Of course, he kept her identity secret as no one was ever supposed to know who the ANBU agents were while they were still in active service so Naruto never revealed that information to anyone but it still hurt him deeply since from the few times he's spent with her she was really cool. She was down to earth and easily approachable when not acting as a stoic agent.

As for Hayate, not only was he a member of the village's spy bureau but he was also a close friend to the mafia family. He wasn't a full member like everyone else but he was an honorary member and a welcomed guest. His death wasn't just a slight and a blow to the village, but to the Jasmine Dragon Mafia itself. This wouldn't be taken lightly.

"I see…" Dino said slowly as he calmly put his ever-present cup of tea down. "No one's going home tonight. We all have work to do." Dino said as the overwhelming look of the King Pin came to his eyes. This was the man who's been in charge of the mafia for about the same length of time Hiruzen has been the Third Hokage. No one crosses him in any way and lives to tell about it. Gone was the gentle grandfatherly like persona he puts on for those around him. He was a mobster first and foremost and age hasn't changed that fact.

* * *

 _ **Edge of the Entertainment District: 10 Minutes Ago**_

' _In the end, he was no match for a sword made of wind. He was a worthy opponent though. So young and so very talented. Damn this village and its potential.'_ Baki silently thought to himself as he stood over the fresh corpse of Hayate Gekkō. The young man put up a fight worthy of his rank and underground fame. Baki thoroughly enjoyed himself and would gladly pay his respects to the fallen shinobi.

"Is it done?" A voice spoke up in the dead of night as a figure appeared out of the shadow behind Baki. "Yeah it's done. What about Gaara?" The Elite Jōnin confirmed as he turned around to address none other than Kabuto Yakushi himself. "Oh him… yeah he just finished killing off Dosu. That boy outlived his usefulness and provided an excellent appetizer for that monster." Kabuto sneered without an ounce of apathy anywhere in his voice. He shrugged his shoulders as he looked back in the direction Gaara was.

"I need to get out of here before we are discovered. I'd suggest you do the same." Baki warned as he erased any evidence of his presence in the area and body flickered away. Kabuto smiled a malicious smile as he fixed his glasses. "Humph. Don't get ahead of yourself old man." Kabuto flippantly said to himself as he disappeared from the roof top he was on.

A few blocks away on a large roof Gaara could be seen with his sand slowly retreating back into his gourd. Mixed into his sand was chunks of mangled up flesh and bone of a human being. An unstable look could be seen in his eyes as all that was left on the destroyed roof was a torn-up headband with the symbol for the Hidden Sound barely recognizable on it.

"You weren't enough to confirm my existence… I need the Uzumaki." Gaara growled out as he aggravatedly scratched the side of his face with sand peeling off and crumbling to the ground forming cracks in his face. It was a full moon out and Gaara's bloodlust was at its zenith.

"Uzumaki…!"

* * *

 ** _Jutsu Library_**

1.) **Fūinjutsu: Five-Pronged Seal Release -** This technique can be used to remove Fūinjutsu of up to equal power, like its counterpart.

2.) **Acceleration -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.

3.) **Ice Style: Frost Touch Jutsu -** A move that is identical to _Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu_. However, this Jutsu is not limited to Naruto's feet. Any body part that Naruto uses to strike an opponent with will freeze the person's body instantly. However, Naruto can control the temperature of his ice so that he can either rapidly cool down a person's body just by touch or outright freeze the person solid.

4.) **Ice Style: Ice-Make Jutsu -** A Jutsu created from the combination of both Naruto and Evangeline's team work. By molding chakra mixed in with Eva's Yōki into his hands Naruto can create any object he wants out of Ice. Depending on how much chakra he puts into the Jutsu will determine how durable the creation is.

5.) **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

6.) **Ninja Art: Needle Jizō -** This is a technique where the user encases themselves in a countless number of sharp needles, but in truth, the spikes are the user's hair. Chakra grants the strands of hair the hardness and shape of needles, endowed with a capacity to injure and kill on par with that of metallic weapons. In addition, if activated in response to an opponent's attack, it can also be used as a counter. The hair is made hard enough that it can withstand blows from certain types of weapons such as arrows.

7.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

8.) **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The _Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu_ is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.

9.) **Ninja Art: Art of the Raging Lion's Mane -** This technique uses chakra to temporarily enhance the head's metabolism and manipulate the hair that grows longer as a result of it. There is also chakra flowing through the lengthened hair, making its hardness comparable to that of steel wire. By thickly bundling the hair, its strength is further increased, also increasing its destructive power.

10.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and heavier than normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

11.) **Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu -** A technique that simply creates a ferocious gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth.

12.) **Fire Style: Flame Bomb Jutsu -** This technique is executed by the user gathering oil in their mouth which is created by chakra, spitting it out, and igniting it. This technique simply shoots a flame bullet at the enemy. If the amount of oil that is prepared is kept down, the time it takes to invoke the technique is reduced. This allows the enemy to be stricken unaware, allowing the oil-containing flame bullet to burn them up completely. It is also possible to shoot out a series of flame bullets by partitioning the oil, or a continuous flamethrower.

13.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance -** Naruto's own version of Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

14.) **Kenjutsu: Accelerated Decapitation -** A move that Naruto came up with in the heat of battle mixed in with his determination to escape a dire situation he found himself in. Coating himself in his Accel Cloak Naruto who has a sword or bladed weapon in his hands _{It can be a real weapon or one created from his Ice Style}_ disappears in a burst of speed granted to him by his _Accel Turn_ and swiftly decapitates his target in one fluid and quick motion. The victim will have no time to react since this technique is used at point black range and it is used during the element of surprise which will catch the opponent off guard.

15.) **Accel Punch -** The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

16.) **Summoning Jutsu -** The Summoning Technique is a _space–time ninjutsu_ that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractor's death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys how was that? This chapter will be significant for a long time to come as Naruto and Jiraiya begin their budding relationship that will shape Naruto for years to come. The toad sage's acceptance of Naruto and his status means more to Naruto than almost anything else.

Jiraiya removing the suppression seal on Naruto's stomach had some interesting effects. A massive surge of power to be exact. This is brought about by the fact Naruto's body was still steadily producing chakra the whole time the suppression seal was on him. The reason his body was able to still produce chakra was because Orochimaru was interrupted by Sakura when he was applying it to Naruto's body. It was incomplete allowing Naruto's body to continue to produce excess amounts of Chakra but with no place to filter out. The pressure created by this phenomenon strengthened Naruto's chakra network as his chakra stretched out the veins in his chakra circulatory system. Once that restriction was removed by Jiraiya all of Naruto's energy poured out of him in one large surge.

Jiraiya correctly guessed just what type of species Chaos happens to be which raises many questions in and of itself but he is stumped as to what Iris could possibly be. She's not going to come along and flat out tell him so it's going to leave the poor sage mind boggled.

The sparring match Naruto and Jiraiya engage in was for the purpose of showcasing how strong Jiraiya is compared to Naruto and other characters while allowing Naruto to stretch his limbs so to speak. Jiraiya did it so that he could see just what exactly Naruto was capable of.

Unlike in the canon, Naruto's major issue won't be him having immense reserves of chakra. That will factor in when needed in certain circumstances but it is offset by the fact Naruto's chakra control is pretty decent due to the fact he unlocked his chakra and started training soon after his 4th Birthday. That self taught training augmented by being taken in under Shoko's wing and learning from the Academy allowed Naruto to develop far superior chakra control to his Manga counterpart.

The second half of the chapter that takes place in the casino is highly important as not only do we get to see many characters again but we get to see their interactions once more. We learn some very important things such as the fact the Mafia is actively searching for Kabuto who they know to still be lurking around the village. His presence alone has upset the balance and peace within the village.

We get some background lore on Dino and his family's lineage. His father made a deal with Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and in exchange for that deal which we can all easily speculate was to allow his family which was the mafia to settle down within the village; the First Hokage would fertilize the land surrounding their town and create a forest to sustain them. It's obvious massive amounts of financial stability would come to the village with the presence of Dino's family so it's a no brainer that Hashirama would agree. Most likely at the insistence of Tobirama.

We get to see the dynamic relationship between Naruto and his friends in section 2 examined. Henrietta is busy with her assignment from Naruto. We get to see how Rico views Naruto and how he is significant to her. No word from Triela but she's there. I finally get around to expanding a bit on Angelica and Claes. Angelica is just like all the other girls in the group. She is a marionette, however unlike the others she is incredibly sick. Her body is breaking down and rejecting her prosthetic implants and multiple surgeries. her health is constantly fluctuating and below average. Claes was chosen to become the top test subject for the mafia to develop a way to save Angelica's life and advance the technology behind the program to better sustain their fragile lives. It's also heavily implied that Shoko is one of the head researchers in this project as I've alluded to once before.

Victor reveals that the mafia was contracted by a client to help them develop a new suit of chakra armor. Naruto who not only is the artist behind their blueprints but someone who has an inkling on what they are capable of makes a strong and valid advocation for simply using this new technology to better the lives of the girls in the mafia. I drop several hints to keep an eye out for later on down the road in the story so good luck.

Finally it is revealed to the Mafia that Hayate is killed only a few blocks away from the casino. The perpetrators are none other than Baki from the Hidden Sand and Kabuto himself lurking around in the shadows. Meanwhile, Gaara is off murdering Dosu in cold blood. Although to be fair he had it coming to him for trying to preemptively take Gaara out of the competition. Gaara makes the distinct comment that he wants the Uzumaki family to be his prey.

What will this mean for the future I wonder?

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 53 (Summoning a Familiar)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 52 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 7/28/2017


	54. CH: 53 Summoning a Familiar

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back once again and I've got a huge chapter to dump on you. It's crazy and out of control with a touch of heartwarming tender moments between Naruto and Shoko as she opens up to Naruto and reveals a little bit more about her true self and past. This will be a pivotal moment in their relationship as it will firmly define the nature and status of their relationship for the rest of the story.

Things go straight downhill from there as things spiral out of control in a direction no one could have ever predicted. When everything's all said and done things still aren't as peaceful as one would hope. It all comes to an end with an ominous and mysterious ending.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 53

 _ **Summoning a Familiar**_

" **Kenjutsu: Hazard Blade Dance!"**

" **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"**

It's been a week and a half since Hayate was found dead and much has happened. Multiple ANBU squads were mobilized to begin a soft lockdown of the village. They were combing through the entire village doing regular security patrols. Many of the visiting Jōnin squad leaders from the other villages were under secret surveillance from ANBU teams as there was no evidence to implicate anyone in Hayate's murder. The Third Hokage was not happy with the death of one of his most loyal subordinates and he felt especially guilty since he personally sent him on the mission to search for Kabuto. Whatever he discovered while doing his mission must have been huge as he was murdered before he could report what he found.

That very next morning following the discovery of Hayate's body Hiruzen was bombarded with many visits. Danzō spoke to him giving his regular update and small talk which Hiruzen appreciated. It was brought to his attention that the reason Hayate's murder went unnoticed was because angelic sigils that blanket an area and isolate it from its surroundings were found around the obvious battle sight. It was the same kind of sigil found by Kakashi in the hospital room. This concerned the Hokage as this was a security issue that could cause tremendous amounts of problems in the future. Most of the average shinobi aren't trained to comprehend or understand the realm of the supernatural. It's rare for anyone to come across supernatural related phenomenon and so it's not a subject most average ninja are aware of.

Koharu and Homura also visited him looking for answers as to what happened which turned into a lengthy discussion that Hiruzen would rather forget about. His old teammates were such sticklers for the rules, especially Koharu. The next to visit him was Yūago Uzuki herself. Dressed in her full ANBU Captain's gear she pleaded with the Hokage to let her and her platoon take over the investigation of Hayate's death and the search for Kabuto's whereabouts. The Hokage was initially reluctant to assign her to this task as her emotions could get in the way of doing her job.

Hiruzen eventually gave in as he realized that Yūago wasn't going to simply give up on this. Privately in his own thoughts he would freely admit he wouldn't let this go either if it was his wife in that predicament. He felt for the young woman, especially since she was an up and coming shinobi who showed great potential.

With Yūago running the show as far as the investigation was concerned a lot was getting done. The increased presence of ANBU around the village was her doing as well. After hearing about this Shoko decided to get more involved herself as she couldn't let her friend go through this tragedy alone. She did regular beat patrols around the village on her own time to make sure she could be around if needed.

As of now Naruto and Shoko were currently sparring in the training ground going full out. Naruto has been hitting the books in terms of training as Lord Dino made it clear that the mafia was going to get involved with this incident. There was no time for rest or taking it easy.

Loud clanging noises as well as mini shockwaves were reverberating throughout the training ground. A competitive glare was on both of their faces as they swung their swords at each other violently. Buffeting winds and the sounds of combat filled the air as the surrogate mother and son duo tore through the training ground trying to outdo each other. **"Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice!"** Shoko found an opening to exploit as she swung her sword at high speeds. Perceiving the treat coming his way Naruto retaliated as quickly as he could. **"Kenjutsu: X – Scissor!"** It was a straight up sword fight as another shockwave rippled through the training ground blowing dirt into the air. The duo was really going at it as their chakra was spiking constantly signifying they were continuously fighting.

Pulsing his chakra to activate his special cloak Naruto purposely tore up the ground beneath his feet to kick up more dirt in order to mask his movements. **"Acceleration!"** Naruto started to come in at every angle he could possibly manage in order to overwhelm Shoko which wasn't working on the experienced Shinobi who was perfectly placing her sword at every proper angle to block all of Naruto's attacks. **"Accel Punch!"** Naruto was becoming quicker as time went on when it came to be manipulating his Accel Cloak. Letting his heavy kinetic punch fly Naruto was met with heavy resistance when with a smirk Shoko held her sword up that started to light up with seals. **"Fūinjutsu: Concussive Barrier!"** A green shield spawned off of her sword that completely blocked Naruto's punch.

A rippling shockwave pushed Naruto away from Shoko as the properties of the special shield came into effect. Skidding across the ground in pain Naruto came to a stop by slamming into a nearby tree. "Ow…" Grimacing in pain Naruto got back to his feet with a chuckle. "I really need to learn that technique one of these days." Naruto joked. Shoko smiled a coy smile as she slid back into her fighting stance. "We've been at this for the last hour already. Aren't you ready to end this?" Shoko asked as she had no problem continuing for more hours with the level of stamina she had but she was sure Naruto wanted to get down to practicing the Summoning Jutsu.

"Yeah, I still want to practice that weird move that's been popping up a lot lately." Naruto insisted as he flared his cloak again. "Ok, come at me." Shoko acknowledged as she prepared herself for Naruto's onslaught. Naruto grinned as he took off from his spot with blistering speed. Shoko could still track him with ease but as always, she had to acknowledge the impressive technique Naruto came up with. He keeps on steadily improving on it and making it better.

Going through the process of making a clone while under the effects of Accel Turn produced the same results as the times before. A light blue translucent clone of Naruto spawned from his cloak. Its speed was impressive but there was a noticeable dip in both it and Naruto's overall speed. The two Naruto's came in with the classic pincer maneuver as Shoko relaxed herself a bit. It was one of their usual routine spars that they've had many times over the years. Blocking the incoming attacks Shoko analyzed the clone and everything about it as it came in contact with her. It was definitely a strange feeling Shoko noted as the clone didn't quite feel like a normal shadow clone.

She could sense the mixed energies inside of the solid clone and more importantly she felt the overwhelming kinetic energy bubbling at the surface of the clone that was vibrating throughout her body. It was an interesting experience for Shoko… especially since while the clone's top speed wasn't to the same extent as Naruto's using a full burst of Accel Turn, it was still quite fast. The clone instead of dispersing in a burst of kinetic energy re-absorbed itself into Naruto's cloak which was a new feature that they discovered over the last week. It worked off of the principals of the shadow clone. If the user decides to dispel the clone then it explodes in shockwave of kinetic energy. On the other end of the spectrum Naruto can re-absorb his chakra back into his cloak since the technique of spawning the clone works on a short-range basis. They aren't like normal shadow clones that can go any distance they want. It's a short-range technique that has a more defined range.

This went on for a few minutes before the duo stopped their spar. "That technique of yours is starting to come along really well. It's so interesting…" Shoko said in a conversational banter as she elbowed Naruto's shoulder. She was in her simple t shirt and shorts while Naruto had on a simple tank top and pants. His jacket was tied by the sleeves around his waist and his kunai pouch was still tied around his leg. With the season of summer in full affect many of the shinobi were switching to lighter clothes to offset the blistering heat. Naruto could only imagine what it was like the Land of Wind and the Hidden Sand Village. He dramatically thought he'd die if he were to go there. He's more used to the colder temperatures.

"Yeah, I might get it down by the time the month is over. But the summoning Jutsu is still really annoying." Naruto said with an annoyed huff as he spectated Aria and Eva sparing with Iris and Chaos. He was still having difficulty in performing the simple technique. For the last week, he's been trying his hardest to separate the different energies within his chakra network to get the technique to work. This task was met with a lot of slow progress.

The surrogate mother and son duo spent the next 30 minutes speaking about ideas on how to handle the Summoning Jutsu. While they talked they watched on as Iris and Chaos trained with Aria and Eva who was overseeing the girls practice with their powers. Aria's psychic powers were very useful in aiding her with guiding the girls in their studies.

After a while the conversation tapered off with Shoko starting to act a little skittish. "Shoko what's wrong?" Naruto questioned as he's become a pro at reading the older woman's mannerisms and emotions. They've been together for so long that it's to be expected. "We'll it's about what happened the other week. It's been eating away at me for a while since we never got around to talking about it." Shoko admitted as she scooted closer to Naruto who was sitting next to her. Seeing Shoko getting into her self-conscious state again that happens from time to time Naruto who was feeling the embarrassment from remembering what happened sighed as he wrapped his arm around the older woman's waist. Pulling her close Naruto rested his head against the powerhouse kunoichi's shoulder.

"We can talk about it… tell me what you wanted to say." Naruto knew this was eating away at the purple haired woman. She wore her heart on her sleeve for him and the family. She couldn't let something she felt was significant be swept under the rug.

Nodding her head in thanks Shoko sighed as she collected her innermost thoughts. "Well, for starters… what Anko and I did back then was completely normal… I want you to know that." Shoko began as she twiddled her thumbs. This was embarrassing for her to talk about with one of the most important individuals in her life. Nodding his head in understanding to ease Shoko's mind Naruto was patiently waiting for the retired kunoichi to continue. "You see not every person has to be attracted to the opposite sex when they like someone. For me I lean more towards females…" Shoko awkwardly stated which caused Naruto's eyebrows to raise. He was just getting into puberty and he was chalking this conversation that he was having with Shoko up to be the dreaded and traumatizing [Talk] that all preteens get by their parents or guardians. In his opinion, it wasn't as bad as he was first lead to believe. But he could definitely say it was eye opening and very informative.

"So… you like girls? You're more attracted to girls than boys?" Naruto questioned as he tried to wrap his brain around what was being told to him. This was all new territory for his growing mind. "Yes. You see I'm actually bisexual. I've liked a few guys in my lifetime but in the end… I've felt a stronger connection towards females." Shoko revealed as Naruto gave her his full and undivided attention. Not even the little explosions in the background from the intense sparring match between Aria, Eva, Iris, and Chaos could shake him nor the rapid fluctuations in his chakra network because of the fight could drag Naruto's attention away from what Shoko was telling him now.

He's never had this type of conversation with Shoko in all the years that they've known each other. This was the very first time this has come up and at such a time in his biological development too. He was determined to give the older woman his full attention and nothing less.

"So… wouldn't that make you more lesbian than anything else…?" Naruto inquired hesitantly in uncertainty to which Shoko chuckled a bit with a sheepish smile. "I guess you're right. That could also very well be the case… it's funny really. I'm 36 years old and I still haven't figured out these important attributes of my life. It just goes to show you that no matter how old or experienced you get the world will always remind you that you still have a lot to learn." Shoko joked in a melancholic way as she was amused more than anything else that after all these years she herself still wasn't entirely sure of her own sexuality. It hasn't been a major concern for her for more than a decade so she's forgotten all about it. It stopped being as significant as it should have been.

"So, you and Anko had…" Naruto implored into the root of the conversation. He was still trying to wrap his head around that revelation. "Yeah, I've known Anko since she was a little girl. I was like a big sister to her in many ways. That day we posed in that magazine she got me extremely drunk. I was just barely coherent enough to be aware of what I was doing so that nothing bad could happen but past that point my actions weren't exactly my own. I thought it would be very fun. It's actually a popular thing for kunoichi's and civilian women to do. There's nothing shameful about it but then again having someone as young as the girls looking at it could cause a lot of problems." Shoko stated with a wry smile cracking her face. Two six-year-old impressionable girls shouldn't be looking at something so adult themed.

"Yeah, I agree. I've kind of skimmed around talking to them about what they saw in the book. Mostly because I didn't even know how to process it myself." Naruto explained with an embarrassed chuckle. "It's ok. Not every parent will have the exact answer for their kids. That statement is especially true for a single father raising two girls. But hopefully now after this you'll find the right words to say… you should talk to them tonight about it. It will definitely help clear the elephant in the room." Shoko said as she gently rocked from side to side.

"I'm sure I will. Thanks." Naruto quietly responded back as he chose to enjoy the moment with the soft-spoken woman. "Was that the only time you've done something like this? Also, how does Anko feel about all this?" Naruto asked after a few moments of peaceful silence. "Uh… no… we've had intercourse quite a few times over the years. I know it's quite the shock to you, especially since I never outwardly displayed such a personality but Anko has been somewhat of a steady partner for me for a long time." Shoko revealed with a small embarrassed stutter towards the beginning. Even though she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders it was still an embarrassing subject to talk about. Naruto was somewhat surprised by this but chose not to say anything about it. He delved deep into his memories over the years and recalled that Shoko and Anko were in fact pretty close. Their mannerisms were subtle but you could easily tell that if nothing else they were extremely comfortable around each other.

"As for how Anko feels about all this… well this will come as a shock to you but Anko is actually pansexual." Shoko revealed which garnered all of Naruto's attention. "Pansexual… what is that?" He's never heard of the term before. He only started to learn about the differences of being straight, lesbian, and bisexual back towards the beginning of this year. "It's a term for a person who has no specific attraction or connection to any particular gender or sex. You don't know this but Anko has never once in her lifetime had a steady boyfriend or girlfriend. She's experimented with both genders but has never once had either a boyfriend or girlfriend." Shoko explained which was a shock to Naruto as this was definitely not something he knew about.

"She only had one strong connection to someone and that was her master Orochimaru. She adored him and worshipped him. She was even starting to fall for him but he soon revealed his true colors. He was nothing more than a wolf hiding in sheep's clothing. She was devastated after that. Soon after, I took her under my wing a bit and got her out of her depression. Ever since then me and her have been inseparable. Years later one thing led to another and we kind of hooked up one night. It was awkward afterward for her because of the nature of our relationship but we soon pushed passed that point. We only do it for fun and comfort and nothing else." Shoko concluded which brought a small content smile to Naruto's face.

"I'm happy for you Shoko. Both you and Anko. I had no idea all of that went on for all these years and I didn't know about it." Naruto commented with a chuckle. He felt totally oblivious. "It's ok. It was something I felt didn't need to be said. Besides, I'm a ninja remember. I can guard a secret." Shoko teased which got a chuckle out of Naruto.

After a few moments of silence Naruto decided to ask one more question from Shoko. "Have you ever thought about having children?" It was an innocent enough question but one Naruto immediately knew he shouldn't have asked as Shoko gasped and tensed within his embrace. Her eyes started to mist over with tears as she withdrew into herself. "Shoko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Naruto was cursing his stupidity right now as mentioning kids around Shoko always got her like this. She had certain subjects that would trigger this response in her and he just pulled one.

"It's ok sweetie. I did think of having children at one point in time but it didn't go so well. Having children are out of the question for me." Shoko admitted with a choked-up sniffle. She was trying to hold her composure. "Besides… you're the only child I need sweetie." Shoko whispered out softly which caused Naruto's eyes to mist over as well. Shoko just indirectly called him her son. That meant more to him than anything else he could think of. To have a family has always been his biggest dream as an orphan. Everytime he is reminded of the fact he is steadily gaining one and growing closer to one it always hits him directly in his heart. The sentiment has always been appreciated by him the most.

"And I'm glad to have you as a mother…" Naruto returned which caused actual tears to squeeze out of Shoko's eyes as she forced herself to reign in what little composure she had left. "Thank you, sweetie." That statement meant more to her as well.

"Is it too much of me to ask you if you ever plan to settle down with a husband or something?" Naruto asked a few moments later with a humorous undertone. Catching on Shoko chuckled as she hugged Naruto tighter. "That's funny… I've already been settled down for quite some time. I thought you made it clear a long time ago that you were the only man allowed in my life?" Shoko questioned with a teasing tone as she snuggled further into Naruto's embrace. The Uzumaki blushed a bashful red as he playfully puffed out his chest. "Oh… yeah, I almost forgot. No one can take care of you and make you as happy as I can ya know. Believe it." Naruto said in a flustered state as he tried to flex his muscles which caused to much older woman to laugh out loud. _'You have no idea just how right you are sweetheart.'_

"Yeah. I'm happiest with you and everyone else by my side sweetie. As long as I have that then everything is ok." Shoko admitted in a soft and tender tone as she playfully scratched Naruto's hair. It was extremely comfortable as Naruto leaned into her touch. "I love you sweetie." Shoko said as she kissed the side of Naruto's head. Moments like these were the ones she treasured the most in her life. "I love you to Shoko." If Naruto had ever had any doubt on his feelings and relationship with Shoko then they could be squashed right here. He loved her more than he could have ever thought possible.

* * *

The moment between the two lasted for a little while longer before it was ended when Aria, Eva, and the girls approached after the ending of their training.

"Master, I have an idea on how we can practice the Summoning Jutsu." Aria suggested after watching Naruto practice with the technique for close to an hour. "Really, Aria? How?" Naruto was willing to try anything at this point. He never knew just how short his patience was with something so frustrating.

"What if we try the magic version of it. What if we try to create and summon a familiar for you. If you can get this down then using the Summoning Jutsu should come natural to you." Aria explained as she thought it would be the easiest thing for the Uzumaki to do. Shoko placed a contemplative look on her face as she thought of the possibility for this to work. It was possible the more she thought about it.

"How would we go about it then?" Naruto inquired as he was willing to try a new suggestion after continuously summoning tadpoles all week long. "There are two ways to go about this master. One is to create a familiar for yourself through your own power. The second is to travel to the underworld and find a familiar that you can bind yourself to… obviously the second option is a little out of our reach." Aria explained in her soft voice as she had Chaos sitting in her lap. The intense spar got the tiny terror riled up as a megawatt smile on her face. This was nothing new as the bringer of her namesake was practically bouncing around in the older girl's lap.

"Travel to the underworld…?" Naruto asked incredulously as he nearly did a double take. That seemed quite ludicrous to him. Aria chuckled with a sheepish smile worming its way across the witch's face. "Yeah… there is a magical forest located in the underworld where creatures of all shapes, sizes, and species live. When you go there you seek out a creature that you form a bond with. You can then be bound to them." Aria explained while combing through Chaos's thigh length blonde hair with her hand. Iris crawled her way over to Naruto's lap where she simply sat down as if she owned it. She grabbed Naruto's arms and wrapped it around her waist so she could get comfortable.

"That's crazy…" Naruto's mind was blown by this revelation but Aria decided to steer the confused boy away from the topic. "Do you want to try it out master?" Aria asked as she didn't see the harm in trying. "Ok let do it." Naruto was all in. He wanted to get back to progressing in strength. He wasn't opposed to trying new things.

"Ok summon a magic circle." Aria instructed as she herself held out her hands. Naruto and Eva synced up for this process as they concentrate on producing Yōki for this technique. On the ground in front of everyone a white and blue magic circle appeared. Naruto didn't have the refined control to summon a magic circle in the middle of a battle or for any other practical uses. "You need to imagine the attributes you want to imbue within the creature. The creature will mirror your inner soul." Aria explained as she helped stabilize the glyph.

Naruto decided to delve deep into his subconscious as he poured his energy into the glyph. He was imagining a being in mind to be his familiar and because of how long he's been with Eva he was starting to visualize a small humanoid creature as his companion. At least that was supposed to be how he wanted it to stay. Naruto's deep meditative status was bringing up the deepest attributes of his soul as the shape in his mind was transforming to be more animal like. The size of it remained relatively small but the shape was no longer humanoid like he first wanted it.

The next to come was his overwhelming affinity to Ice Style and cold temperatures. The clearing was noticeably getting colder as this was the part of the ritual where Naruto and Eva's attributes would be accounted for the most. A large dosage of Naruto's potent chakra flooded into the glyph as well as more and more features were being added. A small cyan colored sphere of light was floating above the glyph and it was the physical manifestation of all of the attributes being poured into it.

' _My chakra is being depleted so fast. I used up quite a lot during my spar with Shoko and now this thing is sucking up a huge ton of it.'_ Naruto complained in his mind as his reserves were draining and an alarming rate. "The drain on your energy is going to be pretty noticeable master, but it should be ok. Next add your blood to the mix so that you can permanently bind this creature to you." Aria instructed over the loud wail of rushing wind. Doing as instructed Naruto cut open his palm to which a noticeable trail of blood poured into the circle dying it a cherry red.

The sphere in the middle of the glyph started to mutate in response to Naruto's blood as an animalistic silhouette could be seen deep within the sphere taking shape. "Alright Master! It's working!" Aria cheered as she both read about and witnessed this ceremony take place in the past before she met Naruto. She was confident he could pull it off once he got older and she was happy that she ended up being right.

But that was when things took a noticeable nose dive. _'Wait a minute. This chakra that's being pulled out…! It's the Nine Tails!'_ Naruto started to panic once his chakra reserves depleted. Instead of its flow to the circle being cut off like he thought it would it kept going and this time it wasn't his chakra feeding into the glyph anymore. It was his Tailed Beast's.

Iris suddenly bolted up from Naruto's lap in panic as her eyes turned a radiating emerald green. "Daddy! Cut the flow of energy now! It's the Nine Tails!" Iris yelled as she tried to pull Naruto away from the magic circle. It would seem once his chakra was depleted the glyph required another source of energy to continue powering it. It wasn't yet complete like Aria first thought. As soon as Iris shouted out her warning Shoko was up in an instant. She grabbed onto Naruto's shoulders and immediately started to pull but Naruto was magically being grounded to the magic circle on the ground.

"I can't move! Eva take the girls and get back now!" Naruto shouted before he started to scream in pain. Red chakra started to pour out of his body before solidifying into a solid cloak. Bubbles started to appear on the surface of the cloak as well as an evil aura filled the air. A large bubbly tail sprouted from Naruto's tailbone while on top of his head two long rabbit like ears of chakra flailed in the air. _'He's already progressed to a Version 1 state! This is bad! What's going on?!'_ Shoko panicked as her skin was starting to burn from being in contact with the corrosive and poisonous chakra.

"NARU!" Eva was blown away when the solid cloak took form as she couldn't correct herself against the powerful winds with her tiny wings. Iris was blown off her feet while Chaos skidded across the ground trying to hold her ground. The tiny terror was launched off her feet when a second tail sprouted from Naruto's back. Iris seeing her sister in trouble jumped in the way of Chaos's path and caught her before she could hit a large boulder near the edge of the clearing. "Aria seal the area off!" Shoko shouted as she was starting to struggle with holding Naruto down. The power rolling off of him was intense. _'It's the magic circle. Naruto's chakra system is so diverse that the Nine Tails can simply slip its chakra passed the 8 trigram seals protection and escape into the glyph. It's piggybacking off of the fact Naruto's seal is only designed to be powered by chakra. It wasn't designed to be powered by other energy types.'_ Coming to this conclusion Shoko realized she would need to be far more careful in the future with Naruto's training. _'Of all the times for Master Jiraiya not to be here!'_

" **Barrier!"** Aria was feeling extremely guilty right now as she felt this situation was her entire fault. Releasing her power, a light blue transparent shield rose up into the air surrounding the entire area in a protective dome. _'I need to seal off this power.'_ Aria was determined to correct her mistake as she charged up her power even more. **"Imprison!"** A small white outline appeared around Naruto's body which started to cause the Nine Tails chakra to recede. _'I think it's working.'_ Aria hoped as she was pouring a lot of energy into suppressing the evil chakra leaking out of Naruto's body.

"Why is so much chakra leaking out?!" Naruto growled as this was not something he was expecting to happen. It's incredibly rare for him to run out of chakra to the point he would reach exhaustion. The only times the Nine Tail's Chakra has come out was under extreme situations of anger and stress. He's never been able to call upon the strongest tailed beast chakra on his own. "It's the magic circle. The Nine Tails is trying to escape through the glyph. I've got to get you to break that connection." Shoko yelled as she used her deceptive strength to pull Naruto back away from the glyph that was absorbing all of the corrosive red chakra pouring out of the Uzumaki's body.

Shoko was silently berating herself as she should have foreseen this. The drain on a person's reserves is immense when they go through the process of either creating or binding themselves for the very first time. She should have anticipated the consequences. Shoko's heart nearly stopped when a third tail sprouted from Naruto's back. _'NO! If I don't stop this right now then Naruto will die. I can't let any more of its chakra leak out_.' Shoko panicked as this was the worst-case scenario. The chakra was leaking out at a rapid pace for one simple reason. Naruto didn't have any of his own chakra left to power his Jinchūriki seal. Shoko was going to end this right here and now. She couldn't let this continue, especially after the heartfelt conversation she just shared with Naruto.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" Shoko yelled as the entire training ground felt the crushing presence of Shoko's chakra explode from her body. It was an unprecedented amount of power rolling off of the older woman in waves as she slammed her hands down onto Naruto's shoulders. The ground beneath his feet caved in under the immense force of Shoko's raw power. _'I can barely think… but this chakra. It's Shoko's and its enormous. It skyrocketed higher than mines right now.'_ Naruto thought in a shocked manner as even though he was barely conscious of his own actions at the moment he still had some awareness of his surroundings to note the fact that Shoko's chakra spiked to levels she's never displayed around him before.

A light purple aura of chakra was surrounding Shoko's body as she brute forced Naruto to lay down on the ground against his will. The three tails of solid chakra waving around his body were slapping into Shoko's body but the woman didn't care as she gritted her teeth through the pain. _'I have to use that seal. If I can get it on him then this will all be over.'_ Shoko thought as she took one hand off of Naruto to concentrate chakra into that one palm. She was holding Naruto down with one hand alone.

"Chaos get ready to disrupt that thing." Iris called out as she poured her energy into her sister. Chaos looked back in surprise at her sister who had a look of seriousness on her face. The immense power rolling off of both Naruto and Shoko right now was causing Aria's barrier to fail as cracks could be seen on the constantly vibrating surface due to the pulsating waves of energy crashing into it every few seconds. Knowing Aria's barrier was going to fail and let the two powerful Shinobi's chakra tear up the area Iris placed her hand on the surface of the containment barrier. Channeling her power into it Iris enhanced the barrier causing it to turn from a translucent blue to a radiating golden hue.

Grabbing Chaos's arm Iris wound back as she was going to throw her twin through the opening in the shield she just created so that the magic circle could be destroyed. "You know what to do." Iris said as her eyes flashed a powerful emerald color. Sōkyoku had her own plan in mind.

At the same time as this Shoko was preparing her own technique as she slammed her hand into the ground right besides Naruto causing a large sealing array to spread out across the ground. No one especially Naruto could hear the name of the technique Shoko just used due to the loud howling of the gale force winds rippling off of Naruto's body but the others could see what affect it had. The sealing array was unlike anything those present had ever seen before as it spiraled out from underneath Shoko's palm in the overarching shape of a large spiral.

Inside the thick bands of ink creating the spirals were individual kanji and symbols that made up the sealing array and they were all densely packed themselves together to arranged themselves in the form of the rapidly growing spiral. It was at this moment that Iris threw her sister through the barrier as Chaos unfurled her wings. The moment that Shoko's mysterious seal was complete was the same second that not only was the summoning glyph nearing completion but also the very second Chaos grabbed a hold of the sphere floating above the magic circle.

Chaos pumped her energy and that of Iris's into the sphere completely overriding the glyph below them with the immensely potent energy from the two supernatural beings. Shoko's seal took an immediate effect as the chakra leaking out of Naruto's body came to a screeching halt. All of the chakra escaping from Naruto's body as well as the magic glyph itself converted into pure energy as it was sucked down into the spiral like design of the sealing array. The sphere within Chaos's hands began to distort as if space and time itself was breaking.

A massive explosion of energy rippled out from this amalgamation of events that nearly tore through the enhanced shield Iris and Aria put up. The young princess was blown off her feet by the backlash of the explosion but otherwise remained ok. It took a while but the dust eventually settled with the Uzumaki family coming back into focus. Naruto was completely and utterly unconscious deep within the crater the explosion caused with Shoko being shown to be knocked back towards the perimeter of the crater with Aria in the same predicament on the opposite side. Both women were banged up and bruised with Shoko fairing a little better due to her superior durability and the fact she had herself amped up by the release of her potent chakra. Aria on the other hand was also knocked out and in worst shape as the witch isn't known for her great durability.

Chaos was laying down near Naruto's prone form also knocked out while somehow letting out her perpetual giggles in a soft tone. How that was possible is unknown but was in plain sight of Iris and Eva who were the only two fully conscious and heavily alert members of the family still standing. Shoko was also conscious but you could easily see she was disoriented and would need a minute to recover, but to her credit that minute would be over quickly. The two blond haired supernatural girls of the family were about to render aid to their downed family members but that moment wouldn't come as Yūago's full ANBU Platoon showed up at the perimeter of the crater with Jiraiya and Hiruzen himself dressed in his combat attire standing at the front of the crowd being accompanied by the ever stoic and intimidating ANBU Commander himself with his special chrome covered silver mask reflecting off of the sun that was only now starting to peek through the storm clouds summoned earlier by Naruto's errant power.

"Uh oh." That was all Iris could say as the look on the grownups faces were not pleasant in the slightest.

* * *

 _ **Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves Shinobi Hospital and Psychiatric/Rehabilitation Center**_

"You just had to end up in the hospital, didn't you?" Eva's heavily concerned voice growled out as it was being overshadowed by her annoyance and dissatisfaction with their current predicament. Naruto was gazing back at her with an equal amount of worry and shame as he had chakra burns across most of his body. The corrosive chakra from the Nine Tails within him was burning his skin by the time he started to reach the third tail in the same manner as Shoko's hands when she touched him.

"I'm sorry Eva, I already said that the last 10 times since waking up." Naruto replied back with the same amount as sincerity as the first time he said it but an inflection of exhaustion could be detected within this latest apology. Eva let out an aggravated huff as she flew circles around her partner's head. "Well sorry isn't good enough for the heart attack you gave me. How is it that we were just simply training and you almost die in a catastrophic way?" Eva berated in anger as she sent a scathing glare to her other half who looked away in shame. What was worst being the fact Naruto could see that there was no real anger within Eva's eyes. Deep down within them he could easily see the fear and sadness swimming in tandem. She was truly worried about him. Nothing as crazy as this has ever happened to them before, especially within such a safe and controlled environment.

"If you get checked out tonight you're sleeping on the couch!" Eva huffed as she whipped her body around to face Aria who was in a hospital bed next to Naruto's. "As for you Aria you're grounded for life! I don't even know where to begin with how quickly this situation spiraled out of control." Eva raged as she was especially angry with Aria for suggesting this method of practice. She wasn't truly angry with the witch as she knew that the physic couldn't possibly know this would happen and she most certainly didn't plan it but that didn't mean Eva couldn't direct her fluctuating emotions at her.

Aria didn't dare look up as she knew she was in the wrong. Even if it wasn't necessarily her fault and the training exercise was seemingly harmless in application that didn't mean the witch still shouldn't have used caution. Naruto's ability to conjure up and use magic in any applicable form has been very limited over the years. His overreliance on his Chakra and Yōki and the tremulous balance of multiple energies within his body made it a very difficult branch of techniques to grasp.

"Eva, I'll make this up to you I promise… look the most important thing right now is that everyone is ok and not seriously hurt. Old man Third already banned us from messing around with magic anymore so we don't have to worry about something like this happening again. We already got into enough trouble with him to last us a lifetime." Naruto said as he tried to reach out and grab Eva to hold her. Seeing this the little fairy stayed just out of his reach. "Whatever, I'm out of here. Since we're in the hospital I might as well go visit Hinata." Eva dismissed as she flew out of the window to their room. Going through the hallways were a sure-fire way to being seen. The security system for the hospital was keyed into her existence since the duo end up within the hospital on numerous occasions and ANBU Captain Shark likes to cut the Uzumaki team a break.

"Ouch… it looks like you're in the dog house." Shoko winced from her bed across from Naruto. She would be fully healed in a few hours as she was taking her time slowly healing all of her injuries by herself. She chose to stay within the hospital with Naruto and the others since she had nothing better to do. She was already chewed out by Jiraiya and Hiruzen for letting that incident happen under her watch; and the older woman had no intention of venturing outside the safety of her hospital room to deal with the two old men again in a potential round two scenario.

Naruto grimaced as he knew Eva was angry at him. He would need to talk to her later tonight. He was going to get chewed out by her more later and he wasn't looking forward to it. As for Eva, she flew a level up to the third story of the building where she knew Hinata's room window to be. She just wanted to relax and see how the Hyūga heiress was doing.

* * *

 _ **Hinata's Room**_

"… I think you'll make a full recovery soon at this pace. Then we can go shopping and hangout." Henrietta's voice could be heard as she had a fashion magazine in her hand opened to the latest trends. "Yeah, I'd like that as well. We could go to that new store that just opened up a few weeks ago." Hinata replied back with a smile as she pointed out some of the beautiful dresses in the book. Hinata's health was steadily improving physically wise but emotionally she was still hurt very deeply by what her cousin did and said to her.

It hurt a lot. She hasn't seen Neji since her match with him and from what her father told her Neji received harsh punishment from Hiashi himself and a select few elders. Harming the Hyūga Heiress in such a way is more harmful to the clan regardless of how some of the elders feel about her and her skills. She wanted nothing more than for her family to be complete and for her to have a strong relationship with her very own cousin but he was dead set against it.

"I hear Sasuke was released from the hospital a while ago. He began training with mister Kakashi." Henrietta conversed as she heard that from the hospital staff. "He'll probably get real strong by the time the finals roll around. I hope I get better enough to see them." Hinata hoped as she really wanted to attend the finals and cheer on all of her friends. "I hope so too. How are you feeling health wise?" Henrietta asked as she leaned back in her chair. This was by far the easiest mission she was ever given. Just watch over Hinata and make sure she was ok. It had all of the perks she could ever want. She was just hanging out with her friend in a more casual sense.

"I'm feeling a lot better these days but my heart is still feeling pretty heavy. It also feels a little strange." Hinata said with a frown as she placed a hand over her heart. It's heart beat was stronger than she could ever remember it being and she also felt an unknown presence in it. It was completely faint and she often argued that it was just simply a figment of her imagination, but she also couldn't help the feeling that something was different about her.

"The doctors couldn't figure out anything that's wrong with you so maybe you should ask Naruto the next time he stops by." Henrietta suggested as she thought of all the possibilities that could be wrong with her best friend. Henrietta was a smart girl so she was thinking more along the lines that during the fight between Hinata and Neji there was something more going on behind the scenes. There was more than meets the eye to Hinata's injury. Hinata agreed to this as she herself had small little theories brewing in the back of her mind, but she'd rather speak with her friend and confirm it then go off of pure speculation. That wouldn't bring her the answers she wants.

Before anything else could be said between the girls a knock on the door resonated throughout the room. The two 12-year-olds looked at each other in confusion before announcing for the person to walk in. The person to walk through the door nearly caused Hinata's heart to stop as the beeping of the heart monitor next to her bed could attest to.

"Neji!" Hinata wasn't expecting the boy she was just thinking about to step through the door. Her cousin had his scowl well in place as he turned to spot Henrietta getting up from her chair. "What are you doing here Neji?" Hinata asked in a slight tone of nervousness. She felt extremely vulnerable right now being constricted to her hospital bed with tubes and monitors attached to her body. If any situation were to occur she wouldn't be able to defend herself at all.

"I just came to inform you dear cousin that our feud isn't over. I don't know how you achieved the skill that you displayed in our fight but I want you to know that it was nothing more than a fluke. I'm still far more powerful than you." Neji sneered as he glared a hole into Hinata's skull. The heiress pulled away from this glare as it was just as potent as ever. "I also wanted to let you know that as punishment for what I did to you the elders saw fit to repeatedly activate the curse mark on my head. They said it was to remind me of my place compared to you." Neji seethed as Hinata could see the tell-tale signs of repeated use of the curse mark on Neji's face. Around his eyes and the little that she could see of his forehead was red and his veins were much more noticeable. Not to the degree it would look like if his Byakugan was active but it was close.

"Oh Neji… I never wanted any of that…" Hinata began to say as she did not know any of this. All her father told her was that he would receive an appropriate punishment. In retrospect, she should have known the elders would resort to using the mark on him. It made her sick to her stomach to know that they would use it so freely even if technically the circumstances were justified.

"Shut it! I don't want to hear any of your apologies. You'll learn one of these days that we can't escape our destinies. I've resigned myself to the fact I'll forever be burdened to serve you and the wretched main house and yet here you are always preaching about how you want to improve and better yourself. Everytime you seemingly advance, and you display this sickening act of progression it only causes me more grieve!" Neji snarled as he didn't want to hear any of Hinata's apologies. They meant nothing to him.

"Are you done, was that all you came here to say?" Henrietta butted in as she sent her own glare to Neji who looked as if he was only now just noticing her presence. "And who are you supposed to be?" Neji's question was blunt and very straight to the point. Henrietta narrowed her eyes at this clear lack of respect but she moved passed it. "I'm Hinata's best friend and quite frankly I'm already tired of your presence here. I want you to leave." The honey brown haired girl dismissed with a firm tone as she wouldn't just stand by and let Neji talk down to Hinata in this way. Form the way she saw it he only came here to brag and complain. It was distasteful behavior in her opinion.

"You'll do well to watch your tongue girl." Neji retorted with an edge to his voice as he sent a scathing glare towards Henrietta who didn't back down. "Leave." Henrietta was direct and to the point as she felt nothing else needed to be said. She's used to dealing with belligerent individuals all her life since she works at the casino and sometimes have to throw people out. Despite her shy demeanor she was never afraid of any confrontation, it was bred into her through her intense life as a mafia agent. Neji narrowed his eyes at the chestnut colored girl who stepped protectively in front of Hinata's bed. "Neji just go. I don't want any trouble." Hinata said as her heart was beating out of her chest in nervousness. It was actually quite painful since her heart was in a weaken state right now. She would need an aspirin after this. The heart monitor sitting next to her bed was beeping louder and in quicker repetitions as evidence of this fact.

"All I see when I look at you is a privileged and spoiled little brat. Even when you're in the hospital you feel the need to surround yourself with others to protect you. You're pathetically weak it's sickening." Neji ranted in a clearly disgusted voice as he could barely even look at Hinata without feeling disgruntled.

Hinata felt a huge pang of both emotional and physical pain in her heart from what Neji just told her as Hinata subtly grimaced in pain. "Neji it's not a weakness to be surrounded by those who love and care for you. It only means you were strong enough to gain those bonds." Hinata fired back in a brief surge of defiance. The pain that flared in her chest reminded her of how she ended up in the hospital in the first place and the unprecedented level of courage and strength she showed back then. She willed herself to snatch a glimpse of that previous strength to defend herself against Neji's verbal onslaught.

Neji felt it again. That pain that stabs him in the chest whenever Hinata fires back with her words. He never wants to admit it but her words sting him and hits him in his philosophies. "I don't want to hear that coming from you!" Neji growled as he involuntarily took a step forward menacingly. He raised his palm which was bursting with his chakra up with rage clearly illuminating his eyes as his killing intent spiked out unrestrained.

Henrietta moved in seconds as she grabbed Neji's hand before even he could react, she wrenched his arm behind his back as she got him in a classic yet highly effective submission lock. _'What!? Such strength and speed!'_ Neji was shocked that this random girl was able to react and move faster than him within the such a short span of time. The strength surprised him most of all since he couldn't see any muscles on her. "How dare you! Let go of me!" Neji raged as his Byakugan came on automatically in response to him being put into a combat situation.

With his Byakugan on Neji gasped as he took a look at Henrietta with his x-ray vision. He saw that not every part of her was organic. He saw metallic materials in numerous parts of her body and mainly in her bone structures. "What are you?" Neji couldn't help but ask as he's never seen anything like this before. Henrietta couldn't help but flinch at this as her self-consciousness came back with a vengeance. Seeing any opportunity to reverse his situation now that his sudden opponent was distracted the Hyūga prodigy pushed up with all his strength throwing Henrietta off of her balance. In seconds Neji managed to get back to his feet with his oppressor now stumbling over her feet.

Growling in anger Neji went to attack Henrietta with a full powered Gentle Fist strike which would certainly kill her if it hit her since she has a detrimental weakness to internal chakra based attacks. This would have happened until Neji's palm started to freeze almost instantly. "What's going on here?" A very familiar voice spoke up with an extremely territorial and dark edge to its tone. Everyone turned their heads to the window to see Eva floating in the air with an extremely pissed off look on her face. "It's you… I've been meaning to find out what you are?" Neji spoke while subtlety looking at his hand. It was frigid cold and the Hyūga prodigy could honestly say he's never felt anything quite like this.

"Stay away from them." Eva growled in a defensive manner as frost started to build up around the room. "It would appear that Naruto Uzumaki surrounds himself with strange individuals. How typical of him." Neji sneered as he examined Eva with his Byakugan. He was secretly amazed at what he saw in her. He couldn't properly describe it but a strange power source was centered around her navel and he was surprised he could see it since it reminded him of the strange phenomenon that Hinata was displaying.

Hearing the blatant insult to her other half Eva growled as her instincts which were normally domesticated were starting to revert back to their more demonic influences. "Who or what are you?" Neji questioned in morbid curiosity as he's never seen anything like her. He caught his first glimpse of her back in the arena at the end of his fight with Hinata but it was to hectic for him to say anything about it.

"I'm Hinata's girlfriend!" Eva shouted back which threw Neji for a loop. Out of all the possible responses in the world he was expecting to hear; then what Eva just shouted was definitely not one of them. Hinata's face erupted into a massive blush that threatened to burn her face off. She wasn't expecting her tiny quote on quote girlfriend to shout something so embarrassing out like that in the middle of such a serious situation, but that was what Eva was banking on. It was all meant as a distraction as the tiny experienced Winter Fairy made her move that was being fueled and amped by her more demonic instincts. In an instant Eva had Neji slammed against the wall with a powerful blast of water that quickly transitioned to ice.

"I'm only going to say this to you once human. Stay away from Hinata and the rest of my family. She's mine and belongs to me…" Eva growled out in a more possessive and defensive manner as her normally expressive blue eyes turned a demonic scarlet red. Her wings which were normally golden were turning a sickly charcoal black. A new phenomenon to occur was the fact a single streak in her hair was starting to turn a stark snow white. This has never happened before but now a single small lock of hair was now white instead of blond.

Neji felt a well of fear creep into his heart as he was feeling the full brunt of Eva's potent killing intent. She's had enough of Neji's attitude. He may not have known it but she was right there hiding in plain sight for all these years as Neji would constantly berate and talk down to both Naruto and Hinata and it would always take every ounce of self-control and restraint she had not to just simply lash out at him. Now was a different story. She was clearly unhinged today due to the crazy incident that occurred earlier. She wasn't in the mood to have anyone cross her.

"… if you come anywhere near her again I will kill you. Are we clear?" Eva threatened with her voice deepening to a darker tone as she lowered the temperature of the ice surrounding Neji's body to the point hypothermia would certainly set in very soon. Neji's eyes showed a look of defiance in them but he didn't come here to start a fight or get into one. Fighting of any kind within the hospital was strictly forbidden and the ANBU would certainly get wind of it if he were to escalate the situation any further.

"I understand…" Neji said slowly between his teeth as he struggled to even say those words. It was a bitter pill for him to swallow. Seeing this, Eva released her hold on Neji's body as the boy pried himself off of the cold wall. Backing away slowly while still maintaining his glare Neji headed for the door. He knew this wasn't the time or place to have such a confrontation. Especially against two unknown opponents with strange abilities. The coldness he was feeling all across his body wasn't helping matters either as he was finding it extremely difficult to move his limbs. The amount of frost built up on them was ridiculous.

"This isn't over between us Hinata…" Neji seethed as he had nothing else he could possibly say. In his eyes Hinata just kept on getting more and more protection and special treatment. It bothered him down to the depths of his soul. A lightning fast icicle shard blew past his cheek while cutting off a lock of his hair before burying itself into the wall behind Neji's head. The culprit was obviously Eva but the look on her face was anything but pleasant. "Trust me, it's over alright." Eva insisted as she watched Neji deliver one final glare before quickly sliding out of the room.

The entire room grew quiet for nearly a minute as no one said a word or moved. The weight of the entire ordeal finally hit Eva as she slowly teetered out of the air, the fairy aimed her descent until she crashed landed onto Hinata's chest who was worried for her pseudo girlfriend. "Eva are you ok?" The winter fairy groaned in mental exhaustion as she also let out a sigh. "I'm fine I guess. Today's been one hectic day. I'm just glad you guys are ok." Eva said as she sprawled out her body across the surface area of Hinata's chest. The Hyūga heiress was growing to be well endowed compared to all the other girls of her age group as the hospital gown she was wearing had a small but noticeable stretch mark in the area of her chest.

"I've never seen you that angry before Eva, what was that back there?" Henrietta noted as she sat down next to Hinata's bed once again. "I don't know… maybe it's my time of the month or something." Eva shot back with a crass response which caused mortified blushes to spread across both Hinata's and Henrietta's faces. "Eva! You can't say such things so freely. It's unlady like." Hinata reprimanded with embarrassment written in big bold letters painted across her face. Her voice had a tremor in it as she couldn't even properly speak.

"I don't care… sue me." Eva mumbled while pressing her face down into the fabric of Hinata's shirt. "Eva, what happened today. You don't seem to be in a good mood?" Henrietta pointed out as she could tell that Eva wasn't ok even before she intervened with Neji. "Ugh… what didn't happen today. Stupid Naru and Aria tried to do something stupid and now he's in the hospital a floor below us for being stupid and…" Eva began to rant as she kept repeating the word stupid in emphasis for how she currently felt.

Hearing this the two girls grilled Eva on what she knew which the little fairy slowly revealed as she thought it would be a great way to release the stress she was currently under. It took nearly thirty minutes to explain as many questions and answers were mixed into the retelling of the earlier incident. By the time it was all over the girls had fully digested everything and was just sitting around relaxing. They even spoke about Neji to which Eva quickly wanted a change in subject. She didn't want to break anything by accident in anger if she heard anything about that boy.

It was during this peace and quiet that Hinata took a look at Eva and noticed something for the first time.

"Eva, you have a white streak in your hair… how did that happen?" Evangeline perked up at this as she pulled on the massive bundle she calls her hair. Pulling on a thick lock the fairy brought it up in front of her face and sure enough it was a beautiful glossy white compared to the rich golden blonde color the rest of her hair is. The white color even reached down to the roots. "Holy crap… I don't know how… wait a minute. Could it be…?" Eva began in shock as she was going to quickly dismiss the notion of knowing how this strange phenomenon came to be but in the very back of her mind a stray memory came to mind that caused her to take a drastic pause. She remembered something. Something extremely important.

"Eva, what is it. Do you know what's going on?" Hinata asked once she saw the expression on Evangeline's face take a dramatic change. The girls face went slightly pale. The winter fairy looked up into the lavender colored eyes of her best friend with a variable bottle of emotions mixing together in a melting pot. It was a look of deep seeded emotional pain and turmoil.

"I need to speak to Naru about this as soon as possible."

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location**_

It was a land unseen before by the eyes of our main characters in an entirely different land. Its climate was extremely cold and barren of most modern civilization. The closest one was miles away to the north. It was a land with its own rich history and secrets that would surely be revealed in time. All was normal except for one tiny anomaly.

The entire area was covered in hills and forests filled with snow as a stormed raged out of control above. In a small alcove underneath a large hill a rippling distortion breached the air above the ground disturbing the surrounding area and the nature within it. The power rolling out of the ripple was immense as it kicked up the snow and pushed back the winds from the snowstorm around it. A bright cyan colored like illuminated the world around it as an energy sphere dropped out of the distortion in the air and plummeted nearly 20 feet to the snow-covered ground below. The world soon settled down after this as the distortion disappeared leaving the area in the state it was in before with just the snow storm raging overhead as the only source of nature's disturbance.

All was quiet until the snow where the energy sphere had landed started to shift and move as if something was underneath the surface trying to break free. It was nearly impossible to see with the amount of snow covering the area but a head popped out of the snow with a pair of eyes soon opening up for the first time to the new world around it. Two pure white vertically slit pupils took in everything around it as the dark blue sclera of its eyes contrasted the white snow around it.

The unknown creature let out a low predatory like growl. A new creature never before seen in this world's history was just born.

* * *

 ** _To be continued..._**

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Kenjutsu: Hazard Blade Dance -** Shoko's signature technique. Shoko's sword gains a purplish hue to it as she performs an intricate and complex sequence of maneuvers that allows the user to rapidly slice an opponent or object at great speed. Another thing to note is the fact Shoko's blade is vibrating at a low but powerful frequency that expels a jarring force whenever it comes into contact with any object.

2.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance -** Naruto's own version of Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

3.) **Kenjutsu: Hazard Slice -** An upgrade and advanced form of the  One Slice technique the user swings their sword at such a high rate of speed that a shockwave forms and blows back anything in the vicinity. In addition, clean razor-sharp cuts appear on anything caught in the swing of the sword. This technique is actually the follow up combo technique to Shoko's Hazard Blade Dance hence the similarity in name.

4.) **Kenjutsu: X - Scissor -** A technique that Naruto created that allows Naruto to cut an opponent in an X formation leaving an x-shaped scar across the user's body. For ease of use it works best when duel wielding. Naruto can also launch pure shockwaves or chakra enhanced shockwaves using this technique to its full potential. He can also launch blades of chakra or other forms of elemental chakra at an opponent as well. The technique is a good platform for Naruto to unleash supplementary attacks.

5.) **Acceleration -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.

6.) **Accel Punch -** The only known technique of _Acceleration_. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

7.) **Fūinjutsu: Concussive Barrier -** A sealing technique that creates a green translucent barrier that as the name suggest will bounce attacks back in a concussive wave or take attacks that have concussive properties. However, it can be said that this is not the strongest barrier that Shoko can create. It was destroyed by the little witch Aria with relative ease.

8.) **Barrier -** A technique Aria uses that creates a translucent blue barrier that can block basic attacks. The barrier itself isn't a very powerful one at its base level. At its weakest, it can only stop a full powered attack from a C or B rank shinobi or roughly a Chūnin level, to very low level Jōnin ninja. In order for it to be truly powerful Aria must focus her will and psychic powers into the barrier to power it up to a higher level. Its maximum strength is predetermined by Aria's will and the amount of psychic energy she has left.

9.) **Imprison -** Imprison is a special move of Aria's that allows her to seal away the ability for her target to use a specific attack, attribute, energy source, or basic bodily function. Also, Aria can block any move made against her but the drawback is that if she seals away the ability for her enemy to use that technique against her she can no longer use _Imprison_ until after her enemy is dead or defeated and she can safely remove her seal along with the fact that she will constantly have to supply a small portion of her energy to powering the technique constantly.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? This chapter was huge and a very important one. Hiruzen and the government are on the move with Dino firmly backing them as a massive manhunt ensues for Kabuto while the rest of the village has it's security beefed up.

Shoko and Naruto continue to spar and train as Naruto works hard to develop this new variant on his signature ability. It comes to an end when Shoko brings Naruto in close to discuss what happened when the girls brought home those explicit magazines. She opens up to Naruto and reveals her sexuality as well as some of her history, with a specific focus on the dynamic relationship she shares with Anko. This was the scene to bring resolution and closure to the abrupt and definitely shocking reveal two chapters ago. This scene also served the purpose of bringing Shoko and Naruto firmly together and solidifying the nature of their relationship. They now know how they view each other.

Aria brings up a new training method to help Naruto with his struggles in the Summoning Jutsu. Having a familiar. If anyone has watched High School DxD then the whole lore explanation that I had Aria give Naruto should not be lost on you as this world is connected to the High School DxD universe. It is a part of the crossover. It also harkens back to the actual name of the story. [War of the World's Trilogy]. Of course I tweaked it a bit and added to the information given but that's to be expected.

It all takes a nosedive however when the Nine Tails chakra leaks out and escapes into the glyph. The glyph needs a tremendous amounts of energy to function so that it can completely scan the user's soul and all attributes associated with it so that it can make the perfect familiar for the user that properly reflects its soul. The problem came when the Nine Tails chakra started to escape into the glyph. Aria immediately tries to fix her mistake in this as she goes to suppress Naruto while Shoko for the very first time displays almost her full power as she completely dominates a three tailed cloak Naruto and holds him down with one hand.

Iris has other plans as she literally throws Chaos into the mix where the tiny terror disrupts the connection between Naruto and the magic circle long enough for Shoko's mysterious and unknown seal to do its work.

It's easy to see that Naruto and the others end up in the hospital with Naruto himself ending up in the dog house with Eva as she was hysterical at the fact he could have died. We also get an update to Hinata's condition as she notes some bizarre feelings regarding her health. Sasuke is out of the hospital and is training with Kakashi so expect to see the fruits of his labor at the finals just like in the manga/anime.

It again takes a turn for the worst when Neji shows up to Hinata's room to show her the results of his punishment in regards to what he did to her in their match. The clan elders tortured him by repeatedly using the curse mark on his forehead and judging by his attitude he was not happy in the least.

Henrietta makes it known that she won't sit back and let Neji do as he pleases as she demonstrates a small dosage of her skills and strength by being able to outmatch Neji for a brief moment just long enough to subdue him. A full powered Gentle Fist strike to Henrietta or any of the other girls from section 2 would currently kill them due to their unique and fragile physiology.

The chapter comes to a close as Eva makes her appearance and dominates Neji in a matter of seconds with her instincts acting up. Eva displays her more possessive and demonic side which shows a new physical feature. A lock of Eva's hair has turned snow white. What could this possibly mean? Only time will tell.

The chapter ends with the birth of something new. A mysterious and unknown creature. The future will feel the ramifications off all of these events in the weeks, months, and years to come.

* * *

Next Chapter: _**Chapter 54 (The Chief Toad)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 53 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 8/5/2017


	55. CH: 54 The Chief Toad

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back yet again with another chapter. We got a lot to unpack in this chapter with a lot of comical moments and more antics of Jiraiya's perversion. As the name of the chapter implies Naruto meets Gamabunta the Chief Toad but what will their relationship be like? Read on and find out.

Without further delay... sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 54

 _ **The Chief Toad**_

"Naru… we need to talk." Eva's nervous filled voice spoke out the next morning. True enough to her words Naruto was sleeping on the couch with a simple blanket covering his form for the night. He was released from the hospital with only a diagnosis of Severe Chakra Exhaustion. Normally a person would need to be held in the hospital for a week at the very least under heavy supervision due to the inherent dangers of chakra exhaustion, but due to Naruto's status of being the Nine Tails Jinchūriki host his chakra was already starting to recover to the point it left the red zone. He could legally check himself out at this point since he was within healthy limits.

The hospital itself had a policy that prevented a patient or a relative of a patient to check themselves or them out of the hospital if their health was in the red zone. It was a healthcare act that was made into law to prevent the unnecessary death or further injury of a sick patient if they were to leave the hospital without being properly healed. This law was village wide and applied to both the specialized Shinobi Hospital and the general Civilian Hospital. This law has actually brought down the total number of deaths and injuries within the village since its inception by a staggering 38%. Even government officials and the Hokage himself have to abide by this law when it concerns the very lives of patients under the care of the hospital.

Hearing the tone of nervousness and uncertainty within his other half's voice Naruto immediately sat up in the couch as all traces of his tiredness washed away. "Eva what's wrong? Did something happen?" Naruto questioned as he was sensing a lot of turmoil within his partner at the moment. In fact, he was sensing it from yesterday when she came back to his hospital room but he had just chalked it up to her still being mad at him but now he was certain it was something else entirely.

"Naru look…" Eva said nervously as she reached into the massive curtain she calls her hair and pulled out a certain lock of hair. "Oh my god… Eva your hair is white?! What happened?" Naruto's mind was immediately going a million miles an hour as he tried in vain to understand what was going on. Eva has never expressed any desire to dye her hair a different color or stylized it in such a fashion so Naruto instantly crossed that possibility out. Looking at it he could tell right away that it was all natural due to the hair being white all the way down to its roots and the way the color is shaded in on each individual hair follicle.

"Naru… remember the vision we shared back in the Forest of Death… the one that showed us the memory of the night I lost my family…" Eva slowly iterated as she herself was trying to wrap her brain around the only plausible explanation to their current worry. It took Naruto a second but he did recall that memory in vivid detail as it finally dawned on him. "Your mother… we saw your mother Eva and when she gave you that strange stone to save your life she mentioned the fact you'll gain white streaks in your hair just like her if you used to much of that power." Naruto recalled as it all made sense now. Eva confirmed this with a shake of her head as she bunched up the white hair within her small fist.

"Exactly… I can feel it Naru. I feel different now. Yesterday Neji showed up in Hinata's room and was in the middle of attacking Henrietta. I stepped in and stopped him but while doing so I felt so much rage and anger. I referred to him as a human and threatened to kill him. Not to mention I sounded so possessive of Hinata when I mentioned her. I've never referred to anyone as _'human'_ in such a feral way before." Eva explained in a mixture of panic and uncertainty. She's used the word _'human'_ before a few times over the years but never was she in such a feral state before to use it in a demeaning way. This was totally out of character for her whose much more domesticated and civilized. Almost more humanized in a sense.

"Wait… hold on a minute… Neji attacked Henrietta and Hinata in the hospital yesterday?!" Naruto exclaimed as his eyes glowed in ethereal white. His power was starting to ripple out a bit from his anger and soon enough they were even starting to turn scarlet red from the Nine Tails influence but Eva quickly managed to bring the overprotective and enraged Uzumaki back under control.

"I know it's bad Naru, but I managed to scare him off. He won't try a stunt like that again I promise. I already took care of it and added Rico to the little assignment you gave Henrietta. Triela is with Victor out of the village right now and everyone else is busy. I asked Jose to take some time off to spend it at the hospital with Henrietta. He agreed so no one is getting near Hinata again." Eva quickly explained in a way to pacify her paranoid soul mate. She knew telling him about Neji's actions would upset him greatly but it needed to be done. Especially since they were talking about such an important personal topic.

"I'm going to kill him…" Naruto growled out between his teeth. This was crossing the line; a line Naruto would defend even to his death. No one messes with those closest to him. When he sees Neji the next time there will be hell to pay. "We will beat him when the finals come Eva. He's not walking away from this." Naruto declared in resolution as he clenched his fist with his blood boiling within his veins.

"We'll beat him Naru… but what are we going to do about this?" Eva insisted as she pulled on her white locks of hair. Seeing the distress his partner was under Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself down. He'd brood over what he'd do to Neji later but right now he had to be there for Eva. She was more important to him at the moment. "I don't know Eva, this worries me too. That strange power is starting to affect you now of all times. After all these years it's finally starting to manifest itself." This was a problem. A big problem.

"Naru… I'm scared. I don't know what this means for me." Eva cried in distress as tears were starting to pool within her eyes. She didn't understand what this all meant. "I wish I had more memories of her... I want to know what this all means." Eva sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I would have loved to meet her Eva. That battle she had with that other fairy was unlike anything we've ever seen before. She was incredible." Naruto exclaimed which brought a small smile to Eva's face. "Yeah, she was. We don't know what happened to that other fairy though. Do you think we'll ever run into her?" Eva questioned with caution and weariness in her voice. She had every right to be concerned. "I hope not. She was able to stand up to your mother and fight on par with her. We don't know exactly how powerful your mother was Eva, but it's safe to say she was stronger than anything or anyone in our world. Her power was immense. So, if that other fairy could even fight her at all without dying then that means she was incredibly powerful." Naruto explained as he thought carefully on the memory they viewed. The fight between those two was incredible.

"I had a brother and a father…" Eva whispered as tears started to fall again. "Hey… hey… It's ok Eva… I don't think they'd want to see you in this state. They would have wanted you to move forward. That's what your mother sacrificed her life for." Naruto said in a sympathetic tone of voice as he could feel the waves of anguish rolling off of his other half. It broke his heart to see her like this. "We'll get through this I promise. We'll just have to be careful from now on in using our powers." Naruto comforted as he held the little fairy close. He would be there for her just like he always has.

"Do you think the shack that we first met in will have any more clues to all this? We did go back and visited it, but we didn't collect everything in there. Maybe we missed something." Eva suggested after a few moments of silence. "Hey, at this point anything's worth a shot. Just as long as you start smiling again. You may have lost your old family Eva but they are still with you deep down in your heart, they gave you a power to move on… and now you've gained a new family and I won't let anything happen to you. Whatever this weird thing is we'll figure it out together just like we always have." Naruto said in the softest voice he could muster as he poured his heart out for Eva to let her know that she wasn't alone in this.

Eva gained a small blush on her cheeks as she gazed into the warm eyes of her other half who was intent on letting her know he had her back. It was a comforting thought and one that filled Eva's heart with the comfort she needed. "Thank you Naru." Eva said as she kissed the blonde Uzumaki on the cheek. It was one of those moments were the two partners grew closer together. Eva was confident they would be alright just as long as they did this together.

"How about we get to training. The Summoning Jutsu isn't going to master itself you know." Naruto suggested as he got up from the couch. The winter fairy let out a giggle as she agreed wholeheartedly with this fact. "Right, let's go get the girls up so that we can start our day." Eva insisted as she headed off in the direction of the rooms.

"Hey, Eva… uh… do I still have to sleep on the couch by any chance?" Naruto asked with a nervous chuckle while eyeing the uncomfortable furniture. Eva paused as she gave Naruto a long stare that lasted nearly a minute. Her face was blank so he couldn't get a good read on her intentions. He was actually dreading her response.

"Yep!" Naruto's heart broke as Eva simply flew away without looking back. "Damn it." Naruto cried as he slammed his head into the refrigerator.

* * *

 _ **3 Days Later: 20 miles Northwest of The Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves/ Town of Midway**_

"So… are you finally going to tell me why we came all the way out here Jiraiya?" Naruto questioned as he walked beside the mountain of a man who was jotting down notes within his notepad. They were miles away from home and while Naruto was initially reluctant to leave the village for such a distance Shoko eventually convinced him that this was a good decision.

"Today we are going to have you master the Summoning Jutsu weather you like it or not. This technique will be very important for your development. If you can't control your energy and syphon out only your chakra then you'll be in trouble for the future." Jiraiya explained as he briefly looked up from his notepad to address his student. Naruto frowned at this as it was frustrating for him. Not being able to master this technique was killing him.

"I've been trying to master this technique for the last two weeks. The amount of progress I've been making is pathetic." Naruto grumbled in an annoyed fashion as he kicked a stone down the dirt road. He never had this much trouble mastering a technique before. When he was younger he didn't have this much trouble learning a new Jutsu. Naruto sadly realized that the reason why this was the case was because Naruto's chakra circulatory system wasn't completely mixed with Eva's Yōki or the twins energy yet. As of now their energies are much more intertwined.

"Daddy, I'm pretty sure you'll master this technique today. I just know it." Iris said in encouragement with a small smile adoring her face which Naruto returned while holding the little girls hand. Chaos was having a piggy back ride from Jiraiya who didn't seem to mind the tiny terror getting a free ride. The unhinged little girl was giggling in her usual manner while spying the content the old man was busy writing down in his notebook. It wasn't safe for children to read that was for sure. "There is a place I want to take you that will be our training spot. Its right outside of a small town so we'll have a place to rest while we're here." Jiraiya explained as they made it to the top of a large hill. Down below them as a small village not even 1/6th the size of the Hidden Leaf. It was actually more of a go between rest stop between the major villages and the Hidden Leaf to the south east and the few major cities and villages that lead up to the boarder in the northwest.

The town was called Midway because of its geographical location of being the exact midway point distance wise between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Land of Fire's Northwest boarder. In terms of distance it was the exact middle point between the village and the border with many cities and small villages forming a line between the two locations. A main highway dirt road heavily traveled by thousands of people a year ran right by the town connecting it and many of the small and large villages with the Hidden Leaf many miles to the southeast and the border towns further up north.

The small group rented out a hotel room for 2 days while they stayed in the small town. They didn't plan to stay in the small town for very long. _'I also have a few contacts that I've got to meet up with in this town.'_ Jiraiya privately thought to himself in a more serious light as he still had a very important job to do. One that he always takes seriously.

"Hey, look she's so cute."

"Is she a princess?"

"Is that her big brother?"

"Are they a family?"

It would seem that Naruto couldn't even walk down the street with Iris next to him without getting this response. Everyone that they were passing by were sending inquisitive looks their way as they all took notice of Iris's unnatural beauty and grace. Even when she walks Iris unintentionally walks with a certain amount of poise and elegance that only a noble would have. It was hard to miss and considering the striking resemblance she has to Naruto it would only make sense that they would easily be mistaken for brother and sister. Considering the age gap that would be the most appropriate assumption but Naruto wasn't about to open his mouth and reveal that he's actually her father to a bunch of strangers. That's opening up a can of worms he doesn't need right now.

' _Jeez, I get it's a small town and all but you'd think they would have seen a noble or two in their life time before.'_ Naruto thought to himself in annoyance as all eyes were on him and Iris right now. Where's Chaos and Jiraiya you might ask? Well Naruto currently doesn't know since after the old sage booked the hotel rooms for the group he quickly made up the excuse that he had some informants to meet and that they would start his training in the earlier afternoon as soon as he got back. Chaos tagged along before Naruto could exclude her from his excursion and now Naruto's been left alone with Iris for the last hour trying to not only find their missing travel companions but also find something productive to do.

"Daddy, everyone's staring at me right now. It's embarrassing." Iris whispered out cutely to Naruto who under normal circumstances would have gushed at how cute Iris was being but as of now he was just annoyed with the amount of unwanted attention he and his daughter were receiving. The little princess had a cute embarrassed blush on her face right now and she as usual had her arm intertwined with Naruto's. She was clinging to his arm as a life support right now since so many people were looking her way and passing comments off about her. She wasn't used to this much public attention. The most people she would have to deal with on any given day would be when she and her sister are at the casino during their shifts serving the customers.

"I know Iris… to be honest it's just one of those rare few times were you're just too beautiful. It's drawing a lot of attention." Naruto said offhandedly which caused the little girl to squeak cutely in embarrassment. Her blush intensified as she would always hear from her father how beautiful she was. Of course, from an objective view point she knew this to be more of a fact rather than an opinion but she always preferred to hear her father say that to her from his heart as a compliment. She's told all the time how mature she looks and how beautiful she looks which while flattering could get annoying and embarrassing after a while. So, she always looked towards her father for a more meaningful compliment that wasn't so repetitive.

On the other hand, Iris would admit that her unnatural and inhuman beauty was a troublesome problem. It didn't matter that she was in a human form and in the form of a small little girl. People of all ages and genders would instantly single her out of a crowd and identify her as someone who stands out and is uncharacteristically beautiful compared to others around her. It was her divinity as a true higher being that was causing this. It didn't matter what form she took it wouldn't mask the feeling you'd get when you look at her. She would stand out in your mind as something very beautiful and gorgeous to look at regardless of whatever form she happened to be in. Sōkyoku isn't meant to simply blend into normal crowds. She just stands out too much.

After learning of this aggravating phenomenon one day it just gave Naruto one more reason not to bring his girls out into the public back home. While Iris would be busy attracting every soul within a ten-block radius, Chaos would be intentionally and unintentionally spreading her bad luck to all of those unfortunately people. Their days would go from good to bad just by being around the tiny terror and this is while Chaos is with Iris and Naruto who dampen the sphere of influence her powers of bad luck give her.

The father daughter duo including Eva of course spent the next hour window shopping and generally having a good time. It was rare for them to spend alone time like this and Naruto could honestly say he enjoyed this time together with Iris more than he could have ever thought possible. Usually they would either be training, working at the casino, or doing missions. Other than that Naruto would usually have to divide his attention between Iris and Chaos. With Chaos, he would have to watch over her to make sure she either didn't do anything wrong and stayed in control of her behavior or if her powers acted up and she hexed someone by accident. While it was a hassle to watch over the tiny terror it would never deter Naruto from actually doing so. After enjoying the novel experience, he could confidently say he was going to have some 1 on 1 time with Chaos next.

He learned a lot about Iris and her personality by spending time with her. He also observed the fact that she was slowing gaining more and more of Sōkyoku's overall personality as time went on. She even started to speak to him in French. It wasn't a language he was completely familiar with but he did know what it was since he asked Sōkyoku about it many months ago back when he first took Kakashi's bell test. She gave him a history lesson on the many languages that she knew including British English and Latin. Of course, he didn't have the time to actually learn the language; but he did pick up on a few words from the long time that he's been exposed to it.

"Daddy, I had a wonderful time this morning. It was so much fun." Iris said cheerfully in her rich accent. It was so full of life and elegance that Naruto could easily get lost in listening to it. He secretly loved to hear Iris talk. Her accent was beautiful and enchanting to his ears. "I had a lot of fun too sweetie. We should definitely do it again some time. But now we need to go find your sister and Jiraiya." Naruto said as he held Iris's small hand within his own protectively. They were headed off to the hot springs since Naruto had a strong hunch he'd find the old sage there. He's been gone for more than long enough for a simple meet up with a contact. It surely didn't take that long.

"You two looked so cute together on your date. You definitely need to do that again." Eva teased with a giggle which got a massive blush to come to Iris's face and a more composed one to come to Naruto's. "Eva! Don't say that. It wasn't a date." Naruto chastised with an embarrassed air around him. Perking up at this Iris added her input. "But daddy, didn't you say one time that a date is between a boy and a girl or two people who really like each other and they go out and do fun stuff together like shopping, and eating at restaurants?" Iris asked in a shy manner while placing a finger to her lips in the cutest gesture imaginable. She was unintentionally laying on the charm really thick.

Naruto started to stutter in embarrassment as he did recall mentioning that to Iris and Chaos a long while back at the insistent teasing of Anko. "We'll yeah, that's true and all but… that's usually for…" Naruto tried to explain as he kept looking into Iris's expressive blue eyes which were watching him closely. He missed the hidden flash of mischievousness within her eyes as his embarrassment was clouding his judgement. "…But what Daddy? I love you. Is that not enough?" The princess asked in the sincerest and most innocent tone of voice imaginable which stopped Naruto in his tracks. His heart melted at the sheer amount of sincerity held within his daughter's voice.

"You know what… yeah. It was fun. It was the best date in the whole wide world. I can't wait to do it again." Naruto said as he just decided to give up on trying and failing to explain the definition of a date to his 6 in a half year old daughter. In the end, it didn't matter just as long as she had fun which she did so everything else was irrelevant. He picked the princess up by her waist as he held her against his side with his arm. He was content to carry her for a little while. She was small enough and most definitely light enough that he didn't mind carrying her around. "I love you too Iris." Naruto replied as he kissed the girl on her chubby cheek which elicited a fit of giggles as well as a pleasant blush from the girl who skipped over cloud nine and went to ten.

The entire scene would have been considered picture perfect in Naruto's mind if not for the peanut gallery in the background consisting of bystanders gossiping about the pair. Naruto could hear the crowd consisting of mostly females oohing and awing. It was incredibly embarrassing.

Soon enough the pair found Jiraiya exactly where Naruto thought he'd be. At the local hot springs. The old sage was conveniently under one of Chaos's illusions with the little terror right beside the old man collecting data on all the females in the pool before them.

Chaos sensed her father's presence long before Jiraiya did as she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto with a stern glare carved into his face. The Angeloid had the decency to have a sheepish look on her face as she disappeared from the top of a tree branch overlooking the hot springs to Naruto's shoulder in the usual unexplainable fashion she uses. Since Chaos was no longer there to maintain the illusion for him, Jiraiya was left vulnerable to the vengeful women in the nude who saw the pervert less than 10 feet away on the lowest branch possible.

Suffice to say Jiraiya didn't escape the facility alive as the victims of his peeping habit made sure to teach him a lesson he would never forget. "Hi Dada." Chaos squeaked as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. She was trying to act as innocent as possible. Naruto had an irritated look on his face as his left eye twitched. "Don't Hi me young lady." Naruto growled as he plucked Chaos off his back and placed her on the ground in front of him. His left foot was tapping against the ground in irritation as the sounds of Jiraiya's torture filled the air in the background. It didn't sound like it was going good for the old Sage. Chaos meekly scrunched her lips up closed as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"I thought I told you to stay away from any perverted acts or material. Was the punishment you received two weeks ago not enough Chaos?" Naruto reprimanded with a stern voice as Chaos kicked the dirt in front of her. Her head was bowed in shame as she didn't look at her father. "No, it was enough." Chaos mumbled out in a submissive tone. She knew the risk of her actions and now she was paying the price for it. She only hoped she could weasel her way out of another punishment.

"I won't punish you here ok. Just promise me no more bad behavior." Naruto chastised while pinching Chaos's cheek. The girl was quick to comply even though she had her fingers twisted behind her back. Iris rolled her eyes at this as she quickly slid up next to her sister to intertwine her fingers with her own. Now they were holding hand and Iris could keep an eye on the wayward girl who knew how to spread her namesake a little too well.

"Are you done dying now?" Naruto called out heartlessly as Jiraiya came around the corner bloody and beaten senseless. "Uh…huh…" Jiraiya's mouth and face were busted up pretty good so forming proper words were a little beyond his capabilities at the moment. "Good, that should teach you not to influence my daughter so let's go." Naruto called out as he headed off out of town with Jiraiya limping behind.

* * *

 _ **2 Miles outside of Midway**_

"So, this is the place?" Naruto questioned when Jiraiya finally came to a stop. They were walking for close to thirty minutes in the dense forest surrounding the town so Naruto was glad to finally reach their destination. "Yep. But what I want to show you is right up ahead over this hill." Jiraiya explained as he pointed to a steep hill in front of them. Nodding in understanding Naruto climbed the hill alongside the sage only to gasp in absolute shock once he reached the top.

"WHAT ON EARTH!?" The sight before Naruto was one he's never seen before. It was beyond describable. It was a massive chasm. At least a hundred feet wide and who knows how deep. What caught Naruto's attention the most was the fact the walls of the deep chasm had shape smooth spikes jutting out of the walls in a somewhat even and organized fashion. There was no way that was naturally occurring. It had to have been man made.

"This place kid is called _**Calamity Chasm**_. It was formed here around 15 years ago." Jiraiya explained as he had an unreadable expression on his face. "Calamity Chasm… why would such a place have a name like that?" Naruto mumbled as he took in the scenery before him. Since they were on a very tall hill well above sea level Naruto could see over the forest on the other side of the great chasm. It was another forest just like any other but further north at least by another 5 to 10 miles was an anomaly. An entire region of the forest was dead. Every tree in that section of the forest was rotten and dead. The dirt and soil there was also uninhabitable as well. "I see you spotted that place." Jiraiya noted as he stood next to his student on the hill. His facial expression was still very much unreadable.

"Yeah, what happened to that section of the forest… heck… I can't even call it just a section. It's an entire region. It's a forest all on its own. How come it's all dead and uninhabitable?" Naruto questioned in a soft but still very much shocked tone filled with amazement and bewilderment. "That place is known as _**The Forest of Dead Trees**_. No life can grow in that forest anymore. That forest also came into being sometime around 15 years ago." Jiraiya explained solemnly with a small sad shake of his head.

The gears in Naruto's head started to turn as he recalled a certain tidbit of history. "15 years ago. Hey, weren't we in the _**Third Great Shinobi World War**_ during that time?" Naruto questioned as his popped up in his mind that the Leaf was at war not too long ago before his birth. "Indeed. We were at world war during that time. These two places you see before you were created during that war." Jiraiya explained calmly which shocked Naruto greatly as he didn't remember learning about that in the Academy.

"Who could have done something like this?" Naruto quietly mumbled to himself as he stared down into the bottomless pit of the great chasm before him. "This chasm was created by two exceptionally powerful kunoichi who battled it out on this very land." Jiraiya answered while peering at Naruto out of the corner of his eye intently. "Really? Two Kunoichi did this! Who were they? Are they still alive today?" Naruto couldn't help but ask in a rapid fire like manner as this was truly interesting to him.

Jiraiya looked away briefly so Naruto wasn't able to catch a glimpse of the older man's facial expression but soon the sage turned back to face the young father of two with an answer. "One of them passed away years ago. The other is still very much alive and kicking. She's a dangerous one. No one crosses her." Jiraiya revealed as he ruffled up Naruto's hair before guiding him over to a large flat piece of terrain that led up to the lip of the great man-made chasm. He was signaling for a change in subject. Even Naruto picked up on this fact so he dropped the line of questioning he had at the tip of his tongue. He could worry about that later.

Huddling up the group sat down in the grass to get comfortable. "Ok now. You've been practicing this technique for weeks now and no significant progress has been made. The finals are a week in a half away and this is the deadline to master this Jutsu. If you don't get it right today than you won't get another chance till after the finals. This technique is a teaching tool to help you differentiate between the 4 different energy signatures within your body. You need to be able to call upon each of them individually without the others bleeding through to mix with the others." Jiraiya stated in a serious tone as he was completely in lecture mode now. He wanted Naruto to understand just how important this technique was.

"It's for that reason why I'm going to be taking drastic measures." Jiraiya announced as he pulled out two small slips of paper from one of the many pockets he has on him. Naruto got a good look at them and could see that a complex suppression matrix was designed on the paper. "What are those for?" Naruto inquired as he saw Jiraiya lean over and place the seals on Iris's and Chaos's foreheads. Instead of answering him Jiraiya kept going with his monologue. "It's come to my attention that there's a certain way you learn. Your true potential and power is brought out in you when you are in life or death situations. Particularly when the lives of your kids are in danger." Jiraiya noted as he hoisted the two girls up in his arms. Naruto immediately got an alarmed look on his face as he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Jiraiya…" Naruto whispered out cautiously as he saw Jiraiya staring intently at the chasm not even a few yards away. "This seal is a simple one. The girls here won't be able to tap into their energies circulating within your body. You on the other hand will still have full access to it. If you don't use the Summoning Jutsu to bring forth a Toad large enough to stop their descent then they'll die. So… get to it." Jiraiya said in a heartless tone as he tossed both Iris and Chaos right over the ledge of the ravine. Time slowed down for Naruto as he watched the facial expressions change on Iris's face from confusion, to shock, then to outright terror. Chaos's facial expressions don't really change that much on a day to day basis but Naruto could tell she was pretty shocked by this new development.

"GIRLS!" Naruto screamed as his body moved without him even being consciously aware of it. In one mighty leap, he jumped right off the edge of the ravine and went straight into a powerful nose dive as he tried to catch up to his freefalling daughters. Iris was screaming in fear since she couldn't manipulate the wind around her to stop her fall and Chaos was screaming in joy as she let out a longwinded yelp of elation. She couldn't deploy her wings to stop her descent either but that didn't seem to deter the unhinged little girl from enjoying the thrill ride.

"DADDY HELP!" Iris screamed as she tried to reach out for Chaos who was just out of her reach. Jiraiya didn't toss them over the edge close to each other. There was a growing gap between the two children. "Hold on I'm coming!" Naruto screamed as he made his body as aerodynamic as possible to catch up with them faster. Chaos was closer to him in terms of distance and knowing he had to dig down deep to save his girls Naruto delved down deep within himself. He could feel everyone's energy within his body. The familiar and comforting feeling of Eva's Yōki that's been with him almost all his life. Iris's soothing and warm holy aura that empowers him to new heights and Chaos's unnatural and untamable energy that is chaotic and corrupting in nature. He could even feel the small dosage of the Nine Tails Chakra that naturally mixes in with his own. He could feel it all as he individually selected Chaos's energy.

"CHAOS!" Naruto screamed as a mental image of the girl appeared within Naruto's subconscious. He latched onto the same possessive feeling of wanting to have his daughter near him that he tapped into back in the Forest of Death. In an instant, a light blue translucent chain made of pure energy materialized around Naruto's wrist that showed itself to be connected to the choker around Chaos neck. The broken chain pieces that were on Chaos's choker were filled in and completed causing Chaos's eyes that were glowing with glee to dull to a shine of obedience and submissiveness. She looked like she was in a trance. Almost like a lifeless doll.

"Grab your sister!" Naruto commanded as he swung the chain around causing Chaos to change course in midair. In one clean swoop Chaos grabbed Iris out the air causing the girl to blink in surprise at this. She could see the chain attached to her sister's neck and the dull look in her eyes so she knew what was going on. With a simple jerking motion Naruto yanked both Chaos and Iris back higher into the air where he caught them both in his arms. "I've got you. Don't worry." Naruto comforted as he squeezed both girls to his side as tight as he could.

' _I've got to do this… I've got to save them. The Jutsu will work this time. BELIEVE IT!'_ Naruto was determined to get this technique right as he concentrated as hard as he could. They were still freefalling in midair and he didn't trust those spikes sticking out the side of the walls to make a safe landing on. He had to use the Summoning Jutsu. There were no other alternatives. He would make it work. He had to.

Naruto pushed everyone else's energies out of his reach as he focused solely on his own natural chakra. Not even Eva's Yōki was attached to him at this moment. _'I can do this.'_ Naruto thought as his eyes glowed an ethereal white all the while his face carved itself into an expression of pure determination. Biting his thumb to draw blood Naruto went through the necessary hand signs as he placed his hand out in front of him. He could feel his chakra and that of the Nine Tails pushing out to the surface. It was time. Now or Never.

" **SUMMONING JUTSU!"** Naruto roared as he pushed out a massive surge of chakra into the technique. In seconds Naruto's freefall was stopped cold as he slammed into a hard surface. Groaning in pain Naruto opened his eyes that were blurry due to his disorientation. He looked around him to see that they weren't falling anymore, the surface he landed on was very rugged in nature. Almost like sandpaper. The texture to it was also abrasive. The coloring was a dull rustic red like clay and large warts could be seen all around them.

"What the?" Naruto was bewildered by this new experience until he took notice of something. Ever so slightly they were moving. It was a heartbeat and breathing. They were standing on top of a creature. Looking off to the side Naruto saw massive webbed hands grabbing onto the spiky walls holding them in place. The obvious toad they were standing on top of was incredibly huge.

"What the? What is going on? Who summoned me here?" A deep rumbling voice spoke up with a baritone like quality to it that denoted someone who was older and wiser, yet a bit cynical. The toad was obviously not happy to be summoned in such an inconvenient location which Naruto honestly couldn't fault him for. This was a crappy place to suddenly and without warning find yourself in. He probably startled the poor toad who had to abruptly brace itself against the walls when it found itself in a brief amount of freefall. This was truly an inconvenience.

"Oh wow! Look how big this toad is! It's ginormous!" Chaos cheered in wonder as she patted the red toad on its skin. She had a fascinated look on her face as her eyes where scanning the massive creature for all of its biological data. Childlike wonder. It was an amazing thing.

"My head hurts." Iris groaned as she crawled on her hands and knees over to Naruto. A pained grimace was on her face as a throbbing headache was pounding her head into dizziness. "When we get back to the top of this thing I'm going to kill Jiraiya." Naruto growled out in annoyance as he was not happy with the predicament they were in. Of all of the crazy and irresponsible things the old man could have possibly done… he chose to throw his daughters off a massive cliff. "I second that." Eva groaned as she was feeling dizzy too. She didn't even have time to think or brace herself before Naruto suicide dived off the side of the cliff like a madman. His body truly moved before his brain could catch up with it. Naruto took the brief lull in activity to rip the advanced suppression seals off Iris's and Chaos's forehead's returning their ability to manipulate their energies to them.

Crawling over to what he naturally assumed to be the head of the toad Naruto raised his eyebrow in interest as he noticed a large smoking pipe sticking out of its mouth. "Uh… Mr. Toad um… thanks for catching us." Naruto called out lamely as he didn't know what to say to a giant talking toad. Naruto and the others heard a low rumble as the toad peered up at them with its black horizontal bar like eyes. Its dirty yellow colored sclera contrasted greatly with this color scheme as the toad began to speak.

"What's a tiny little brat doing on top of my head humm? Where is Jiraiya… why would that buffoon summon me to a dinky place like this?" The great toad rumbled out as it waited for a response. It wasn't happy with the circumstances it found itself in right now. When it finds Jiraiya, it's going to kill that shameless pervert.

"Uh… sir you see the thing is Jiraiya didn't summon you… I did." Naruto corrected as he moved down to the toads face so that he could properly talk to him. Iris and Chaos stayed towards the top of the toad's head as they continued to look around in wonder. The toad blinked a few times in silence before he abruptly started to laugh in hysteria. "That's funny kid. You… a tiny little tadpole like you summoned me!? Lord Gamabunta. The Chief Toad! You sure got a few jokes don't ya." Gamabunta laughed as his pipe flailed around in his mouth recklessly.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he felt a little offended. He knows it takes a massive amount of chakra (which he does have) to summon a creature the size and power of Gamabunta. But such an unbelievable statement would logically bring out such a casual dismissal from someone like Gamabunta. "Hey… I know it may seem crazy but I did summon you…" Naruto insisted but Gamabunta's laughter cut him off as the toad chuckled in mirth. "I refuse to believe a little snot nose brat like you summoned me. It's ridiculous. Now tell me where Jiraiya is so I can go skin him alive." Gamabunta dismissed causally as he peered up to the top of the chasm. It wasn't too far of a distance for someone like him to jump.

"It's true Mr. Toad. Daddy summoned you to save us." Iris piped up with an insistent tone to her voice. "What? There's more of you little snot nose brats on my back. You're all like little bugs. JIRAIYA! WHERE ARE YOU?! COME ON OUT YOU BASTARD!" Gamabunta roared in anger as he didn't like the fact that there appeared to be more than one unwanted person on his back. Iris covered her ears both from the volume of Gamabunta's voice and the fact she heard him use a curse word. Her innocent ears weren't meant to hear such words.

"HEY! Knock it off! Could you please not use words like that around my kids." Naruto demanded as he stomped down on the surface of Gamabunta's face. He didn't want his six-year old's hearing such words. "Come again? Alright kid I'll make you a little deal. Tell me where Jiraiya is and not only will I take you out of this dinky little place and not let you die here but I'll also make you one of my henchmen… but if you refuse me one more time I'll drop you to the bottom of this place. You got that!?" Gamabunta delegated in a somewhat civilized manner as he tired negotiating for a change. He really had nothing to lose. He planned to jump out of the hole anyways, he just wanted to see what Naruto's response would be.

"If I knew where he lived and where his house was I'd give you the address. I'll serve him up on a golden platter for you. Just get us out of here." Naruto said heartlessly as some of his more mafia like tendencies and persona started to bleed through. If Gamabunta didn't kill the old Toad Sage then Naruto surely would. He'd teach that pervert a lesson he'd never soon forget. "Oh… Hahahahaha! You've got spunk kid I'll give you that. I may just make you my henchmen yet." Gamabunta joked with a more pleasant aura around him. He didn't think Naruto was a pest anymore.

"What's this whole deal about henchmen? Are you Mafia?" Naruto asked in morbid curiosity as Gamabunta's whole demeanor screamed big boss to him. It was a familiar and comforting feeling actually. "Yeah kid. I've got myself a crew of my own. I'd let you join and share some sake if you tell me exactly where that bone head is." Gamabunta answered as he balanced his smoking pipe perfectly on his tongue. Naruto smiled a beaming smile at this revelation as he felt he had something in common with the giant toad. "Well that's really great Mr. Gamabunta. We have more in common than you think. Unfortunately, I'll have to decline your offer to join your gang. I'm already apart of the mafia." Naruto revealed with a smaller and sincerer smile as he rolled up his sleeve to show the great toad his mafia tattoo.

Gamabunta's large eyes widened in recognition as he let out a low rumble. "We'll I'll be… the little tadpole is a part of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia eh? Tell me small fry… what's your name?" Gamabunta asked with his interest now peeked. He no longer thought of Naruto as a nuisance. "The names Naruto Uzumaki at your service Mr. Gamabunta. The future Hokage so don't you forget it." Naruto said in a challenging tone that oozed confidence. Gamabunta's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he heard the name Uzumaki. He almost lost his grip on the walls.

' _Uzumaki… this kid. He's their little tadpole I heard so much about.'_ The Chief Toad thought to itself in utter shock. His interest was now skyrocketing through the roof as he decided to make up his mind. "Ok then kid, I'll get you out of this crack so hang on." Gamabunta said as he braced himself. Naruto didn't know what to expect but he'd soon find out as Gamabunta in one giant leap jumped straight out of the massive chasm in under 5 seconds flat. Naruto and the girls were slammed flat against the toads back as he sailed through the air at speeds Naruto's never moved at before, not even when using Acceleration.

' _Oh crap.'_ Jiraiya grimaced once he saw Gamabunta drop down half a mile away. A shockwave tore through the entire forest blowing everything away sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Jiraiya was watching a group of young women playing by a nearby river in their bikini's when the shockwave tore through the river blowing them off their feet.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jiraiya groaned in annoyance as the girls decided to leave prematurely. "Okay kid, so tell me where is Jiraiya now?" Gamabunta asked while peering around the vast forest. Nodding his head Naruto turned to Chaos who was poking Gamabunta's skin with fascination pooling in her eyes. "Chaos. Can you find Jiraiya for me please?" Naruto asked in an all to pleasant tone of voice as Chaos's eyes lit up with mischief overtaking all other emotions in her eyes. A dark vindictive smile curled her lips up as she could sense the intentions of her father. This was like ecstasy for her. "Yes Dada." Chaos's eyes quickly switched over to their scanners as she started to pan her eyes across the entire forest with her scanners pinging off of all the major life forms within her range. Eventually she found him half a mile away from them by a river.

"He's over there Dada. By that river, his heart rate is also high. I think he's nervous." Chaos chimed in as she pointed her finger out in a certain direction. Hearing this Naruto smiled deviously which sent a pleasant tingle up Chaos's spine. Butterflies were in her stomach right now as she absolutely loves this side of her father. The one that revels in being vindictive and giving people justified payback. This was right up her alley.

"You heard him Mr. Gamabunta, he's right over there." Naruto directed with a simple pointing of his finger. "Got it! Oh Jiraiya! I'm coming for you!" Gamabunta called as he in one single leap cleared the distance between them in seconds. Landing before the Toad Sage who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "Hey, Bunta… long time no see." Jiraiya said with a sheepish grin on his face. He was backing away slowly while looking for an escape route. He didn't want to stick around if he could.

"Hey Jiraiya… I see you're up to your old habits again." Gamabunta inquired with a menacing stare that had Jiraiya sweating. "Oh, you know me… just doing what I do best and all that jazz." Jiraiya bantered as he eyed a promising route to escape by. It would also take him back to Midway which was a plus. Unfortunately for him Naruto was also thinking along the same lines. Great minds think alike as they say. "You've irritated me for the last time Jiraiya. I'm going to squish you like a little bug!" Gamabunta threatened as he held up one of his giant webbed hands in emphasis. He was going to teach his long term and in recent years reluctant partner a lesson.

"I would love to stick around and catch up on old times buddy but I've got this really important thing that just popped up five seconds ago… so bye!" Jiraiya said like a weasel as he looked ready to bolt. He would have gotten away too if it weren't for a certain meddling kid. Naruto saw fit to freeze Jiraiya's legs to the ground by channeling his chakra all the way down Gamabunta's body to the ground. It was a long shot and one he wouldn't have been able to pull off if he acted on impulse. Instead he was slowly stretching out the line of chakra for the last few minutes ever since they got out of the chasm. Naruto was determined to catch Jiraiya if it were the last thing he did.

"Oh, would you look at that. The little perverts been put on ice." The Chief Toad barked in amusement. His fist was clenched and a look of righteous fury was in his eyes. There was so much sweat coming down Jiraiya's face at the moment that he was creating a puddle at his feet. He knew he was screwed. It was inevitable. "Hey… Naruto… Uh, you mind thawing me off. If you do I'll teach you a new Jutsu or something, or I'll take you and the little mini brats out for all you can eat." Jiraiya tried desperately with a pleading look on his face but his hopes were withering away as he saw the uncaring look on Naruto's face.

"You threw my daughters off a giant bottomless pit Jiraiya. You get no favors from me." Naruto heartlessly stated with a blank face as he took some measure of pleasure and contentment of seeing the look of utter despair rip across the old man's face. "Oh, come on! You mastered the Jutsu! My training method was effective! Let bygones be bygones! Come on just have a heart!" Jiraiya wailed to the heavens which weren't on his side as Naruto gave him one last blank and unempathetic look. "No." With one simple word Naruto turned his back on Jiraiya to be left to his fate as Gamabunta looked positively gleeful in his next set of actions. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time Jiraiya. Be a good little pest and don't die on me too quickly." Gamabunta requested with a smile as he wound up his fist with an exaggerated motion.

"Mercy?" Jiraiya pitifully asked as he watched Gamabunta pause in his strike. "No." The Chief toad took a page out of Naruto's book as he mercilessly brought down his fist to strike the earth itself with a thunderous clash that sent shockwaves out so far, they could be felt all the way back in Midway. Jiraiya's girlish pained filled screams for a brief moment could be heard back in the small town as well before they were swallowed up by the following shockwave.

"Ah… I haven't felt this good in ages. I needed that." Gamabunta said as he slowly walked away from a giant crater in the ground nearly the entire circumference of his body itself. "Thanks for that Mr. Gamabunta, the old pervert had it coming." Naruto thanked as he patted the giant toad on its head. "Yeah! He's a Pervy old man!" Chaos chimed with a giggle. "More like a Pervy Sage." Naruto grumbled until what he said caught up with him. "Pervy Sage… yeah, that sounds about right. That old man is nothing but a Pervy Sage." Naruto declared in triumph as he came up with a new nickname for Jiraiya. He thought it was fitting.

He missed the brief look Iris quickly shared with Chaos but that was out of his control. Gamabunta on the other hand was laughing it up as he took a puff of his pipe. "Pervy Sage! Ha! You've got jokes eh. You know you're alright with me kid. I think we'll be really good friends from now on." Gamabunta announced with a pleasant tone of voice. He was really starting to like the young Uzumaki. "Likewise, chief. I look forward to working with you in the future." Naruto said as he patted the toad on the face once again.

"Mr. Gamabunta does that mean you believe Daddy when he said he summoned you?" Iris seemingly asked with an innocent air around her. The Chief Toad took a moment to think it over but with upcurved lips the stubborn toad had a response ready. "Nope." Gamabunta enjoyed the look of anger that crossed Naruto's face while he laughed in his face. Sharing a look with her sister Chaos chimed in yet again with mischief clear in her eyes. "Mr. Toad how about this. Let's play a game." Chaos chirped with a peculiar look in her eyes that set off warning bells within Naruto's head. He knew that look.

"I'm listening…" Gamabunta rumbled with an interested air around him. He was intrigued. "If Dada can stay on your back for the rest of the day until sunset then you have to accept the fact he summoned you and make him your master. You also need to make him an honorary member of your crew." Chaos stipulated with a giddy expression in her lazy slanted eyes. She was going to enjoy this. "And if I win?" Gamabunta inquired. "You'll get a year's supply of sake." Chaos revealed with a smile.

The Chief pondered this reasonable request for a quick moment before coming to a decision. "Ok, I accept. Get ready to lose kid." Gamabunta warned as he tensed his muscles. He wasn't worried about Chaos not being able to get him sake. He could tell the little girl wasn't normal on first glace alone. He knew she'd deliver on her end of the deal and even if she didn't he had many stashes of alcohol at his disposal. "Wait hold on! I never agreed to this! Chaos don't go making deals for me without my permission!" Naruto shouted in panic as he was looking to jump off of Gamabunta's body. He didn't like where this was going.

"To late!" Gamabunta shouted as he shot up into the air at incredible speeds. As a toad, his ability to jump was second to none. Naruto's screams of fear were muted out by the rushing winds and the distance off the ground he was achieving as Gamabunta took him on a ride of his life. The entire forest they were in was quickly become decimated by the giant toad who was landing roughly back on the ground every couple of seconds. The Chief Toad spiced it up a bit by diving into lakes and rivers trying his best to shake the small adolescent preteen off of him.

Iris was screaming her head off alongside her father as she held on for dear life as this was not what the little princess signed up for. Chaos on the other hand was laughing maniacally as she simply used her unique and weird ability to defy logic around her. She was simply sitting down on Gamabunta's back without any signs of struggling no matter what orientation they happened to be in. It was blatant cheating in Naruto's and Iris's minds but they could do nothing about it as they fought just to hang on.

Naruto learned an interesting fact through all this. Gamabunta's blue jacket that he had on was more special than it looked. It had a complex sealing matrix stitched into the very fabric of the cloth that made channeling chakra and other forms of energy on its surface nearly impossible. It also works as an affective shield as when he is attacked by another chakra based attack it will disperse and dissipate across the surface of his jacket. It is extremely hard to overpower and only the power from another summoning boss, Tailed Beast, or S – rank ninja would be able to damage or overpower this function.

It took Naruto nearly half the day, but he was eventually able to build back up his concentration to properly separate his chakra from the other energies that reside within his body. With that done Naruto was able to stand on Gamabunta's back who activated the seal on his jacket to block all foreign energy signatures but pure chakra. It was a very tricky task amidst Naruto's life or death struggle to stay on the wild toads back but he would soon get the hang of it. Eventually the day wound down to an end with the sun setting over a nearby mountain signaling the end of the contest which Gamabunta loss.

"It would seem that I lost this contest. A deal is a deal brat. I've got no choice but to accept the fact you are my new summoner." Gamabunta stated in a nod of respect which Naruto returned albeit weakly as he was completely drained of all his stamina and chakra. He was beyond exhausted. "Glad to hear that. I look forward to working with you Mr. Gamabunta." Naruto slurred as he slumped down on the Chief Toad's face. "Ha! Drop the mister bit kid. Just call me Gamabunta from now on. We're equals." Gamabunta lazily said with an air of newfound respect around him.

"You got it chief…" Naruto drowsily said as he fainted right then and there. He was truly exhausted. Iris wasn't much better off and Chaos still seemed like she had energy to spare but that didn't faze the great Chief Toad as he picked all three blonds up with his long tongue.

Out of the blue a large scroll fell to the ground in front of the great toad that opened up to reveal itself to be the Toad Summoning Contract. _'Huh… you're still alive you old perv. I didn't need you to show me this Jiraiya for me to know the little brat summoned me. He's an Uzumaki after all. He may not have their red hair but I can sense their blood and chakra flowing through his veins. Besides only an Uzumaki could hold back the Nine Tails.'_ Gamabunta thought pleasantly as he was satisfied with his new summoner. He sensed great potential in the young boy. He'd go far.

' _I would share some of my power with him to get him back on his feet but with how chaotic his chakra system is I doubt that would be the best idea. A place of healing and rest should do.'_ Gamabunta thought to himself as he took off for Midway which wasn't far from him at all, especially with his jumping ability.

Naruto now has properly learned how to separate his multiple energies within his body to use them independently of each other without much difficulty. Now that he's learned this important task and forged an alliance with the great toad clan it would appear that he is well on his way to being prepared for the finals. Now he only needs to master this vital technique of using his energies independently of each other. With the finals only a week and a half away Naruto has his work cut out for him.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Summoning Jutsu -** The Summoning Technique is a space–time ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractor's death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So how was that? This chapter was quite long as is my growing penchant but I hope it was highly entertaining to read. Naruto and Eva finally unwind and talk about the vision they shared back in the Forest of Death and what it now means for Eva who is showing signs of her latent energy manifesting itself within her. As always their heart to heart talks bring the two partners closer together as Naruto finds the right words to ease Eva's troubled spirit. To bad it won't get him off the couch.

Jiraiya takes Naruto on a little trip to a new town called Midway. I know it's not that original but when I was writing the chapter my mind was thinking of the Midway Atoll Islands out in the pacific ocean. It is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia which perfectly fits in with the lore I wrote for it in the chapter with it being the midpoint between the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire's Northwest boarder. I was also thinking of the historical battle of Midway back in World War ll.

While there Naruto and Iris get to spend some special one on one father daughter time while also experiencing some unwanted attention. Chaos meanwhile not learning her lesson is yet again caught up in the act of perversion alongside Jiraiya. One of these days it's going to catch up to her.

Jiraiya shows Naruto a place called Calamity Chasm which is the same place that he threw him off of in the Manga/Anime except for the fact I gave that random place an actual name as some lore. As to the two kunoichi mentioned in the lore I won't say who it is. The Forest of Dead Trees is the place in the show where Team Asuma lead by Kakashi confront Hidan and Kakuzu in Shippuden.

Instead of throwing Naruto off the cliff Jiraiya insteads chucks Iris and Chaos overboard to force Naruto to master the technique. I don't know what Jiraiya's contingency plan was if Naruto failed in the Manga/Anime but yeah... that was very irresponsible of him. Naruto conjures Chaos's Angeloid Chain again and successfully summons Gamabunta demonstrating the fact he can separate his energies when push comes to shove.

I kept the interactions between Naruto and Gamabunta mostly the same with only certain tweaks to round off the chapter. Naruto's more heartless and mafia like attitudes displays itself in this chapter as he gets payback on Jiraiya for what he's done. I honestly don't think Jiraiya will learn. Naruto also develops his signature nickname for Jiraiya which I had to throw in their. For me that was super important. Naruto and Gamabunta gain a respect for one another just like in canon which finishes off the chapter.

What's next on the agenda I wonder...?

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 55 (Attack of the Gemini)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 54 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 8/11/2017


	56. CH: 55 Attack of the Gemini

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with another juicy chapter. PLOT. PLOT. PLOT. Things go from laid back to serious in this chapter as Naruto meets a certain someone for the first time and spends the rest of the day conning people out of their money. But things will take a turn for the worse at the end of the chapter.

So without further delay, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 55

 _ **Attack of the Gemini**_

It was cold. It was quite the interesting feeling since Naruto preferred colder climates but what he was feeling right now was anything but the comforting coldness he's used too. This place was damp with moister clogging the air around him. Everywhere he looked he saw bronzed colored industrial pipes leading down a dark hallway. They all lead one direction and seeing no other option in places to go Naruto decided to follow them. "Eva?" Naruto called out in curiosity as he was completely alone in this strange place. It seemed vaguely familiar but it wasn't ringing any bells. "Iris! Chaos!" Naruto called out further as he was feeling a pit of uncertainty forming in his stomach. He didn't like how quiet this place was. One of the few noises that could be heard was the splashing of Naruto's feet within the ankle length water pooling on the ground. Faint sounds of water dripping from the pipes could also be heard but that was about it.

Naruto felt like he was walking for hours when he suddenly found a break in the monotony of the endless hallways. "That's a light source. Maybe it's the way out of this place." Naruto mumbled as he picked up the brisk pace he was setting. It took him about 2 minutes of walking but he eventually entered a massive room that was enormous in size. The only thing bigger than it would be Sōkyoku's bird cage.

"What is this place? It's huge." Naruto wasn't sure what to make of this mysterious place as he noticed a massive gate on the opposite end of the room. It was dyed in the same color scheme as the rest of the facility. A dull rustic golden hue stared Naruto back in the face as he walked through the ankle length water chilling his feet. The bronze colored pipes all led up to this room as they could be seen attached to the walls and ceiling heading in behind the bars of the great gate. This room was the center of whatever facility he was in.

All Naruto remembered was passing out after his rather taxing and anticlimactic bet against the Chief Toad, Gamabunta. He was beyond the point exhaustion and his body reflected that status by just completely shutting down after everything was said and done. Even being a Jinchūriki blessed with enhanced stamina and endurance on top of his Uzumaki genes couldn't get him out of this one. After passing out he woke up in this strange facility that looked more like a sewage maintenance tunnel than anything else, or the back end of a large industrial factory.

' _I feel like I'm being watched.'_ Naruto noted as he felt another presence within the room with him. He wasn't entirely sure what it was but ever since he stepped into the room he felt another pair of eyes watching him. It was quite unnerving for Naruto who was left with only his own thoughts to comfort him. _'It might be coming from whatever is behind that gate…'_ Naruto deduced as he looked around the room and found nothing that could possibly be spying on him. The room was rather well lit with what seemed to be a natural ambient glow that saturated the room from an unknown light source, so there were no dark shadowed spots in the large hall for a being to immerse themselves into hide and watch.

Naruto was nervous but he knew that he had no other options to get out of this strange place. He walked for what seemed like hours trying to find an exit to this facility but he always came up short. He even resulted to marking the walls to trace his steps but no matter what he did he couldn't find the exit and would always end up on the same path… the path that led to this room.

Taking a deep breath Naruto approached the massive gate with trepidation weighing down his heart. Craning his neck to looked up further along the gate Naruto noticed a small sheet of paper covering what he could only assume was the key hole to the gate. On the paper was the simple kanji for the word _'seal'_. If Naruto wasn't so well versed and generally interested in the archaic and extremely difficult art of Fūinjutsu, he'd laugh at the absurdity that a simple sheet of paper with the word seal on it would be able to properly hold these gigantic gates closed and keep whatever was inside contained.

However, Naruto knew better. While the paper and kanji on it looked simple enough, looks could be deceiving. He had no doubt in his mind that whatever that seal was designed for it was created really well and was exceptionally powerful. Otherwise, you wouldn't need such massive gates and such a seemingly small safety precaution.

Reaching ten feet away from the gate Naruto tried to peer inside the enigmatic darkness that shrouded the other side of the gate in mystery. Even though the grand hall he was in was well lit by the ambient lighting none of it appeared to extend to beyond the gate. No light could enter and Naruto was sure none could escape. Naruto wasn't sure if it was irrational fear or not, or whether he could blame it on his instincts but he felt like he was in danger. He didn't understand why but he would soon learn as he took another step forward and that was when it happened.

Claws.

A massive clawed hand with razor sharp pure white claws at the tips of each digit reached through the bars of the gate at such speeds that Naruto wasn't fully able to perceive it. The very tip of the longest finger was rubbing up against Naruto's headband. Naruto's heart skipped a beat in shock as the blond haired Uzumaki's brain finally registered the danger he was in. Screaming in fright Naruto tumbled backwards until he tripped over his own two feet and fell the ground with his breaths coming in at erratic patterns.

 **["It would appear that my jailor has finally found his way here to me. What an honor to be graced by your presence."]** A extremely deep and husky voice spoke up with a vibrating baritone to it that vibrated off of the walls of the room making the overall sound of this being's voice sound louder by extension. A bit of a cynical and sarcastic undertone could be detected within this voice as well which made the follow up sounds of heavy footsteps foreboding. "What the hell are you?" Naruto whispered out in fright as his heart was pounding painfully within his chest. He could feel it now. A swirling mass of negative energy was emanating from the creature on the other side of the gate and it was truly frightening.

 **["Who am I you ask? I'm referred to as many things little human, but the only thing you know me as is the Nine Tails."]** The now revealed Tailed Beast informed as a massive head came into view behind the bars of the gate and Naruto's eyes slowly widened in shock. "You're the Nine Tailed Fox…!" Naruto was shell shocked, out of all the things that could possibly happen to him after passing out from exhaustion… meeting the Tailed Beast residing inside his body wasn't one of them. He wasn't mentally prepared for this.

Two large, red vertically slit like eyes started down Naruto's small body in comparison with a predator like gaze. Large razor-sharp fangs jutted out of its mouth that were whiter than anything Naruto's ever seen before gleamed off of the light within the room. A dull rustic orange colored coat of fur covered the foxes skin which privately in Naruto's mind was at least a point in the right direction. Two long rabbit like ears sat on top of the Nine Tail's head which was surprising to Naruto as he thought he'd have more canine like ears. The insides of the ears were colored pitch black and this color scheme extended all the way to surround the beast's eyes giving it a menacing look. It had a black muzzle like nose and its lips were also colored pitch black.

The fox had a human like torso complete with visible and well-defined muscles all across it's body hinting at the fact it was deceptively physically fit and strong. Nine enormous tails almost three times the length of its entire body slowly and hypnotically trailed through the air going in multiple directions all on their own accord. All in all, the Nine Tail's was a massive beast. Nowhere near as big as Sōkyoku but in a more realistic sense it was massive on a more bearable standard.

 **["I've waited 12 long years to finally meet the little brat I'm sealed in. It's taken you quite a long time to make your way here."]** The beast stated as it drew close to the bars of its prison. Naruto calmed his breathing as he just stared up at the creature that's made his early childhood a nightmare. Even after taking in his daughters and gaining a family in them his troubles didn't simple disappear overnight. He still put up with the prejudice and fear of the village for many years to come. It wasn't until after he graduated the academy and became a ninja did the citizens stop treating him the way they used too. Now they're mostly indifferent to him but that's still not good enough in Naruto's books. He wished he was in better standings with the people of his own home.

"And I've waited 12 long years to finally meet the being responsible for my crappy life. Thanks, by the way." Naruto replied in a snarking tone as a little bit of his hatred and anger could be detected within his voice. The Nine Tails picked up on this if the look in his eyes were any indication. **["I see you hold malice in your heart for me. That is good little human, if it makes you feel any better I hold this same feeling towards you. I detest the fact I'm locked up in this prison like a caged animal. Not to mention the fact I'm inside a weak little child like you."]** The Nine Tails stated in an offended tone as he glared down at the blond Uzumaki who narrowed his eyes in challenge.

"I'm not as weak as you may think fox. I'll have you know I'm stronger than you give me credit for." Naruto insisted with a challenging tone which amused the great fox whose eyes reflected his current emotion. **["I find that thought to be quite laughable considering the fact you've used my chakra on multiple occasions in the past. You're not as strong as you claim to be."]** The strongest Tailed Beast chuckled as he took a noticeable jab at Naruto's statement. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in anger at this. He wasn't going to let the fox have the last laugh.

"The way I see it… you've been living within my body all this time and you owe me 12 years of rent money." Naruto retorted with base in his voice as he stared up defiantly into the eyes of the Nine Tailed Fox who if it had eyebrows would raise them at the audacity the human child showed him. **["I see… you have guts kid, I suppose as a reward for making it this far I can grant you the use of some of my chakra. Be warned though… it comes with its own risks."]** The Nine Tails said as his eyes glowed in ominous amusement. It was clearly a warning. "Let me guess, you'll try to take over my body the more I use your chakra?" Naruto cynically stated while crossing his arms over his chest. The fear he was feeling earlier from being within the Nine Tails presence faded a lot as the malice and overwhelming amounts of negative energy in the air didn't faze him much anymore. The Fox itself wasn't so much terrifying as he was more intimidating than anything else.

The massive fox smirked which let Naruto know the answer to the question he asked. The fox would try to take over his body if he wasn't careful in using his power. "It's a lucky thing I rely on my own power then. You're not getting out of this cage." Naruto insisted as the Nine Tails narrowed its own eyes in challenge. **["We'll be seeing a lot more of each other from this point onwards child. I can guarantee you'll come to use my power in the near future. The gears for the future have already been set in motion."]** The strongest Tailed Beast stated in an ominous tone as Naruto's body began fading from the room. Naruto sent one last challenging glare towards the mighty fox that was eagerly returned as Naruto completely disappeared from the room leaving the massive fox to its solitude once again.

 _ **{'So that was her child huh…? That look in his eyes. It's almost disturbing how much it's a combination of the both of them. So much defiance and will.'}**_ The Nine Tails thought to itself as it's facial expression changed after Naruto left. Its tails swished calmly in the air behind it as it closed its eyes and let out a tired sigh. _**{'Twelve years huh…'}**_

* * *

 _ **The Town of Midway**_

It was the next day and Naruto felt refreshed and ready to start his day. The hotel they were staying in wasn't half bad. But it would probably be more accurate to call the place a motel since it had fully concealed garages to put personal carriages and horses up for the night in a secure place. There were designated places out in front of the building as well for a lot of carriages to be placed in what was called a parking lot. It was a concept not very common in big villages like a Hidden Village since the streets are densely packed and the architecture and layout of the village doesn't allow for large carts to travel easily through. It was a security measure designed into the layout of the villages.

However, in small villages like Midway that have a lot of extra space and sits right on a major highway dirt road that connects it to so many different towns and cities it's a bit more of a common sight. "Settle down Chaos…" Naruto's voice could be heard from their room as he found himself in his normal morning routine. "But it was awesome how you summoned Mr. Gamabunta! He was so huge and grumpy. He even smoked a pipe like grandpa." Chaos chatted away with giddiness emanating from her body as she sat down in her father's lap. Naruto was brushing Chaos's long knee length blond hair that was extremely voluminous in nature. The small six-year-old really had a lot of hair.

"I know it was cool and all but I need you to sit still… besides what wasn't cool was how you roped me into that little contest against Gamabunta. Why do you feel the need to always put me in crazy situations?" Naruto said with an exasperated sigh which brought out one of Chaos's patented giggles. "I'm just following the script Dada." The tiny terror responded back quickly with mirth and amusement clear in her eyes that flashed red. As for Naruto, he had a confused look on his face. This wasn't the first time Chaos has said something weird like this and Naruto highly doubted it would be the last.

After finishing her hair Naruto was about to lift Chaos off of his lap but the little Angeloid had more to say to her father. "Hey Dada, I heard from Iris yesterday that you went on a date with her… can we go on one today?" Chaos asked as she leaned back in her father's embrace and craned her neck up so that she could look at Naruto who was now resting his chin against her forehead. Naruto immediately started to sputter as a small embarrassed blush came to his face. Iris who was just coming out of the small bathroom attached to their motel room was immediately subjected to Naruto's incredulous glare which had the princess caught completely off guard.

"Iris why did you tell your sister about us going out yesterday morning!?" Naruto complained with a pout which brought a small pink blush to Iris's face. "Well… we had so much fun and stuff… so I thought I'd tell her about it." Iris squirmed while twiddling her thumbs in embarrassment. A shy bashful smile was on her face as she started whistling in an innocent manner. "So, can we go have some fun today? Can we!? Can we!? Can we!?" Chaos begged in an excited voice as she unleashed a potent blast of her puppy dog eyes directly at Naruto who was immediately defeated by this assault. He never stood a chance.

"Ok. Ok. We can go, just stop with the puppy dog eyes." Naruto conceded as he couldn't handle much more of Chaos's special attack. She didn't even have it out for more than 10 seconds and Naruto completely folded. It just goes to show you how weak his resistance is to both his daughters pleas.

"Let's get you dressed for the day then. Keep in mind we'll be training later on today before making the trip back to the Leaf. So, we'll put on something casual." Naruto advised as it was best to wear casual clothes that they could get dirty and not have to worry about. Luckily for Iris and Chaos they had an abundance of clothes that fit this occasion. "Ok, but it has to be only me and you. Iris already had her turn." Chaos insisted as she sent a mischievous grin over to her sister while hugging her father in a possessive way. Iris pouted at this as she playfully glared back at her sister.

"And what am I supposed to do while you're gone with Daddy? Who's going to watch me?" Iris asked while placing her hands on her hips. It was a valid question and one Naruto was going to offer a solution too but Chaos beat him to it. "You can hang out with Master Jiraiya for the day. He's not so bad when you get to know him." Chaos suggested with a smug smile on her face when she saw the facial expression of her twin change at the notion of spending the day with the perverted Sannin.

"Absolutely not! I'm not spending any time with that pervert! All he'll do is take me to those bath houses to spy on naked women." Iris complained as she stubbornly crossed her arms in defiance. She wasn't a fan of this idea in the slightest. "Too late. I called dibs on Dada today, which means we get to do whatever we want." Chaos childishly stated while sticking her tongue out at Iris whose face was turning red in childish anger. "Come on Dada! Pick out some clothes for me already! We have a date to go on!" Chaos shouted as she jumped out of Naruto's lap and threw off her clothes in one swift motion. She was only wearing a light dress to begin with so now she was completely naked except for her underwear.

"Chaos I get it you're excited but calm down." Naruto pacified as dealing with Chaos's spontaneous hyperactive personality was always a job in and of itself. Not everyone could keep up with the tiny terror. As this was happening Jiraiya just so happen to walk into the room without knocking. Chaos made no embarrassed reaction whatsoever with being naked in front of the old man. She just tilted her head to the side with her signature smile on her face. Iris on the other hand had no such reservation. She let out a loud embarrassed scream that was accompanied by a powerful gust of wind from the palm of her hand. Jiraiya had no time to even react before he was blown out of the motel room door with the unexpected gust of wind. The poor old pervert didn't even have a chance to speak one word let alone do anything else before he was unexpectedly blindsided.

Naruto on the other hand reacted out of pure instinct as he slammed his foot into the ground causing a trail of ice to race across the room floor and expand into a large thick sheet of ice that barricaded the door way. After his mind finally caught up to what was actually happening a scowl came to Naruto's face as he let out an aggravated sigh. He had a feeling this type of scene was going to become the norm whenever he's around the Legendary Sannin.

After pulling the old Sannin aside for a private conversation in which the very young father threatened the sage to within an inch of his life about proper manners in entering rooms and to treat Iris right while he was gone Naruto felt satisfied to leave Iris within Jiraiya's care. He knew the Sannin wouldn't take Iris to any brothels or bath houses anytime soon so that set Naruto's mind at ease.

Now it was just Naruto and Chaos alone enjoying an early morning stroll through the streets of Midway with Eva resting comfortably within his hair. The perpetual smile that's always on Chaos's face seemed to stretch even farther than usual and Naruto didn't even need his special bond with Chaos to sense her emotions and understand what the tiny terror was feeling right now. She was truly happy to be spending this time with her father. This was what she needed. That intoxicating feeling of happiness was quite contagious as Naruto couldn't help the smile that spread across his face either. If his daughter was happy then he was happy, it was a simple as that.

"Let's get a whole bunch of food Dada. We can have an eating contest." Chaos suggested as she eyed a food court down the street. It was a pretty busy section of the town, one of the busiest if Naruto remembered correctly. Naruto thought about it for a quick moment and then agreed. It wouldn't be half bad to try something so fun. "Okay, you're on sweetie. Just be prepared to lose." Naruto said with a challenging smirk that had Chaos's large and expressive eyes lighting up in excitement.

"I've saved up a lot of money lately, especially since I haven't had a need to buy anything in quite a while." Naruto mentioned as he patted Chaos on her head which the psychotic child enjoyed immensely if the innocent blush on her face was any indication. "Don't waist you're money Dada. We can just get some." Chaos countered as she got a peculiar look in her eyes. Her chaotic instincts to just generally do bad things was acting up again. Naruto panned his eyes over to where Chaos was looking and noticed a rather snobbish looking punk walking nearby. He had expensive looking clothes on that he no doubt spoiled himself with. Just on looks alone he didn't look like the nicest person in the world and the people he had walking with him weren't much better.

Chaos was already moving before Naruto could finish his train of thought. She bumped into the guy from seemingly out of nowhere causing him to stumble over his feet in surprise. Chaos herself fell to the ground with a seemingly fearful look on her face. "Hey watch it kid!" The teenager snarled as he glared down at Chaos who curled up in on herself in fear. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't see you there." Chaos apologizes while shying away from looking the older teen in the eye. She wasn't the best at acting as she was forcing herself to keep her natural dopey smile off her face. Surprisingly enough Iris was a master actress and could pull this stunt off flawlessly. It's why when the twins con snobbish people out of their money they decide to let Iris be the decoy. Her delicate and soft features trick people into believing she's a weak and shy little girl. Her acting also goes a long way into pulling this convincing tale off as well and while this is going on Chaos simply ghosts her way around the person and steals all of their valuables and takes them away with her strange ability to simply defy the natural laws of reality.

The twins were a perfect team and quite the dynamic duo which impressed Naruto when he found out what they were doing. He wasn't angry at them for stealing or conning rich or delinquent snobbish people out of their money and valuables. It would be quite hypocritical of him to do so when he did the same thing when he was younger and till this day still does. Especially since he was the one to teach them how to steal. When you live in a ninja village stealing was a common placed practice.

"You'll be sorry when I'm done with you kid." The punk said as he picked Chaos up off the ground. Chaos turned her head away from the delinquent to hide the smirk that was threatening to crawl onto her face. He didn't know it, but she just hexed him. He now had a curse on him that was going to cause him bad luck and misfortune for the rest of the week. The tiny terror squirmed in the teenagers grasp as Naruto casually walked by without anyone noticing him. The boy's wallet was gone. Not only that but the expensive jewelry on his wrist too.

"Hey! Let her go now!" Naruto's voice called out drawing everyone's attention to Naruto who looked as if he was just walking up onto the scene. "What did you say punk?" The delinquent growled as his boys surrounded Naruto in an intimidating manner. Naruto didn't seem fazed at all as he kept his eyes on the teenager holding his daughter.

"It's that boy again."

"What's going on here!"

On lookers were gossiping again as they recognized Naruto from yesterday. Naruto let out an annoyed sigh at this. The people of this town were really inquisitive and liked to gossip. This was definitely a place he wouldn't want to live. People here seemed too interested in him and his daughters for some reason. "I said let her go… or else." Naruto insisted as he sent a simple glare at the ring leader that sent a bone chilling tingle up his spine. The boy was all talk, he really didn't have much of a back bone.

"Don't talk big kid! Get him boys!" The kid shouted as Naruto simply sighed. 10 seconds later all five of the boys were on the ground out cold with the delinquent now shaking in fear. Chaos had a near psychotic look on her face that she was trying and somewhat failing to hold off her face. "Holy crap… hey, I didn't mean any of that ok kid. Don't come near me." The delinquent stuttered once he saw all five of his friends dropped in a measly 10 seconds. It was extremely demoralizing to his self-confidence.

"Come here sweetie." Naruto said with a small smile which caused a massive smile to bloom on Chaos's face. "Okay big brother!" Chaos shouted as she elbowed the boy holding her so hard he collapsed to the ground in pain. She made it seem so simple and effortless. Chaos made it an effort on her part to pass by the five other thugs lying unconscious on the ground while discretely placing curses on all of them. She skipped her way over to Naruto who picked her up into his arms. "Oh, I'm so happy you're ok. You should know not to let go of my hand." Naruto acted distraught as he kissed the tiny terror on the cheek in an affectionate way. Chaos beamed at this attention as she giggled and buried her face into the crook of Naruto's neck.

"Now we take out leave." Naruto whispered into Chaos's ear as they slowly and discretely backed away from the area as the crowd that witnessed everything gossiped among themselves and watched them leave. They didn't need to stick around anymore, especially since they got everything they came for.

"He's so strong!"

"So that must have been his other sister yesterday."

"Finally, someone did something about those thugs."

Naruto couldn't help but sigh again. People in this town gossiped a lot. More than he thought was healthy. "That's my girl Chaos… whose Daddy's good little girl?" Naruto cooed as he nuzzled the side of Chaos face who looked like she was on cloud ten like her sister the day before as she soaked up her father's attention and affection. She couldn't possibly be happier. "Look at all the money we got." Naruto said as he pulled out a thick wallet stuffed with money and other items that could be considered valuable in the right persons hands. "It's so much… hey Dada, I placed a bad luck curse on all of them. I'm going to feel their negative energy everytime they suffer for the next week and I get to feed off of it. I should do that to more people often." Chaos giggled while latching onto Naruto's back in her favorite spot.

Naruto had to withhold the grimace that threatened to overtake his face at the thought of Chaos going around cursing everyone and feeding off of their negative energy. She would overdose on that crazy amount and become impossible to handle. "Sure honey, just make sure to only use it on people who absolutely deserve it." Naruto advised as he decided to bite the bullet on this one. He couldn't tell her not to, since by her logic that would only make her want to go behind his back and do it anyway so it was best to control her and set some guidelines. It was for the best this way.

Naruto and Chaos pigged out after this on an all you can eat buffet using the stolen money they took from the thug. The father daughter duo enjoyed themselves way more than anyone else in the town as they did all sorts of things. Chaos even did something with Naruto she's never done before. She took Naruto on a trip around the town from the air. Naruto never experienced the feeling of flying before and he was highly proud of the fact Chaos was now strong enough to fly in the air and carry a person with her. Of course, he was also nervous of being up so high without any stable footing below him but regardless of what reservations anyone else would have had, he trusted his daughter not to drop him. His trust was well placed as Chaos never put him in danger throughout the entire trip.

She also took him to a clothing store where she bought some inexpensive clothing. Chaos was as always, a simple girl so fashion wasn't the highest thing on her priority list but as a girl she still had a strong natural fashion sense. That was fine for Naruto until she then decided to show him some very adult themed thongs in the underwear section. Naruto was mortified especially since there were a lot of women in the store and they were giving him dirty looks. Needless to say, Naruto rushed out of the store with Chaos flailing behind him as fast as he could.

* * *

 _ **With Jiraiya and Iris**_

Jiraiya and Iris were having a surprisingly normal day as well as the sage true to his word was behaving himself in front of the little princess which was a surprise to the little girl. "Hey, do you want ice cream?" Jiraiya asked in a calm tone as he spied an ice cream cart up the street. "Yes please." Iris quickly agreed as sparkles came to her eyes. She loved ice cream. After getting ice cream, the unlikely duo sat down on a park bench to enjoy their dessert. "Mr. Jiraiya…" Iris asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, what's up squirt?" The old sage asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're different than what I was expecting. How come you're not acting all pervy?" Iris asked while eyeing the old man in curiosity. "Oh… do you think that's all there is to me?" Jiraiya chuckled while eating his ice cream. "Uh… yeah. I thought you were just a big perv." Iris said bluntly while shying away from looking at the white haired old man. "Hahahahaha! That's a good one kid… but you and me both know that you think of me in a far different light than that." Jiraiya said with a chuckle before his voice changed to be deeper and more serious. His small black eyes narrowed down at the little girl whose bangs were overshadowing her face in mystery.

 **["You're right about that Jiraiya… I think far more highly of you than you could ever possibly know."]** Iris said as her own voice grew much deeper and far older. Lifting her head up Jiraiya nearly gasped as Iris's eyes were a powerful emerald green color. Iris wasn't speaking right now. It was Lady Sōkyoku. "Who or what are you?" Jiraiya asked seriously as Sōkyoku smirked in amusement. **["I'm something you can't even begin to imagine my child."]** Sōkyoku replied with more amusement swimming in her eyes. "You're some type of higher being, aren't you? Maybe an Angel, or some type of celestial being?" Jiraiya speculated as he watched the emotions play out in Sōkyoku's intimidating emerald eyes. **["Humm… nope! I'd say think higher than that?"]** Sōkyoku giggled a bit. She was enjoying this.

"Are you a god?" Jiraiya asked as his eyes widened considerable in shock. He didn't even want to entertain the thought he was possibly talking to a real god in the form of a little girl. That would be too much for his poor heart to take. Sōkyoku started to outright laugh at this as her dignified giggles sounded like music to both Jiraiya and those who were passing by. No one's ever heard anything like it before and it was beautiful. **["Well you're still not even close, but just referring to me as a Goddess will suffice. I'm not something that is known to many little one. I'm something far older… but I'll just stop there. I've said to much already."]** Sōkyoku said with a small smile gracing her face. She looked far more elegant and tranquil than Jiraiya or anyone else have ever seen her.

"Something beyond even a god… what are your plans for Naruto?" Jiraiya questioned in concern as his heart was starting to race. He couldn't even wrap his mind behind the concept of a being beyond the scope of a god. Sōkyoku was right. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

 **["You needn't worry. I have no negative intentions towards my host. I need his help in a task. Sadly, it is not time for either him or anyone else to know what that is so you shouldn't ask."]** Sōkyoku said in an ominous tone as her eyes grew hazy in anxiety and regret. She wasn't looking forward to the future. The fight that was to come was one she fought long ago in the past and that was what was responsible for the condition her twin sister was in. It also had many other backlashes that's felt till this day. Sōkyoku sighed as she felt her age right now, and even she didn't know exactly how old she was.

"You say that but how can I trust you? I won't let any harm come to that boy." Jiraiya said in a deadly voice as some of his chakra leaked out. This was a threat. Sōkyoku smiled a beautiful smile that caught Jiraiya off guard. **["Good boy, but you don't need to worry about me hurting Naruto. Besides, save that anger and passion for the task at hand."]** Sōkyoku said as she placed her hand on Jiraiya's shoulder and the man gasped in shock. He felt just the tiniest sliver of Sōkyoku's power and it was truly beyond anything he's ever felt in his entire life. There was no end to it. Infinite wouldn't even be a proper word to describe the volume of her power.

Before Jiraiya could get his bearings and say more a large explosion on the other side of town rocked the entire area sending billowing clouds of black smoke into the air. The faint sounds of terrified screaming could be heard in the distance. "What was that?" Jiraiya exclaimed as he jumped to his feet ready to head in the direction of danger. All of his senses were on high alert right now and his instincts to help this town and its people were screaming at him. He never shy's away from helping others and this time would be no different. **["It's the enemy."]** Sōkyoku said in a serious tone as a scowl marred her face.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto and Chaos**_

How did it get to this point?

He was walking down the street with Chaos holding onto his hand searching for Jiraiya and Iris. They were done with their father daughter date and were now ready to meet up with the other two members of their group. Naruto planned to get some training in for the day before they left the town. The duo was playing I Spy to pass the time as they made their way back over to a predetermined meet up spot. Everything was going good until Chaos suddenly froze up in the middle of the street. Her eyes had transitioned over into their scanner mode as she looked off in a certain direction. It was the cardinal direction of north.

"Two enemy signatures fast approaching." Chaos suddenly announced as her eyes seemed to pinpoint two specific targets off in the distance. Her eyes lost their spark of life as her voice took on a dead monotone octave. Chaos had more to say as Naruto tried to get her to focus in on him.

 **Name:** Harpy – AKA: Gamma 1 and Gamma 2

 **Species:** Angeloid

 **Generation:** 1st

 **Class:** Interceptor

 **Type:** Gamma

 **Wing Configuration Type:** Not Variable, High Altitude

Naruto's never in his life heard Chaos talk quite like this before. She was just like a robot as she spouted off statistics and information he's never heard of before, but the one thing that did catch his attention right away was Chaos saying Angeloid. Naruto's blood ran cold at hearing this. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. An Angeloid. Naruto never thought he'd ever encounter another one of Chaos's species. He was under the impression that Chaos showing up in his world was a complete accident and one-off chance.

"Chaos look at me! Snap out of it!" Naruto shouted as he shook the small but deadly Angeloid out of her trance like state. "Dada… I'm scarred. They're coming for me. They're finally coming for me." Chaos said in a panicking tone of voice as hysteria was clearly visible within her terrified eyes. She was gripping her long beautiful blond hair with her hands in a frazzled state while shaking her head from side to side. Chaos was having a nervous breakdown and Naruto didn't know what to do.

"Chaos, calm down and look at me sweetie. I will never let anyone take you away from me… you got that. I'll protect you." Naruto said in the sincerest tone of voice he could muster as he got down on one knee to be more at Chaos's proper height. He was trying to instill a sense of hope and safety within Chaos's mind. He wanted to comfort her and put her mind at ease.

"Hahahahaha. Isn't that sweet. Long time no see Captain." A voice spoke up in a condescending tone of voice that sent a chill down Naruto's spine. Turning around Naruto's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as two females floated out of the sky. Naruto's never seen anything quite like them before. But based on a few important defining features; Naruto could safely say they were definitely Angeloids. The biggest give away being they had black chokers around their necks with a broken chain link dangling off of it.

The two were twins. That much was obvious. The only difference between them was one had dirty blond colored hair and the other had mossy green colored hair. Other than that, they were virtually identical in every single way. On the sides of their heads where their ears should be they had exhaustion fan like apparatuses that also functioned as the exposed visible part to their advanced sensory package system. For clothing, the twins had on a skin-tight light body armored leotard that was pure white with black strips going down it. On their right arm, they had on a slim metal armor that extended all the way down to their hands where it was covered in heavy armor that formed their close combat weapon, _Nemea_. On their left arm were the long cannon that are their model's signature weapon, the _Prometheus Cannon_.

"Chaos get behind me." Naruto ordered as he quickly stood in front of his daughter in a defensive manner. He had a bad feeling about these two. "Step out of the way little human. We're here to reunite with our old comrade. We haven't seen her in so long." Gamma 1 said with a cruel smirk brazenly plastered across her face. "So, this is where you've been hiding all this time. It took us quite a long time to find you on this backwater world after we tracked your energy signature here… but thanks to you and the multiple spikes in your energy over the last few weeks we had no trouble tracking you down." Gamma 2 revealed as she placed a hand on her hip. The look in her eye wasn't a pleasant one.

' _Is she talking about both yesterday with my Summoning Jutsu and last week when I lost control of my power in that magic circle? All of our energies spiked both times.'_ Naruto thought with a grim undertone marring his mind. He realized he was like a giant beacon to them. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. He was putting his family in danger.

"Dada I don't want to go back… I'll be a good girl I promise. Don't make me go back!" Chaos cried in hysteria as she collapsed to her knees. Tears where coming out of her eyes which was rare for her as memories from her past were bombarding her mind. She was remembering how she was betrayed and sent to be scrapped by her former master Minos. He sent his newly designed Angeloids after her to torture and kill her which they nearly managed to do. In the end, she was pulled into the dimensional portal that allows the Fallen Angels to travel across worlds while it was destabilized. It ripped her apart and transported her over to Earth right into Naruto's lap.

She never wanted to go back to the Synapse ever again. She loved the new life she had around her with her father and sister. It was a life she didn't want to give up ever. "Oh… you don't have a choice in this matter little brat. Our master want's you back. You have something in you that he really wants and he won't stop at anything to get it." G2 grinned as she held up her large arm cannon. "Daddy please…" Chaos pleaded in the weakest voice he's ever heard her use. Naruto's mind felt like it was in a blender. The amount of trauma and terror going through her mind right now was almost unbearable. "Chaos… are these the two you told me about a long time ago? Are they the ones who hurt you?" Naruto asked in a calm tone. "Yes…" It was a simple response and the only response Naruto needed.

A cold bitter fury chilled Naruto's body down to its very core. These two women were responsible for causing Chaos so much pain and suffering. They essentially had a hand in killing her so to speak. Now that he took a really good look at them he recognized them from the vision he had back in the Land of Waves. They were responsible for murdering that squad of Hidden Stone ninja. Now knowing this information, it made Naruto's next set of actions clear to him. These two women had to die. He wasn't interested in making peace with them.

"Oh… are you planning to do something little boy?" G1 questioned in an arrogant tone. "I'm going to kill you two." Naruto said with a cold lifeless tone getting the Angeloids to raise their eyebrows in interest. "You hurt my daughter and now it's all over for you." Naruto growled as his chakra rushed out of him in unrestrained waves. It was incredibly potent and dense and the harpies powered up their systems in response to this. They weren't expecting the amount of energy that was currently rolling off of Naruto right now. It was actually quite surprising.

"You think that thing is your daughter? You do realize she's millions of years old right kid?" G2 pointed out incredulously with a sarcastic laugh doubling her over. "I don't care how old she used to be… she's my daughter now and forever and you've pissed off the wrong father." Naruto scowled as he rocketed off from his position with a lightning fast **Body Flicker Jutsu**. The harpies while surprised by this human's speed still saw him coming from a mile away as they quickly dodged Naruto's speedy attack. His swords were out in an instant as he swung them at the Angeloids who blocked them with their claws in retaliation.

Instantly. It was in an instant that their clawed weapons started to freeze over and to their credit the Angeloids aimed their cannons at Naruto who summoned two Shadow Clones in the blink of an eye. **"Kenjutsu: Arctic Duet Dance!"** Both clones shouted as the clones tried to chop the advanced machines heads off in perfect synchronization. The Angeloids were experienced enough to know that they were being pinched. They both unfurled their wings in a moment's notice as they pushed the clones back with the wind pressure alone giving them the breathing room they needed. The clones popped once they both took nasty bumps off of nearby food stalls.

They didn't go far as they aimed their cannons at Naruto who growled in anger. He was out for blood. The war machines fired off a low powered blast that Naruto instantly had a counter for. **"Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu!"** A massive wall of ice exploded from the ground right in time as the particle beams from the twin Angeloids carved out a huge chunk of the glacier formed in front of them. Naruto's rage was prevalent as he instantly switched to a different move in less than a second. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"** The errant glacier in the middle of the street came to life again as large tendrils of ice shot off into the air that latched onto G2's leg. "Chaos! Run and find your sister and Jiraiya. I'll handle this!" Naruto yelled as people could be seeing coalescing at the end of the streets forming huge crowds of curious and concerned onlookers.

G1 growled as she took a quick pot shot at the ice encroaching on her sister's leg freeing her from her entrapment. Chaos didn't move. She was too scared to move right now as she just watched the two harpies combat her father. "That's it! You're dead kid!" G2 yelled as she rushed Naruto with her wings spread wide. Naruto wasn't having it though. He saw through this ruse as G1 could be seen out of the corner of his eye racing towards Chaos who was paralyzed in the middle of the street.

" **Accel Turn!"** Naruto roared as he blitzed G2 across the street into a fruit stand within the blink of an eye while at the same time creating two of his strange new clones that intercepted G1 before she could even touch Chaos. Both Angeloids were forced away from Chaos's defenseless form by her father's tactics. G2 growled in annoyance as she took aim at Naruto who was on top of her. He didn't have time to jump off of her as that would only leave him vulnerable for the few seconds his feet were off the ground so Naruto went with the next best thing. He grabbed the cannon by its barrel and yanked it into the air as fast as he could. A pale orange beam of energy blasted out of the barrel at high speeds that cut a devastating line of destruction through several buildings as G2 tried to correct the angle of her arm cannon. With Naruto placing it into a quick armbar she didn't have much free range of motion.

Several dozen chain explosions rippled throughout the city following this as massive fires raged out of control on the top floors of several buildings nearby. The entire city block was damaged and now the gravity of the situation was dawning on the concerned citizens of Midway as panic filled screams filled the air alongside the raging fires. "Get the hell off me you little brat!" G2 yells as she kicks Naruto off her body with her powerful legs. "For a human you're pretty damn annoying, but we'll finish you off accordingly." Gamma 2 threatens as she gears up to attack Naruto yet again.

"Sister! Never mind about the boy! Just grab the brat and get into the air. We'll just glass this entire town to slag and be done with it." Gamma 1 said in an uncaring tone as she unfurled her black and white wings for this very task. Both harpies agreed to this as they raced towards Chaos whose warning systems were working overtime to try and safe her but the little girl was just far to traumatized to listen. "I don't think so! **Double Acceleration!** " Naruto formed a crater in the street as he took off far faster than the Harpies were expecting him to go. The windows of the shops nearby were all blown out by the shockwave from Naruto's signature technique as he scooped his daughter up into his arms within milliseconds of the two harpies making it to her. The Angeloids were incredibly fast. They almost beat him to her but it was only due to their momentary shock at his increased speed that threw them off their game.

' _I need to find Jiraiya and Iris fast. I'm going to need Pervy Sage's help with this one. Chaos isn't in any kind of condition to fight.'_ Naruto thought as he surged forward. He wasn't going to stick around and fight the two unknown Angeloids anymore, especially with Chaos incapacitated in his arms. Naruto couldn't even make it a full block down the road before the Harpies completely overtook him in speed. They were proving just why they were designated as Interceptor models. "Where do you think you're going bug!" Gamma 2 asked with a snarl plastered on her face. Naruto instantly hit the brakes as he backpedaled when they took swipes at him with their clawed melee weapons, the Nemea.

"Get back!" Naruto yelled as he used the remainder of his Accel Cloak to shoot off two more of his new clones. They each rushed a harpy at the same time intent on keep them away from the original but the Angeloids were getting tired of this tactic. In seconds, the twins swiped the clones coming in at them dispersing them in an explosion of kinetic energy. The harpies stumbled back from this unexpected burst of energy all the while Naruto took this as his chance to get ahead. He was going to try his luck with the roof tops of the buildings.

"I don't think so kid! Just die already!" G1 growled as she and her sister took aim at Naruto who couldn't charge up his Accel Cloak in time. The beams of energy were coming straight at Naruto and he couldn't do a thing about it. **"Yōjutsu: Water Celebration!"** Eva was right on time as she launched a massive Yōki filled geyser of water right into the path of the two energy beams. The two attacks collided in the middle of the street sending superheated water splashing into the wooden walls of the shops nearby burning holes into them. Luckily Naruto had enough time to throw up a small **Ice Mirror** that blocked this boiling water from scalding him. "Thanks Eva. I owe you big time on that one." Naruto said as he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He wouldn't have been able to throw up any suitable defenses in the short span of time those beams were coming at him. "Anytime Naru. But what are we going to do. These chicks are tough and Chaos is out for the count. She's still repeating the same thing from earlier. She doesn't want to go back with them." Eva commented as she kept her eyes focused on the two hostile Angeloids blocking their path.

It was true. Chaos was just repeating the same words over from earlier in a mantra. She was a good girl and was pleading for her father not to let the Harpies take her back to the Synapse. If she were on the ground right now she'd be groveling in the dirt in order to get her pleas across. She was terrified and traumatized right now. All of the memories from her past life were continuously coming into her mind bombarding it with the weight and emotions behind those previously forgotten about memories. But the most prevalent one's were of her former master, Minos.

"She won't be going with them that's for sure. But I don't know what else we can do either. The best we can do is hold out until Jiraiya and Iris get here." Naruto suggested as he tightened his grip on Chaos who was shaking in his arms. He wouldn't let anyone take her from him. Thinking fast Naruto shifted Chaos's tiny body around until she was resting across his back in the piggy back position which is her favorite. Using his affinity for Ice he froze her body to his back to keep her from falling off. Now he had the use of his arms again and he formed his swords in his hands for defense.

Naruto took a quick moment to look around him and his heart ached as the town around him was burning and people could be seen desperately escaping from the buildings that were now on fire. Families and friends were running and screaming trying to save each other from an early grave and that truly angered Naruto more than anything else. These people were innocent… a bit nosy and inquisitive… but innocent none the less. They didn't deserve anything that was happening to them right now. Their homes and shops were burning to the ground around them. Their entire livelihoods. It was horrific and unjustifiable. Naruto hated these two Angeloids in front of him. He couldn't possibly imagine his daughter, his Chaos doing despicable things like this in her past life. It was unthinkable. It made him sick to his stomach.

"Okay kid. Play times over. You've gotten in our way more than you should have." G1 snarled as she and her sister hovered off the ground. They were rising farther and farther into the air away from Naruto's reach. "Say goodbye to this town and your life. But don't worry you disgusting little head over anything. Chaos should survive this blast but every other organic life form in this entire town should be disintegrated. First we're going to blast you to hell and then we're going to glass this entire town to oblivion leaving no evidence behind." Gamma 1 said in a bone chilling tone that sent unfiltered terror coursing through Naruto's veins. They were out of his reach. None of his Jutsu could possibly reach that far into the sky while maintaining proper accuracy.

"Say goodbye Kid. **PROMETHEUS!** " Both Harpies cried at the same time as they charged up their Prometheus Cannons with a large bolt of energy. They were going to wipe the entire city block out with this attack. "My god! Move body move!" Naruto roared as he took off running. He couldn't do anything to defend himself against such an attack. He unleashed as much chakra as he could as he prepared another Double Acceleration. He didn't know how far the blast radius of this attack would be but he just knew he couldn't stick around and find out. The only thing that was worse than this is the fact innocent bystanders were still feeling the area. They would be vaporized in an instant.

This thought chilled Naruto to his bones as he suddenly stopped. He couldn't let these people die like this. He had to do something. His mind instantly went back to the unexpected conversation he had with the Nine Tailed Fox this morning. The foxes power. He had to use it even though he said he wouldn't rely on it. He was already breaking his promise and it hadn't even been a full day yet. He dug deep down within himself as he pulled out the beast's chakra. Red chakra exploded from Naruto's body as the sky turned dark with grey storm clouds spawning into existence. Black snow began to fall just as the twin Harpies fired their main cannons.

Naruto didn't know what to do but his body was working on pure instinct right now. Fortunately for him he wouldn't have to make a move as a figure darted past him going at speeds he could only dream of. It was Jiraiya and he had the most serious expression Naruto's even seen on his face. The hulking man came to a stop right in front of Naruto and directly in the path of the two powerful beams of energy.

" **RASENGAN BARRAGE!"** Jiraiya roared as two bright spheres of pure chakra formed in the Toad Sannin's hands. They were bright blue in color and they had thousands if not millions of microscopic sized strands of chakra swirling around in every conceivable direction. It was unlike anything Naruto's ever seen before. But he could tell the technique Jiraiya was using was powerful. Incredibly so. He could feel it all the way from where he was standing. Large bands of errant chakra were spilling out of the sphere lighting up the world around them as Jiraiya shoved the twin spheres into the path of the attacking beams.

What happened next would be something Naruto would never forget for the rest of his life. The beams collided with the chakra spheres in Jiraiya's hands and instantly began to be overpowered. The spheres were grinding away at the energy beams pushing up against them sending tiny wayward beams of light scattering around creating a kaleidoscope like effect of rainbow like colors. Jiraiya completely stone walled the incoming attacks like they were nothing. "What the hell?!" G2 yelled in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. No mere human has ever blocked their attack like this before. It was unheard of.

"You two may be some killer ladies but what you've done to this town is unforgiveable. I can't let you live for this." Jiraiya declared as he twisted his hands as if he were turning a nob on a door. The chakra spheres in his hands started to rapidly expand at an alarming rate before shooting off into the air completely decimating the particle beam.

"No way. That's impossible." G1 whispered in disbelieve as she stared blankly at Jiraiya who was sending them a serious scowl right now. He was ready for any move they would make. The two Angeloids wouldn't have time to think as they suddenly plummeted to the ground without warning as a massive downdraft current forced them to smack into the ground below painfully. Naruto looked up in surprise to see Iris standing in front of him and immediately he could tell it wasn't Iris but Lady Sōkyoku in control. Her presence was overwhelming and commanded respect.

 **["You two little children are a long way from home. Allow me to send you back to where you came from."]** Sōkyoku declared as her power spiked. "Why you little piece of crap! I'll kill you!" Gamma 2 roared as she launched herself off the ground from the indentation she left in the ground after colliding with it. "Wait sister don't! Something isn't right with that little girl!" Gamma 1 screamed as her sensors were telling her something was extremely dangerous about the little blond-haired girl before them. Gamma 2 wasn't listening to her sister's warnings as she charged in. Her speed was impressive but Sōkyoku didn't even bat an eyelash as she took two large steps forward while spinning. It looked like a dance. Coming out of her spin Sōkyoku launched a massive gust of wind so powerful that Jiraiya and Naruto who were behind the little blond-haired girl were nearly lifted off their feet by the sheer force of this attack. Any and everything that wasn't tied down and secured was blown away down the street alongside copious amounts of dust and dirt that slammed into Gamma 2 with the force of a hurricane.

The force of the wind hitting against her was so powerful that Gamma 2 could even feel her wings rattling under the stress of trying to stay airborne. She could hear the dull metallic sounds of the metal and other materials her wings were made up of clanging together underneath the surface of her body as she was blown away down the street in an uncontrollable manner. Gamma 1 managed to catch her sister within her grasp but she too slid down the dirt road as she tried to maintain her traction to the ground but was finding it hard to.

Both harpies collapsed to the ground in a heap once the hurricane like gust of wind past them by. They definitely didn't see that coming. **["You've caused so much pain and suffering to these people and to my family all within such a short amount of time. I think it's time you got a taste of your own medicine."]** Sōkyoku imposed as she waved her arms around in an intricate manner. Everyone who was nearby gasped in awe as the many fires that were raging out of control around them came to life at Sōkyoku's command. The little girl was using her body like a controller as every move she made the fire followed.

Sōkyoku directed the massive column of fire from around the city into a single condensed beam of dense fire and heat that she dropped down directly onto the harpies scorching the entire ground pitch black with the intense heat. The two Angeloids could be heard screaming in pain as they weren't designed with high levels of heat resistance in mind. The attack was so potent that Naruto and Jiraiya had to cover their eyes from how bright the fire was becoming. The dark storm clouds that were raining down black snow from Naruto's powers were blown away by the rapid change in temperatures. Naruto found his Nine Tails Cloak dissipating around him as Iris's power was flooding his system right now.

Once the vicious onslaught was over the harpies could be seen limping to their feet in excruciating pain. Their clothes and skin were charred black and the ground and area beneath and around them were scorched pitch black and completely devastated. **["I suggested you little wayward angels get out of here before I smite you."]** Sōkyoku threatened as a golden aura enveloped her body. The Angeloids scanners were still working so they could see that Sōkyoku's power was still rising. It eclipsed their own right now. They didn't stand a chance, especially in the poor condition they were in.

"This isn't over. Chaos will be coming back with us one of these days. Our master will get what he wants." Gamma 1 threatened as she lifted her sister's limp body over her shoulder. She was having trouble flying but she managed as she got up into air. She sent a death glare down to the group below her with all the distain and animosity she could muster. She's never felt so humiliated before. Her master wasn't going to like this, and worst of all she knew if she and her sister were actually serious from the beginning they could have easily killed Naruto and took Chaos. They underestimated him severely and allowed him to buy time for help to arrive. They were far stronger than him but their ego got in the way and it cost them dearly. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Sōkyoku didn't bother pursuing the Angeloids as they took off into the air and out of the airspace of the town. Their time would come, but it wouldn't be today. Jiraiya was already going over dozens upon dozens of plans and backup plans within his mind. Contingency plans were coming together within his mind at speeds that would make even a Nara Clan member raise their eyebrows in surprise. He had to inform not only the Hokage about this immediately but the rest of his extensive Spy Network. Two individuals as dangerous as these two Angeloids couldn't be left alone unchecked. They were a serious threat.

"Chaos it's ok. They're gone, your safe now sweetheart." Naruto said in the calmest voice he could muster. He was emotionally drained from this entire days' worth of ordeals. It was always one thing after another in his life. "Dada! I don't want to go back. Please don't make me." Chaos sobbed in incoherent words as she shed copious amounts of tears onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto's heart ached at hearing the pain his daughter was in. For Chaos of all people to be reduced to such a pitiful state nearly shattered Naruto's world. Nothing was supposed to faze Chaos, she was too emotionally unhinged for normal inconveniences and troubles to affect her. But now she was like a true six-year-old. She was terrified and traumatized beyond belief by something from her past and she was to young and too scared to confront it. Like any normal child faced with a scenario like this they would either shut down emotionally or run.

"Chaos go into sleep mode ok. There is no danger around." Naruto said softly as he and everyone else watched Chaos's eyes slowly close down. It was faint but for those who are right up against her body and have enhanced hearing you could hear the sounds of machinery and electric modems humming beneath the surface of her skin. Of course, her internal body is sound proof is she decided to turn that feature on for stealth mode like scenarios but as of right now being right up against her Naruto could hear that low electric hum grow dull as the tiny terror entered a low powered state. Very much so like a computer when you put it on sleep mode to save power.

"What are we going to do now Jiraiya?" Naruto asked as he looked up at the Legendary Sannin who had a serious look on his face. "I have to inform the Hokage of this right away. After that we need to help these people get back on their feet. We can't just leave the town today with the way things are now. It wouldn't be right." Jiraiya said as he summoned a small messenger toad. He was going to write an emergency letter to the Hokage about this incident. As far as Jiraiya was concerned this was non-negotiable. He wasn't going to leave until he knew the town was ok. That was just the type of person he was.

"I wouldn't have left even if you tried to force me, I'll get this town fixed up in no time." Naruto said with determination in his eyes. He used the **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu** to create over a hundred clones of himself. He sent them out into the dense forest around the town to gather logs and wood to be used in the reconstruction of the town. Naruto summoned all of the tools he had sealed on his arm tattooed storage seals and had a group of clones raid the local department stores and tool shops. He gathered up ever tool in the entire town and set to work tearing down and reconstructing ever damaged building he could find. With numbers on his side this extensive task took him only two and a half days. In the meantime, Naruto had Iris heal anyone who needed healing and on repair duties just like him. Jiraiya wasn't idle either as he pitched in wherever he could. He didn't even peek in on a single hot spring the entire time. When it was time to be serious the old man had it where it counts. Jiraiya too had a bit of a handy man mentality to him that shocked Naruto and made him feel like he had something in common with the old Sannin. The toad sage knew his way around a tool box just like as if were Ninjutsu.

This humanitarian act put the small group in the good graces of the citizens of the town. With Naruto's life long experience in carpentry and working under and learning from Tazuna on the bridge Naruto was the man for the job. But it was the conversation with Sōkyoku that would change Naruto's life forever.

* * *

 **["Destiny is being set into motion young one. You're trials and tribulations are about to truly begin. You'd do well to prepare yourself and little Chaos for what's to come."]** Sōkyoku said in a tone fit for a god. Her voice carried eons of authority and experience. You could literally feel the power rolling off of her in waves and it was a humbling experience for both Naruto and Jiraiya who felt a tingle travel up their spines with the tone Sōkyoku used on them. "Lady Sōkyoku what's coming?" Naruto asked as he looked into the powerful emerald green eyes of his daughter. She wasn't his daughter in this moment. She was an unknown being of infinite power, but Naruto would learn that in time. **["The Void… the Nothingness that consumes even Darkness itself. A thing beyond comprehension."]** Sōkyoku answered as a distant look came to her eyes. She was speaking directly to her past. She knew what was coming.

"Can we beat it?" Naruto asked simply. Nothing else needed to be said. His mind was overwhelmed right now but he needed to know. **["Not alone we can't… but together… all of us together combined, we might just stand a chance. I will stand beside you Naruto Uzumaki… but only if you are ready?"]** Lady Sōkyoku said as she seemed to tower over both Naruto and Jiraiya despite barely being 4 feet tall. To his knowledge, this was the first time Sōkyoku's referred to him by his full name in such a detached manner. She was as serious as she could possibly be right now.

"I'm ready." Naruto said as his eyes glowed with unfiltered raw determination.

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

2.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Duet Dance -** This is the duet version of Naruto's signature sword technique. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

3.) **Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu -** An Ice Style Jutsu that Naruto uses. He slams his hands onto the ground and pumps a sizeable amount of chakra into the ground beneath him. Out of the ground in front of him a large thick wall of ice will appear that is very thick and highly durable. Because of the fact that Naruto's chakra is in fact mixed in with his own Yōki that his body creates the Ice wall's durability is further enhanced. However, it can crack if hit with a high amount of pressure and velocity such as Eva's giant water wave. Also, it can be cut in two by Eva's thin beams of water from the attack that she just learned.

4.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

5.) **Accel Turn -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.

6.) **Double Acceleration -** The first variant of Accelerating Turn that works the same way as the original. The user stores up kinetic energy in their body but the difference is at this point. The user separates the built-up energy into two separate pockets surrounded by a shell of the user's internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), the two bubbles of kinetic energy is pressed up against each other and concentrated at the user's feet, which in turn creates tremendous amounts of pressure on the body. Once released the added pressure results in a massive shockwave of kinetic energy that propels the user forwards at incredible speeds. The user then releases the second and final bubble of kinetic energy after the first gets depleted allowing them to speed back up again. Because of this there is a brief amount of lag in between each jump but the lag spike is so short that only experienced fighters would be able to notice or counter it.

7.) **Yōjutsu: Water Celebration -** A Demonic technique that Eva created that allows her to rapidly form a large volume of water that is cerulean in color instead of the normal clear color water takes. It is thick and heavier than normal water and it can blast through objects and break them a lot easier than normal water can. Eva can control this water at will and she can create large volumes of it.

8.) **Ice Style: Ice Mirror Jutsu -** A move that Naruto can use that allows him to create thin sheets of ice that are smooth and reflective. The technique is relatively weak and is used mostly for light defensive purposes only. He can create them easiest in the water but he has no problem creating them in midair or on dry land.

9.) **Prometheus -** The signature weapon of the Interceptor Series of Angeloids. The High-Fever Object Compression Anti-Aircraft Gun "Prometheus". The Harpies are equipped with a long-range armament called "Prometheus", a weapon that is able to shoot flaming hot projectiles that can reach up to 3000 degrees Celsius in 4 km/s.

10.) **Rasengan Barrage -** The Rasengan Barrage is a double-handed version of the regular Rasengan. The user creates two Rasengan, one in each of their hands. The user can then either attack two targets at once, or attack the same target with both Rasengan.

11.) **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu -** The _Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu_ is the advanced version of the Jutsu and creates hundreds of clones instead of just the average number.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys so how was that? This was one hell of a chapter and one I've been planning for a long time. The Harpies... Gamma 1 and 2 are here finally. I've only ever showed them lurking in far off lands up until this point since they got to Naruto's world. It would have taken them longer to find Chaos but due to Naruto's body acting like a giant beacon over the last two weeks it's allowed the two Angeloids to finally track Chaos down. Jiraiya removing the suppression seal on Naruto's stomach; Naruto losing control when trying to summon a Familiar; and finally Naruto summoning Gamabunta. By that point the Harpies would have already latched on to the same energy signal and come straight for it.

Naruto meets Kurama for the first time and it will definitely be the first of many encounters to come. The dynamic between Naruto and Kurama will definitely evolve over time as they experience more exposure to each other and are forced into more situations out of their control.

Naruto and Chaos have their own father/daughter date that goes off without a hitch. They con some thugs out of their money and possessions as usual which pleases both Uzumaki's greatly since they got free money and got to humiliate a bunch of delinquents. Chaos even has a personal source of negative energy to feed remotely feed off of for the next week. I took this time and of last chapter to show the differences between Iris and Chaos and how Naruto interacts with them 1 on 1. With Iris there's an innocence there and a more laid back atmosphere. He treats her like a princess. With Chaos there's an air of unpredictability and wildness that Naruto has to keep up with. In the end these were important scenes to establish character development and specific character dynamic.

Lady Sōkyoku shows her true colors to Jiraiya who is stunned to find out she is a Goddess, or at the very least allowing him to refer to her as such which is an even bigger shock. She hints at several things in their short conversation that has the old Sannin's mind and heart racing. He has a lot to think about for the future.

The Harpies attacking Naruto and Chaos right in the middle of the street is certainly a surprise. Chaos finally has flashbacks to her old life that she's shut off for so long. It leaves her completely paralyzed and traumatized with fear. It's left up to Naruto to fight off the two powerful Angeloids alone in his controlled but frigid cold fury. He takes the fight to the Harpies who while far stronger continuously underestimate Naruto and not fight with their full potential. This leads to their downfall as Jiraiya and Iris shows up. We get the first look at the Rasengan in the story which from Jiraiya completely overpowers the attacks of the harpies all the while Lady Sōkyoku quickly dispatches the two angeloids and forces them into full out retreat with severe damage.

While Naruto and Jiraiya make the decision to stay in Midway and help the people repair their homes it's the follow up conversation that they have with Lady Sōkyoku that is truly important. What's coming for them? What's Minos's true motive for recapturing Chaos and what does he want from her. What does Sōkyoku know about the being she is referring too? So many questions. Stay toon to find out.

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 56 (Politics of War)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 55 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 8/24/2017


	57. CH: 56 Politics of War

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter and I feel especially proud of this one. Not a single ounce of action or fighting to be seen yet this chapter still pours out so much profound weight. This is a heavy chapter that preludes to the Chunin Exam and many things to come. We get a large peak inside the inner mechanics of the Shinobi world and how each of The Great Five co-exist and affect one another on a world scale. There are a lot of things to be revealed in this chapter that opens up the world more and sheds a little more light on things to come. But the most exciting thing to be featured in this chapter is the verbal showdown between two Titans and that's a word I've hinted at before.

So without further delay: sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 56

 _ **Politics of War**_

Hiruzen felt old. Really old. He was 69 years old and should be in retirement right now. The sad thing is, he used to be over 12 years ago when the Fourth Hokage was in power. He remembered presiding over the Fourth's Inauguration as the next Hokage. It was one of the proudest days of his life. He found a suitable successor to inherit the Will of Fire and protect the village. He could finally step down as Hokage after the last 34 years. But it was not to be as the Nine Tails Incident took the life of Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage and his wife Kushina Uzumaki the Red Death. Two of the strongest shinobi in history and of their generation. It was one of the greatest loses the village has ever suffered in terms of military strength. The power they wielded was enough to completely make any potential invader give up on their endeavors just at the mention of their names.

Hiruzen was forced to come out of retirement after that tragic day. There weren't enough suitable S – Rank shinobi with the adoration and favor of the public or the mindset or experience to take on the exalted mantle of Hokage. The sheer amount of pressure and responsibility the title places on your shoulders is enough to break a lesser man. It times of strife a young, optimistic, and powerful individual would need to rally the people behind them and relieve them off all their fears.

The total number of S – Rank shinobi currently under the banner of the Leaf at the time was quite huge in all reality considering that such a caliber of shinobi is hard to come by. Hiruzen of course was one and hailed as the strongest Kage of his age as well as being called the God of Shinobi. Then you had Danzō Shimura the Darkness of Shinobi. His battle prowess and overall experience made him extremely dangerous and a formidable ninja. His two old teammates Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado while not exactly Kage level in terms of overall power, did have decades worth of experience and were quite skilled in their own right but they weren't exactly right for the position of Hokage. The next was Dino Pasquinelli the Dragon of the Forest and Kingpin of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia. While it is not widely known, only in the most private of inner circles is it ever talked about that Dino is rumored to be just as strong as Hiruzen in terms of power. While that notion is hard to believe for the lesser known to grasp only the highest echelons of ninja know the truth. Even though Dino isn't a shinobi his power still remains an uncontested fact and he could be an excellent Hokage if he wanted to but he was content running the criminal underworld and keeping the public safe.

But the sad thing was all five of these individuals all had one thing in common. They were old. They were all past their primes and were at retirement age. Add on to the fact most shinobi don't live to see their thirtieth birthday and you can easily gauge their prowess. The next qualified individuals would be the Legendary Sannin. Jiraiya was an excellent choice. His power and worldwide fame was undeniable and with his far-reaching influence and knowledge of the worlds international spy industry it would make him a very effective Hokage. The next was Orochimaru… sadly he wasn't the man for the job. Some argue he's the strongest of the three Sannin and weather that's true or not does not take away from his actual stated power. He was Kage level and could take up the position if not for his impure ideals and ideologies that a Hokage has never had before. Sadly a few years later he would defect from the village as proof that he wasn't right for the job. The last had the pedigree and bloodlines to be the Hokage. Tsunade Senju the great Slug Queen and granddaughter to the First Hokage and grandniece to the Second Hokage. Her power was unquestionable and her skills as the greatest medical ninja to ever live would make her a shoe in to be the Hokage, especially when you take into consideration who her students were. Sadly, she suffered too great of a loss during her lifetime and the trauma has made her retire as a shinobi.

While not as old as their mentors the Sannin weren't exactly young either. They were middle aged and while that's not a bad thing it would mean they could only serve about a decade's worth of a reign before they would start to feel the effects of age and rightfully make the decision to pass the title onto someone who is very young and capable. Switching Kage ever few years shows that your economy and military structure is weak and unstable if you can't properly maintain a leader for long. This unfortunate scenario has plagued the Village Hidden in the Sand since its inception with the first three Kazekage all being assassinated. It truly reflected bad on them in the grand stage of politics between the Five Great Nations.

Another unfortunate circumstance is the ANBU Commander not being eligible for the Hokage position. They work in the shadows all of their lives with the public and shinobi worlds never knowing their faces or identities. You can't elect someone so unknown into the office of Hokage and expect the public to view you as their leader who they can trust to lead and protect them. The moment you pass the rank of ANBU Captain you immediately become disqualified from being elected for any public office. You are forever trapped within the shadows of your village. All ANBU Commanders are S – Rank Kage level shinobi with razor sharp skills but they will forever be condemned to serving as the silent blade of their Kage. The Jōnin Commander is another fallback position to look for a suitable candidate to take on the mantle of Hokage but since the ranks inception almost every person to hold that position has come from the Nara Clan. The current commander Shikaku Nara is an exceptionally powerful shinobi and talented in his own right but the thing that far out striped his battle prowess was his intelligence. He was a recognized genius in the shinobi world and a formidable foe but not only was he not personality wise the right person for the job but he lacked the overall overwhelming strength and pedigree that other Shinobi had. His purpose was that off a general and strategist, not front-line fighter.

The only ones left to turn to were the Titans of the Hidden Leaf. Four individuals whose power stood above all others. Four S – Rank Shinobi with powers and skills that made them incredibly dangerous and a credible and worthy adversary as well as threat to any other shinobi of their caliber. The first was Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash of the Leaf. As the history books would tell you, he was the right man for the job. He in fact won the position and was named Fourth Hokage but his reign was the shortest reign any Kage has ever had and he never grew to reach his fullest potential. However, his already established skills made him recognized as one of the greatest shinobi alive and a leader of his generation. The next and undeniably strongest of the four was his very own wife. Kushina Uzumaki. Just her name struck utter fear and respect into the hearts of any who opposed her. Her raw overwhelming strength and skills were second to none and she could have easily been Hokage two times over compared to her husband but even though it used to be her childhood dream she eventually grew up to realize she could be a leader and make a difference in the world following the pursuits of a different avenue. The next was an individual of mystery who many haven't seen in many years. Their pedigree was up to snuff but their personality could be called into question that it wasn't Hokage material. The final member was Shoko Higarashi herself. Her power was tried and tested, she was undeniably a powerful kunoichi who could easily on skills and power alone take the mantle of Hokage uncontended. There wasn't another shinobi alive currently in the village who could match her in power, skill, or experience. But she retired after being afflicted with her own tragedies and traumas making her completely unfit for the title of leader.

It was a shame Hiruzen thought. The village while still boasting itself to be the strongest of the five Hidden Village's was secretly weak. For the last decade, it's been the weakest its even been since its inception. To many powerful individuals of great prestige and fame have left them. While in terms of quality when it comes to their ninja they are still on top it did nothing to ease the discontentment Hiruzen felt of their current political, economic, and militaristic situation. The village always pushed for quality of quantity and while they've managed to maintain that it does nothing in the face of the Hidden Cloud and Stone. They pushed for quantity while nurturing anyone who showed quality and promise. As it stands now, both villages outnumbered the leaf 10 to 1 on the Hidden Stone's side and 15 to 1 on the Hidden Cloud's side. They had thousands of shinobi in their ranks. Hiruzen pitifully wished the Titans were all still together and in complete unity.

Just one out of the four of them instantly makes the 10 to 1 and 15 to 1 advantage the other villages have over them obsolete. The power they wielded was just that revered. The four of them combined and no army or village could stand against them. Only the combined might of their opposing rivals. The Axis Titans could ever hope to oppose them and level the playing field. And to make matters worse. All four Axis Titans are alive and health till this day. The only Titan that could be confirmed alive on the Hidden Leaf's side was Shoko and she was a shell of her former self. Only in recent years since meeting and bringing Naruto into her life as she actually started to train and return to her former glory. But 1 vs. 4 was a mountain too great for Shoko to ever hope to climb.

Hiruzen sighed as he finished reading the emergency report he just received from Jiraiya. _'Angeloids… to think we'd see more of them. Chaos should have been the only one.'_ Hiruzen was heavily concerned by this new wave of information. Two unknown Angeloids just attacked a group of shinobi in broad daylight in the middle of Midway. This was unprecedented and deeply concerning. The physical description Jiraiya wrote down matched a report from months ago about a squad of Hidden Stone Shinobi being mysterious murdered on their local patrol. The weapons and tactics they used matched the autopsy reports from those shinobi's dead bodies. It was truly disturbing.

' _When Naruto spoke to me in a private conversation and revealed to me what Chaos was it truly shocked me. I did not think I'd see another being from one of the 3 biblical factions. To think little Chaos is an Angeloid and some kind of advanced model. I always knew something was special about her. Too bad he couldn't reveal what Iris was. He said he wasn't allowed too.'_ Hiruzen noted while massaging his aching wrist. Arthritis was taking hold of him in his old age.

' _If these latest reports are anything to go by then I'm afraid Naruto is going to need to be under watch and protected 24/7. Just dealing with this new threat is bad enough, that doesn't even take into factor that mysterious group called the Akatsuki. From what Jiraiya recently told me they're starting to become a little more active.'_ Hiruzen took a long puff of his tobacco pipe as anxiety and concerned weighed down on his old heart.

"I see stress is finally getting to you, old friend. That's not good for the God of Shinobi." Danzō's hassled voice spoke up from the dark shadowed corner of the Hokage's office. Hiruzen's wrinkled lips curved up into a small smile as he peered into the corner of his office to see Danzō Shimura; his old rival, walk out of the shadows of his office. His cane clacked across the hardwood floors of his office as the elderly man took a seat in front of his desk. "Arthritis is something even shinobi of our caliber cannot defeat. Although, the same could be said for you. You were lurking in the shadows over there for the last five minutes without moving. Are your knees acting up again?" Hiruzen shot back with a chuckle that amused Danzō if the raised eyebrow was anything to go by.

"I see your senses haven't dulled one bit my old friend." The calculating man remarked. "Well with the way you always come into my office it kind of helps me keep my senses sharp." Hiruzen mused while smoking from his pipe. "So, have you heard the news about the incident in Midway?" Danzō asked as he got down straight to business. "It always amazes me how fast you acquire your information Danzō, you really get to the _root_ of the problem." Hiruzen mused with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he coughed into his hand before taking on a serious look as well. "Yes… I've heard from Jiraiya what happened. This is a serious problem, one we can't ignore this time." Hiruzen frowned while sitting back in his office chair.

"I'm going to have Jiraiya silently stand guard over Naruto for the foreseeable future. We can't leave anything to chance. We must also ascertain the true threat level of these invaders. We need to plan accordingly." Hiruzen announced as he was also thinking of a few other plans for the future. "Very good then… but it's as you say Hiruzen… I could get to the root of the problem for you if you'd like my assistance?" Danzō suggested in a subtle way that was a private joke between the old friends. "If you mean the assistance that you've already started to provide, then yes Danzō I'd appreciate your assistance." Hiruzen responded in a jolly tone as he took a drag from his pipe. "Very well then, I'll take my leave for now Hiruzen but I must also inform you of one last important fact." Danzō revealed as he shifted in his seat, he was preparing to get up but he had one last thing to say.

Hiruzen perked up at this as he felt like what his old friend had to say would be equally as important. "I've heard that the Hidden Cloud have been mobilizing recently. Some reports suggest that they may be gearing up to act against us. We must be careful Hiruzen." Danzō warned in a very cautious tone which Hiruzen adopted as he turned to look out of his office window. "I agree my old friend. I agree."

* * *

 _ **The Land of Lightning / The Village Hidden in the Clouds**_

The Hidden Cloud Village was a massive village situated in an immense mountain range up in the northern peninsula of the Land of Lightning. In the center of the village was a large cylindrical building that wraps around the large mountain like spire rising high into the air. It had large panoramic windows and blue tiled roofs and walls with the large symbol of Lightning engraved into a plaque on the buildings main entrance side just like the Hokage Tower in the Hidden Leaf.

This was the Raikage Administration Building and was were the Raikage of the village as well as its administration conducted their day to day business. Right now, the building was busy as a group of high profile Shinobi were heading towards the Raikage's office at a brisk pace.

The leader of this small but important group just so happened to be the leader of this the village, the Raikage himself. He was a mountain of a man standing at an impressive 6'5 who matched the mountains his home was situated in. His name was A or stylized as Ay and it was a customary custom in his village to name their children after the letters in the alphabet. A has dark skin with a large muscular build, bleach blond hair that was greying combed back in slick corn rolls. A small moustache and goatee added features to his face. His face has pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs under his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead. He has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one; traits he inherited from his father.

A had on a long white Haori without a shirt on underneath advertising his chiseled chest with his ceremonial Raikage hat hanging off of his back. He has black Fūma Shuriken tattoos on both shoulders and large golden vambraces on his wrists, he also wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the center, black pants with torn ends, cloud ninja shin guards, and shinobi sandals. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler. Which was fitting since every Raikage in the past has been a professional wrestler and the sport of wrestling is the national sport of the Land of Lightning and its people.

The next to walk besides the jacked Raikage was an old veteran shinobi of both fame and skill. His name was Dodai and he was the Hidden Cloud village's Jōnin Commander. A contemporary and skilled match against Shikaku Nara the aged shinobi was one who has served both the current Raikage and his father the Third Raikage. He is currently 50 years old with his birthday arriving soon to turn him 51. He's the wielder of the very powerful and versatile _Lava Style Kekkei Genkai_ ; and as per customary of shinobi born with this Kekkei Genkai who live in the Land of Lightning he has gained mastery over this Kekkei Genkai's subset, the _Corrosion Style_. He can create vulcanize tar and rubber and use it in many creative and versatile ways, and when you combine that with his general usage and mastery of the normal Lava Style and his obvious and not so surprising affinity to Lightning Style it makes him a true force to be reckoned with.

Dodai has short and spiky, dark-colored hair that due to his old age is more of an ash grey color that is largely obscured underneath a stylized headband in the form of a large hat. Along with this item, his typical attire consisted of the standard outfit of most Hidden Cloud shinobi including the distinctive single-strap flak jacket, as well as a unique eye patch worn over his left eye. In his old age, the contours of his face have naturally become more pronounced and he has grown a small goatee as compared to his youth. He also prefers to wear the high collared variant of the standard cloud ninja attire and his eyepatch has the kanji for Lightning printed on it.

The next to be noticed was a famous Shinobi of his generation. Darui the Black Panther. He is a high A – Rank Shinobi who is well on his way to one day becoming a highly revered S – Rank shinobi. He is Kakashi Hatake's, Baki of the Sand, and many of the other high-ranking shinobi from the other village's competitive rival. His strength, fame, and skill is an easy match for Kakashi, Asuma, and Guy. He is an exceptionally skilled Shinobi with an affinity for Lightning, Water, and Wind Style and the holder of the mysterious and incredibly rare _Gale Style Kekkei Genkai_. Not much is none about it and only a certain percentage of the Shinobi in the village can use it with Darui's power and mastery over it making him the strongest user of it in the world. Alongside him being a master swordsman of a respectable caliber he also has another trump card up his sleeve. The revered and secret technique. _The Black Lightning_. It is a Hidden Jutsu that so far has been passed down to each and every Raikage with the famed Third Raikage being Darui's master and teaching him the secrets of this technique. Many think Darui is being groomed to be the next Raikage and with his pedigree it just very well might be true.

Standing at 5'7 Darui is a fairly tall, dark-skinned man with a slightly bulbous nose, black eyes that usually look bored, and shaggy, white hair which covers his left eye. He wears a high-collared, sleeveless black vest uniform with loose fitting pants, bandages on his wrists and the one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket of a cloud shinobi. Darui also has stylized characters for Water and Lightning tattooed on his right and left shoulders respectively, denoting his chakra's nature affinities, Water Style and Lightning Style, as well as the fact that he has a Kekkei Genkai, the Gale Style. The tattoo on his left arm also signifies that he has inherited the Third Raikage's Black lightning. He carries a broad, foldable cleaver-like sword, strapped to his back when outside the village.

The next in this small group of important shinobi was a young woman by the name of Mabui. She was a special woman, she was the Fourth Raikage's daughter and only child. While not as well-known as her contemporary's, she was still a fairly powerful and skilled Shinobi who preferred to stay out of the limelight. She was one of the top five strongest kunoichi's in the village so she was very well respected especially since she served as her father's personal aid and secretary. She had a strong affinity for Lightning Style with a secondary affinity for both Yin and Yang Release which was a rarity. But what made her truly a unique Shinobi is a special technique exclusive to her. A one of a kind Ninjutsu that she developed called the _Ethereal Transfer Jutsu._ A Jutsu that allows Mabui to teleport any object that is placed on a special chakra seal at the astounding speed of light to virtually any place on earth provided you have the coordinates, marker, and it's a place Mabui has been to before.

Mabui was a dark-skinned young woman with green eyes. She wore very formal attire consisting of a long-sleeved, high-collared dress shirt and skirt, along with a pair of long earrings and sandals. She wore her light grey hair pulled back into a bun with two bangs that fall on either side of her face.

The last person in the group was Darui's best friend and partner. His name was C. He was a competent shinobi of high standing making it to Jōnin level on his own merits. In terms of overall power, he wasn't particularly strong. He was a support type of Shinobi who was not only a strong Sensory Type Ninja but was also a Medical Ninja. He has a strong affinity for Lightning Style which was a very common trait in the Land of Lightning but he had a very strong affinity for Yin Release which naturally made him excel at Genjutsu. By all rights he should just be a Special Jōnin instead of a regular one; but do to the fact he had two nature affinities as well as strong Taijutsu skills and other standard skills all Jōnin are required to have he just barely managed to squeeze in a full promotion.

C is a young man with short, blond hair which he wears parted in the front and dark eyes. He wears the standard attire of the Cloud Ninja: A sleeveless, black shirt with a one-strap-over-one-shoulder white flak jacket, black head band, characteristic black, elbow-length arm-guards, and the red and white Cloud Village shin-guards along with a pair of sandals.

These five shinobi were currently walking with a brisk pace towards the Raikage's office. A had a gruff look on his face as he marched towards his office while carrying on the conversation with his top shinobi and aids. "Dodai are our two advanced vanguard battalions ready for deployment?" A asked with a deep rustic like voice that matched his hulking stature. His voice echoed off the walls as his Jōnin Commander answered his question immediately. "Yes, Lord Raikage. The two battalions are ready to leave tonight. The other three regular battalions are scheduled to set up at the Land of Fire's boarders by the end of the week just in time for the Chūnin Exam Finals." Dodai answered with a stack of papers in his hand. His expression was grim as he knew what these actions his village was taking would lead to. Another all-out war.

"Very good Dodai. Oversee the final preparations for the troops to move out. I don't want the Hidden Leaf to be aware of our movements. Also make sure all of our other battalions and reserves are on standby and ready to initiate their duties at a moment's notice." A commanded as his heavy footsteps reverberated through the spines of those following him. A knew full well what his actions were going to cause. He was prepared to carry his own weight and be in this struggle for the long haul. "Is Yugito Nii with them? Has she been briefed already on what to do?" A asked in a different tone of voice that conveyed a different set of feelings. Dodai closed his one visible eye and sighed before responding. "Yes, Lord Raikage. She has already been briefed and knows the daunting task that lays a head of her. Her part to play will be important, I only hope Lord Killer B won't be too furious with us for this." Dodai grimaced as he shook his head slowly. "Killer B will understand that duty comes first. They are Jinchūriki, they are weapons and weapons are meant to be used by their master. Make sure to prep her one more time so that she remains focused." A ordered gruffly as he shook off any lingering thoughts he may have had in regard to that subject. He couldn't allow sentiment to get in his way.

"As you wish Lord Raikage. I just hope this is what you really want." Dodai submitted with a sigh, he had a saddened undertone to his voice as he felt a little too old to be going to large scale village to village war. "Harden your heart Dodai. You are my Jōnin Commander and a trusted loyal friend. I need you in this endeavor. We are Shinobi and in this world only the strong are allowed to survive." A said in his very unique tone of encouragement. He wasn't a very sympathetic man by nature but for his very few close friends and allies he could show a hidden side of compassion to them. He just wasn't very good at it.

"The Hidden Leaf have grown weak ever since the Nine Tails incident and the Uchiha Clan Massacre. They've lost a lot of their military strength over the years yet they still manage to float along as the strongest Hidden Village. They've sucked up a lot of revenue from taking in nearly 4 times as many missions as they ever have. It's damaged our economy for more than a decade since clientele are more drawn to the leaf than us over general preference. This must change if we are to bring in more revenue and a better economy. If we can't occupy their village and bleed it dry then we'll just simply destroy them and make us the sole provider for their clientele. Either way, change must come to us now or in another decade our economy will never be able to recover." A argued as he watched over the years how the leaf took on many missions to bring in enough money to repair their village and bring their economy back to its former glory.

This phenomenon was the exact reason why the Hidden Sand Village was in the economic crisis it's facing now. Their Daimyo was sending all of the missions he's supposed to send to his own country's village to the Hidden Leaf to help uplift their economy. It's made the Hidden Sand pathetically poor and in relative terms the second weakest Hidden Village right behind the Hidden Mist who are still in the middle of their internal civil war. The Land of Wind's Daimyo was an idiot in simple terms. He allowed the Land of Fire's Daimyo who is an underhanded genius to manipulate him and sway him into giving him his country's contracts to help his own country recover. The Land of Wind's Daimyo believed the sob story told too him by his colleague and plunged his own countries Hidden Village into a depression.

A refused to let that happen to his own country. The Leaf has mostly recovered by now but the economic damage had already been done. The Hidden Sand was screwed over and forced to suffer from their incompetent leader's decisions. "We will prevail Dodai and come out of this stronger than ever. We'll be the strongest Hidden Village left with the Hidden Stone being our only rivals and in time we will crush them if they defy us." A said as he and his entourage entered his office right as he was saying this bold statement.

"Oh… is that so A?" A husky brittle voice spoke up that made the Raikage's heart stop. In his office was none other than Balalaika herself. She was sitting in his office chair that she had turned to look out at the village below. She swiveled the chair around to face her old acquaintance and was lucky enough to catch the brief amount of shock and fear that crossed the Raikage's eyes before he violently squashed it with his ego and male pride. "That's a pretty bold and insensitive statement to make, I am in the room after all." Balalaika said with a small sadistic and pleasant smile on her scared face that sent unpleasant tingles up everyone's spines. "Who are you intruder?!" C yelled as he took a menacing step forward to protect his Kage but that was a big mistake.

Hearing this abrupt interruption in the room Balalaika simply panned her eyes over to C with a lazy motion and stared him straight in his eyes. C's heart stopped as he dropped to his knees in fright. He just received a potent dosage of the Kingpins killing intent. "Don't interrupt me boy." Balalaika warned as she watched C hyperventilate on the ground as she tried to regain his breath. Darui was by his side in an instant as he tended to his friend who was on the wrong side of one of the most dangerous people alive.

"Balalaika. What are you doing here?" A asked with a growl in his voice as he never in a million years would have thought he'd see his old acquaintance again, and in his own office none the less. "I was in the neighborhood so to speak so I just decided to drop in and say hello, is that a crime." The mob boss taunted with her deadly eyes peering into the Raikage's like a predator. The leader of the Hidden Cloud didn't show it but he was unnerved to see the woman before him. He was well acquainted with her in the past and he knew what she was capable of. It didn't bode well for anyone that she was right here in his village. She wanted something important or else she wouldn't have come personally.

"It is when you enter my office uninvited! So, I'll ask again what are you doing here?" A growled as his chakra hummed just beneath the surface of his skin, threatening to come out. A light layer of static electricity was building up on his skin that was crinkling his clothes and while this would largely go unnoticed to the untrained eye, to Balalaika this was as plain as day and it caused an amused smile to spread across her face. "Always so hostile, that short temper will one day get you in trouble Lord Raikage and unlucky for you that day just so happens to be today." The mob boss warned as she sent a glare at the imposing Raikage who sucked in a deep breath. Mabui who was behind the Raikage felt her knees go weak as she sunk to the floor in fright. This was too much for her.

"Lady Balalaika, it's a pleasure to see you again after all this time… we don't need to escalate things any further than they are already. So, what can we do for you today?" Dodai politely addressed as his wizened tone halted the tension building up in the room. "Lord Dodai it's a pleasure to see you again after all these years. The years have been kind to you. You've managed to retain most of your youth despite your age. I'm happy for you." Balalaika said in a normal and pleasant tone as she completely switched up her tone when addressing the Jōnin Commander. He was a man she respected due to his personality, philosophies, morals, ethics, and much more. The one thing besides strength, loyalty, and profit that Balalaika truly admired and respected the most in the world was a person with strong morals and character. She had no patients for flaky people who tend to be uncertain in their beliefs or those who would easily change their opinions and loyalties if it saved their skins.

"Thank you for the compliment Lady Balalaika, the years have certainly done you justice as well. But the fact still remains… what are you doing here after all this time. The only contact you have with the Land of Lightning usually comes from the Mafia family that resides here. You haven't spoken to us directly in nearly a decade." Dodai formally questioned as his Raikage seethed a bit in the background. A wasn't a very patient man and he most certainly didn't have the patience to deal with the most dangerous woman alive. Her mind games were legendary as were her intentions.

"Thank you for the compliment… I do try to keep my appearances up… but since you've asked so nicely I can go ahead and tell you why I'm here." Balalaika purred in a sultry manner as she lit a cigar in her mouth and got herself comfortable in A's chair which pissed the Raikage off to no ends but he couldn't do anything about it for now. "I was lead here because of an interesting rumor. One that has caught my intention fully." Balalaika began as she looked directly at A which made him tense up. "Oh… and what rumor would that be?" A questioned back as he took a menacing step forward. By this point Darui managed to get C back up to his feet but the young Jōnin was badly shaken up by this experience. He's never felt anything quite like what Balalaika exposed him to and the sad thing is she wasn't trying hard either. "Easy boss… be careful." Darui warned as he saw his Raikage approach the deadly woman. Darui knew of Balalaika and her fame. He was wary of what would happen if his leader went off and attacked her haphazardly. It would be a catastrophe of monumental proportions. Their village would suffer great collateral damage and casualties.

"I here that you plan to surprise attack the Hidden Leaf while that little snake carries out his invasion." Balalaika revealed as Dodai's lone eye widened in surprise. A made his thoughts about this more vocal as he towered over the younger woman sitting behind his desk. "And what of it! How would you know of this?" A raged as he yelled at the kingpin who smirked back in his face without a show of fear at all. "How I know of this is of no concern to you, old friend. What concerns me is the fact you are going through with this. It's pathetic enough that they Hidden Sand would betray the Hidden Leaf like this but they even have the audacity to align themselves with some upstart village lead by Orochimaru of all people. It's tragically sad." The mafia boss of Hotel Moscow said with a sad and patronizing shake of her head. She really could care less about those villages but she had a different motive in mind.

"Why does this concern you! You should be happy that the Leaf is getting what it deserves. They've licked their wounds like a sad dog for far too long now." A yelled as he bared his teeth at the mob boss who raised her eyebrow at the angry man. "They've toted themselves as the strongest Hidden Village of the Great Five and the public foolishly agrees. They've recovered a lot of their lost strength over the last decade and in just a few short years' worth of time their newest generation of shinobi will solidify this fact and make their bragging a reality. We must strike now while we still have the chance to." A challenged as he slammed his hands down on his own desk. The wooden surface shook but it didn't disturb the dirty blonde-haired woman who blew a cloud of smoke directly into A's face.

"Are you here to join us Lady Balalaika? Are you trying to work out some type of deal?" Dodai questioned as he was trying to think of any possible reason why the mob boss would bring up this fact. "Unfortunately, not today Dodai. I'm actually here to make A tell his forces to stand down." Balalaika revealed as the entire room grew quiet from shock. Silence reigned in the room for what felt like an eternity before the Raikage violently crushed this with his loud outburst. "Absolutely not! How dare you presume to order me around like this! I am the Fourth Raikage and I bow to no one!" A roared as his chakra flared out of his body in uncontrollable waves. Electricity sparked off his body as the room started to shake from the sheer amount of power rippling off of the powerful Raikage.

Balalaika remained unfazed and largely unimpressed as she let out a somewhat aggravated sigh. "I said I want your forces to stand down. NOW." Balalaika insisted and like a flood gate her chakra leaked out of her body in calm but enigmatic waves that dwarfed the current output of power the Raikage was displaying. A brown aura of chakra surrounded the Kingpin as the entire massive administrative building alongside the mountain it was attached to started to shake under her power. The sound of the large panoramic windows in the office rattlingly within their confines could be heard as some exercise equipment that A likes to have in his office vibrated across the floor from the tremors. Everyone in the room besides the Raikage himself were brought crashing down to their knees under the mighty woman's power.

"I don't want to do this but it is in your best interest to comply with my demands A. If you don't have your forces stand down you'll leave me no choice but to destroy your village… or alternatively I can have Karasuba out there go massacre those two battalions you have prepping." Balalaika threatened in a bone chilling fashion that paralyzed everyone in the room with unfiltered dread as A's eyes widened in shock. He rushed to his window and looked out of it towards the direction the villages barracks were. Enhancing his eyesight with chakra A zoomed in on a small dot standing on top of the mountain peak that overlooks the building the barracks a in and sure enough once his eyes properly focused a person came into view.

A tall woman, a walking psychotic and homicidal woman of extraordinary power was seen perched on top of the mountain peak with a dark grin in place. "Karasuba the Dog of Hotel Moscow! You brought your little lap dog with you!?" A seethed as the woman was staring him straight in the eye from the long distance apart as if she always knew he were going to look her way. The person staring A down was a woman on equal footing to him in terms of power. She was the Hidden Stone's ANBU Commander and member of Hotel Moscow making her Balalaika's right-hand woman and closest confidant. She was an S – Rank shinobi of incredible finest and skill as well as being a walking tank. She alongside Balalaika held the feared title of Titan. She had an arch rival who she would often tie even with back in the Third Shinobi World War but since then she's fallen from her old power only to in recent years start to climb back up and reclaim it.

Karasuba is a tall woman of notable stature. She has long light grey shaggy hair tied into a low ponytail that reaches her lower back and grey narrow eyes. She had heavy bags underneath her eyes giving her a haggard and exhausted look but that did nothing to affect her physical performance, far from it. She had on a black skintight leather top with a brown miniskirt underneath that went down a quarter thigh level. Black stockings that went up to mid-thigh level completed this look as multiple brown leathered belts crisscrossed her waist that had kunai pouches and many other ninja equipment clipped to them. On the thickest belt, two things could be seen. One was her headband, she had it tied securely to her belt with the metal plate facing the world with the cloth a rustic brown that matched the color of her miniskirt. The second thing on the large belt was a sword sheath attached to it with a beautiful black katana sheathed inside ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. Draped over her shoulders was a long ash grey colored haori that went down just past her knee caps in length with the symbol for Hotel Moscow printed on the front shoulder areas on each side while on the back a large printed symbol of the Hidden Stone could be seen if she turned around.

' _The fact that Balalaika is here means that the chance of me going through with my plans go down the drain. Even after all this time I still don't think I can beat her in a one on one fight and even if I could my village would suffer massive amounts of collateral damage before I could force her away from the area. Not to mention the loss of life. But when you add on the fact she brought her little lap dog Karasuba along with her that shoots my chances of opposing her out the window. It would take everything I have just to hold off the both of them and by that time most of my village will be destroyed. I would need Killer B and Yugito's help on top of those in this room to stop them.'_ A silently contemplated to himself as he squeezed his fist tightly in anger. He was at a major disadvantage right now.

"Hey! Yo! What's going on Fool ya Fool!?" An enigmatic voice blurted out as the office door behind everyone flew open with a tall man entering the room with a skip in his step. He was tall and looked very much like the Raikage with a similar haircut that was slicked back corn rolls in a bleach blond color and a thick goatee. The man was dark skinned which was a common trait here in the Land of Lightning and a very muscular build very much like the Raikage in the room. On his right shoulder, he has a tattoo of the kanji for "iron" and on his left cheek, he has a tattoo of a bull's horn like a bull, and the left one is partially missing. His top lip also has a slightly darker hue than his bottom one. The man was wearing oval shaped sunglasses and a white-colored headband. He also has his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Cloud hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck. On his back was a red sheath carrier that had seven swords attached to it.

This was a very special man in the Shinobi world. He was a Jinchūriki just like Naruto. He was the Jinchūriki host to the Eight Tails Giant Ox. He was hailed as the strongest Jinchūriki in the world and had perfect control over his Tailed Beast's power. He was an S – Rank Elite Jōnin level shinobi with immense power who was regularly compared to be second to his older brother A the Raikage.

"B!? What are you doing here?" A asked in shock as he turned to see his little brother enter the room. "Oh, Killer B it has been quite a long time." Balalaika said as her entire tone shifted to one of interest and general calmness. An air of contentment was around her now as if the earlier tension in the room was never there to begin with. "Ah! Yo! It's me the rapping Killer B! I came here because I sensed all the beef!" Killer B rapped with a swagger in his step as he made his way over to Balalaika who watched the rapper with amusement swimming in her eyes. She seemed to be charmed by Killer B's personality.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spill my killing intent and chakra out everywhere. Me and your older brother were just having a disagreement of sorts. You know how hotheaded and stubborn he can be, he couldn't handle a simple request I made of him." Balalaika summarized in a laid-back tone as she panned her eyes over to Killer B to watch him dance around the Raikage's desk. "Don't you worry your pretty little head babe! Big bro is a big grouch, a hit or miss in the pouch! So, don't pout!" Killer B rapped as he wrapped his arms around Balalaika in one smooth motion that the powerful woman completely allowed with a charmed smile on her face. She had a raised eyebrow and an amused twinkle in her eyes as she showed no discomfort with what the younger man was doing. "You haven't changed a bit in all these years… I do enjoy the company of a younger man, especially one as quirky and charming as you." Balalaika complemented as she trailed a finger up Killer B's muscular arm. The rapper grinned a triumphant grin while flexing his other arm in a show of male bravado.

"B! Get away from her right now! This isn't the time for your jokes!" A reprimanded as B rolled his eye behind his shades and stepped away from the kingpin who actually showed the faintest pout across her lips. "Balalaika why do you want me to call off my planned invasion. If I do so now I will never get another chance again." A complained as he watched the woman shift her weight in his chair. She turned to give him her full attention while staring him straight in his eyes with her dead soulless ones.

"I'll go ahead and explain this one time and one time only." The Kingpin of Hotel Moscow said as she took a drag of her cigar. "There is a certain individual of extreme interest to me that lives in the Leaf. On their own the Leaf should easily be able to repel the combined invasion of the Sand and Sound. They'll be crushed and dealt with easily but if you were to get involved and take advantage of the carnage then it very well might push the Hidden Leaf over the edge and lead to their downfall. I can't allow that. If you invade there is a very strong possibly that VIP of mine will be killed in the crossfire. As things stand now this situation presents just the right amount of danger to put him in that will force him to grow and mature. It should also be noted that other outside forces have also laid their interest in the Leaf as well." Balalaika explained as A and the others stood their shocked that Balalaika would go to this length just for one person.

"What makes this person so special that you'd go through all this trouble just to stop me?" A questioned as a burning curiosity was in the back of his mind. He desperately needed it answered. Something wasn't quite adding up in his mind with Balalaika's motivations and actions. While A was a very hot-headed man he was still the Raikage and he's lived a long life. A lot longer than the average shinobi. He was very intelligent so something felt fishy about Balalaika's intentions. He also took note of these other outside forces tidbit but he wouldn't get a chance to ask those questions.

"There's a lot of things about this person that makes them very special, but in all actuality, he'd be someone you'd get along great with Killer B." Balalaika hinted as she got up from A's comfortable chair. "Oh, really now! Fool ya Fool! Can this dude keep pace with the Great Eight?" Killer B asked as he slid up next to Balalaika in curiosity. "As of this moment he can't hold a candle to you, but that is exactly why I need him to grow and mature through these hard times. In time, he may very well surpass you Killer B." Balalaika honestly revealed which intrigued Killer B immensely and infuriated his older brother. "Impossible! Whoever this person is cannot surpass B in anything! That is utterly ridiculous." A snapped as he refused to believe such a claim.

"Believe what you want A it makes no difference to me but I'll only say this once from one fellow Titan to another as a show of curtesy. Don't get in my way. Have your men stand down or your village will suffer the consequences." Balalaika threatened as she walked pass A with a cold aura surrounding her. Her signature green jacket that was draped over her broad shoulders bellowed out dramatically behind her as she made her way over to the office door. "You coming B? Since I'm here in your pleasant village I'll need a strong man to show me around." Balalaika purred as her soulless eyes trailed up and down B's muscular form. She was into younger men, that was for fact. It didn't even matter that B was only a few years younger than her, that age gap was enough. Especially since he embodied all of the core characteristics she liked and respected in people. She showed the most respect, loyalty, and friendliness around people who matched up to these ideals of hers.

"Ah yeah, going to head home and get my drink on son!" Killer B rapped as he skipped his way across the room to follow the mafia boss out the door. As he passed his older brother he subtly nodded at him before continuing on. It was a message to his brother telling him he'd handle things and look after Balalaika while she was in the village. Despite Killer B's flamboyant attitude and personality, he was actually a very down to earth, serious, and intellectual person. He was a true shinobi and a monstrously powerful individual to face off against. He was one of the very few people in his entire village that Balalaika couldn't just completely brute force her way through and overpower them. He's actually a worthy challenge for her alongside his older brother. For that reason and one reason alone she respected them. He would keep a close eye on her while she was in his village and she knew this of course but it didn't faze her. It all worked out in her favor since she liked him and was rather fond of him. He was one of the few people she would ever dare call friend.

The door to the room closed and all was quiet once again as everyone could finally breathe again. A gritted his teeth in silent rage as he saw Karasuba mockingly staring back at him. He knew she wouldn't move until Balalaika was ready to leave. She was simply there to be a constant source of intimidation and an ever-present looming threat. She would slaughter his people if he made one wrong move.

"Dodai… order our men to stand down and suspend our operations." A ordered in a resigned tone that sounded like it took a lot out of him, which it did. He wasn't the kind of man to submit to anyone or anything and just right now he was forced to surrender to a superior opponent who had all the chips in her hand. "As you wish Lord Raikage… I think this decision is for the best." Dodai said with a heavy heart that for better or for worse felt a lot lighter now. He didn't want to go back to war and drag all of his people into a conflict that would cost a lot of lives. There had to be other alternatives to keep his village economically safe.

"Lord Raikage! We can't let that woman win. We can beat her if we all took her on!" C countered in anger as he was trailing off of the fear he was feeling from earlier. He was surprised he didn't vomit from the terrible feeling Balalaika's killing intent inflicted upon him.

"No C, you are wrong about that." A countered as he shook his head slowly. C was surprised at this as his leader's voice sounded so resigned and defeated. "You are young C and naïve to how the world works. All five of us in the room combined would definitely be a match for someone like Balalaika but that would completely leave Karasuba out their unattended and by the time any one of us got all the way out there to her she would have already slaughtered one of our battalions… probably both of them before you would get there." A explained which caused C's whole face to pale at the morbid reality of what could happen.

"The four of you combined alternatively would be able to hold off Karasuba for a short time but the only two of you that would be of any challenge to her would be Darui and Dodai, you and Mabui would only get in the way and would be better off playing support for them." A continued as he was a deceptively calculating and intelligent man. He knew how the battle would play out in multiple different scenarios. "In retrospect Killer B would be the only one in the village capable of taking Karasuba on in a 1 on 1 sword match, but more importantly I'd need him here with me to bring out the full power of our A-B Combo against Balalaika." A finished as he explained how the many different variables in the fight would play out.

"Boss… we need to tread carefully and look at all the facts. We still have work to do." Darui sympathized as he placed a hand on A's broad shoulder. A sighed as he turned to face his subordinates. "You're right Darui, the most important thing we need to ascertain is the identity of this peculiar individual that has captured the attention of some like Balalaika. Whoever he maybe… he must be incredibly important for her to come here personally to enforce her will. If we can find them we can have an advantage over her." A speculated as he arranged the papers on his desk back. They were shuffled out of order by the vibrations caused by his and Balalaika's powers flaring earlier.

"I agree boss, but that's a dangerous game we're playing if we do that. If she found out we have this person in our custody it could spell disaster. From what I could gather she seems to be silently grooming him for her own benefit. Any outside interference could be enough to set her off." Darui explained cautiously as he helped his leader get his office back in order. Mabui and C were in the background helping as well while Dodai solemnly looked out the large panoramic windows of the office. He himself could see Karasuba faraway still perched up on top of the mountain taunting them with her very presence and he sighed at this. His heart was to soft sometimes to be a shinobi. He couldn't bear to drag his people back into another war.

"I know Darui I'm well aware of that, for now we must at the very least find out the identity of this mysterious person. My gut tells me he will be someone of great importance in the years to come. After we find him I want you to make first contact with him and assess him as you see fit with your judgement skills. We must know who we are dealing with, he very well could one day be an enemy." A ordered as he came to a final decision in regard to this situation they found themselves in. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. All he could do now was do what was right for his people. That notion would have to be enough to help him sleep at night.

"You got it boss, this is going to be so dull."

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this was quite the chapter I must say. It was jam packed with a lot of juicy information to many things. Hiruzen's contemplation reveals all of the top players in the leaf at the time of the Naruto's birth and we finally see who the Titans are. Hiruzen and Danzō have another one of their conversations were they discuss what to do about Naruto and the new threat on the horizon. It would seem Hiruzen has an intimate knowledge on the supernatural world and more importantly the Three Biblical Factions (High School DxD). Danzō also warns Hiruzen that the Hidden Cloud is on the move once again.

We get our first look at another of the Great Five villages in the story and it's the Hidden Cloud. We are introduced to A the Raikage, Killer B, C, Dodai, Darui, and Mabui. We see glimpses of all of their personalities and characterizations and I took the liberty of toying with Mabui's background. In this story she is A's daughter. It has no significant impact on the story at all, I just did it to give her a little more background and complexity.

We see that A is planning to invade the Hidden Leaf amidst the chaos and confusion of Orochimaru's invasion that he's become aware of. We learn the real reason why the Hidden Sand is in the poor state it's in right now and how the Leaf's support from all of their clientele have hurt the other villages economy. Despite Dino's best efforts in helping the Hidden Leaf from the inside, by the time they could get back on their feet the damage had already been done. It's for this reason alone that A feels the need to act in order to save his country from a potential economical crisis in the future.

Balalaika makes her return to the story with dramatic flare as she completely blackmails and manhandles the Raikage in his very own office. We see a deeper more complex layer of personality from her in how she deals with different people. We also see some of her ideology here in how she views and treats people. We also see that she has a particular soft spot for our lovable Killer B who she appears to be smittened with. We also get a debut/cameo of another Titan by the name of Karasuba. An apparent psychotic woman with immense power who loves battle. A was backed into a corner by the appearance of not just one Titan but two. It's also revealed that he is one as well which should denote him as a very powerful shinobi irregardless of his title of Raikage.

Finally, Balalaika reveals her motivations for coming to the Hidden Cloud and she doesn't want the Hidden Cloud to interfere in the invasion. She says a very important person is their under her watch. (I wonder who that could be?)

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 57 (Third Stage: Coliseum)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 56 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 8/31/2017


	58. CH: 57 Third Stage: Coliseum

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 ** _Author's Note (A/N):_** Hey guys I'm back and I know it's been a few weeks but it was for a good reason. I went ahead and wrote Chapter's 57, 58, and 59 together since I had so much momentum and enthusiasm on my side when I was in the middle of this writing process. I'm very proud of both these chapters, especially the upcoming Chapter 58. It's probably one of my best ever done.

So without further ado, Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 57

 _ **Third Stage: Coliseum**_

1 Day away. The Chūnin Exam finals would be one day away and everything would change forever. The only thing is people didn't know that. Hiruzen found himself stuck in his office once again tackling last minute paperwork that mysteriously appeared. His wrist hurt from moving his pen across multiple sheets of paper but luckily for him he was soon done and could finally rest. Arthritis was a pain that no senior citizen could escape, even if said senior citizen just so happened to be the Third Hokage. One of the greatest and strongest shinobi to ever live.

' _Naruto and Jiraiya should be coming back later on this morning. They decided to stay in Midway for the rest of the week to do more training and to help the town. I want to get their firsthand accounts on the events that transpired last week.'_ Hiruzen thought to himself as he wanted to hear the story told straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. The threat of Angeloids in the world was a situation to prominent to sweep underneath the rug.

Hearing a tapping at his window Hiruzen turned to see it was one of Jiraiya's messenger toads here to see him. Opening his window Hiruzen let the toad in who dropped off a tiny message scroll for him. Reading the paper Hiruzen was notified by Jiraiya that they were already back in the village but would see him in the afternoon. They were exhausted and needed to rest. Hiruzen could certainly let this slide since it would give him more time to finish the rest of his paperwork and any other last-minute meetings he may have. Unbeknownst to Hiruzen his morning was about to get a little more hectic.

Outside his office lurking around in the Administration District was none other than Konohamaru, Hiruzen's grandson. _'How could Moegi and Udon both be grounded for the day. I told them not to mess with that stupid cat.'_ Konohamaru pouted as he walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. He was miffed since his best friends were in trouble for messing with Tora the Cat. Their parents scolded them and grounded them for the day so the Third's grandson was alone by himself and very much bored.

Coming around the corner he absentmindedly bumped into a person that he fell on top of. "Konohamaru is that you?" A familiar voice squeaked out as the boy opened his eyes to see he was hovering over Iris's body who was on the ground. The princess had a curious if not a little annoyed look on her face. Accompanying this look was a tiny embarrassed blush on her face for having a boy on top of her, especially since it was one of her closest friends. "Oh crap! Sorry Iris!" Konohamaru panicked in a hurry as he tried to scramble to his feet. The Third's grandson was a clumsy boy so he pushed down hard on Iris's ribcage while trying to get to his feet which elicited a squeak of pain from the blond-haired princess. A deliberate and unnecessarily forceful gust of wind later and Iris was back on her feet with Konohamaru lying face first in the dirt in pain.

Dusting off her clothes Iris sent an annoyed glare towards her friend with a huff. This sort of stuff always happened. "I'm sorry Iris, I wasn't looking where I was going." Konohamaru said as he took a look at his friend. Iris changed up her outfit as was per usual for the fashionable girl. Iris had on a thin white shirt that was tucked into a red orange skirt that went down to her knees. The skirt was red around the waistband and slowly faded out to be red-orange near the middle and a vibrant light orange at the bottom with flower decals at the bottom half. Her hair looked groomed and flawless as usual and this time she had a red hairband in her hair that had a small red ribbon attached to it.

Around her neck she had a few necklaces dangling down to the front of her shirt. One of them was a golden heart shaped necklaces that if opened would show a small cut out picture of Naruto on one side with Eva peeking into frame and Iris on the other. On the back of the pendant were Iris's and Naruto's initials carved out with a heart between them. Iris never stopped at any level to show off how much of a Daddy's girl she was and just how much she adored and loved her father. She also had another locket on her neck that had a picture of her and Chaos together as well to signify their status as twins. Lastly, she had a bear shaped pendant right alongside the other two that was very cute and complimented her and her love for bears well.

Of course, Chaos had the exact same two necklaces around her neck. One was her with her father and the other was with her twin. She didn't have a third pendant to go along with this but she made up for it with the broken metal chain that naturally hangs off of her Angeloid collar. She didn't find anything she wanted so she left it as is. Chaos usually changes up her clothes around the same time as Iris so she had on new clothes as well.

Chaos was wearing a pink striped short sleeved shirt that was mostly hidden by her main choice of clothing. She was wearing blue floral cotton overalls that was frilly on towards the top wear her chest would be and was tied by two blue ribbons behind her neck. The bottom half of the overalls were short shorts with pink trimming at the cuffs that had white polka dots patterned all over it. Four pink buttons went down the center of the overalls in a stylish design and tied to the waistband where a belt would usually go was a blue tied ribbon for more style. As usual Chaos was barefooted while her sister had on some simple shoes that fit her style for the day. Chaos's knee length long hair was groomed and straightened out earlier that morning so it was reflecting the sunlight shining down on it which was giving off a glossy glow that was extremely beautiful to look at and making some girls passing by very jealous.

Both Chaos and Iris received these new necklaces just the other day from a jewelry shop in the Town of Midway. It was one of the shops that was damaged on the street the battle took place on. It was also one of the first buildings Naruto and his army of clones fixed up after the houses and residential buildings were finished. As gratitude for their immense amount of help the owner allowed them to pick out some of his merchandise for free. Naruto put in a special order for handcrafted necklaces and pendants that the owner was all too eager to work on. They were done the same day they were scheduled to leave and Naruto presented them to his daughters who were immensely grateful. His reasons for getting them these presents was because of how hectic everything was for the last month since the Chūnin Exams first started. It was one thing after another and they really didn't have any times to unwind. Chaos was still not mentally okay after what happened to her so the present was a welcomed gift to the psychotic girl who actually shed a tear at the gesture. Such a thing was completely rare for the girl but do to her current mental state she found herself much more emotional than she normally is capable of being.

"So… what are you doing out here by yourself Konohamaru?" Iris asked politely once she lightened up on the glare she was sending her close friend. This sort of situation was common place between the friends. Iris would play the part of the annoyed individual while Konohamaru would play the part of the clumsy and irritable person. Or in his case at least it wasn't so much an act as it was more of a fact he was just naturally clumsy and idiotic.

"I'm kind of bored and Moegi and Udon got themselves in trouble so I've just been walking around. What's up with you guys… where's big brother?" Konohamaru asked as he didn't spot Naruto anywhere. "Daddy's at home checking on things and getting some last-minute things done. He has a meeting with grandpa in a little while so he's been quite busy. Chaos and I decided to just go out and wander around for a bit." Iris explained in simple terms what was going on. "Big brother Naruto let you guys go out all alone…?" Konohamaru exclaimed incredulously. He couldn't believe it. Naruto was usually super overprotective and overbearing when it comes to the safety of his daughters. "Oh… we're not alone, so don't worry about that." Iris giggled as she could sense Yūago and her squad tailing them in the shadows of the village. She was familiar enough with the ANBU Captain's presence to be able to sense and track her if she were nearby.

"Huh… that's cool I guess." Konohamaru mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders as he didn't understand what Iris was alluding too. He couldn't sense the squad of ANBU black ops nearby. Not many people, shinobi included could… but Iris's wasn't most people. The black-haired boy panned his eyes over to Chaos who hasn't said a word so far, let alone made a move to scare him with her usual antics. This confused and worried Konohamaru a bit since he was usually Chaos's primary victim.

"Hey Chaos are you okay? Is something wrong?" Konohamaru probed as he noticed Chaos was standing slightly a step behind her sister and more behind Iris's back. It looked like she was hiding behind her sister. The child Angeloid had a subdued aura around her instead of the normal chaotic and unhinged presence that everyone who knows her have gotten used to. Your hair wasn't standing on end when around her like usual since you didn't know what she was going to do. "Oh… hey toothless. I'm fine." Chaos said in a lower tone of voice. She wasn't her usual hyperactive self. She was still bugged by what happened to her back in Midway. To Konohamaru's credit he wasn't buying this. His friend wasn't acting her normal self. "Are you sure… you aren't acting right. Are you sick?" The boy asked as he looked the girl up and down to see if anything was wrong with her. He noticed small bags underneath her eyes as well as her eyes themselves having more noticeable red veins in them. She looked tired or disturbed.

"She's just not feeling well right now monkey boy. She hasn't had a lot of energy to feed off of lately and she's been under the weather ever since." Iris stepped in as she intertwined her hand and fingers with Chaos's free hand as usual. She was trying to save her sister the trouble and stress of dealing with this situation. Konohamaru adopted a look of concern on his face as he frowned at this revelation. The look in his eyes right now was the one only a true friend could send someone.

"That's no good at all. Hey, I have an idea. How about we go do something bad to help you absorb some negative energy. You need that stuff to stay healthy, right? If we do that then we can have fun, put a smile back on your face, and get you healthy again." Konohamaru suggested as he grabbed hold of Chaos's other hand. He had an enthusiastic look on his face as if he had just come up with the best idea in the world. A small grateful smile cracked the surface of Chaos's face as a gentle and bashful blush of appreciation and gratitude stained her cheeks. She appreciated what her best friend was trying to do for her. It was very thoughtful and selfless of him. Something the dense and hyperactive 8-year-old usually is incapable of doing. But take nothing away from Konohamaru. When the chips are down and it concerns his friends, he has a heart of gold buried beneath the surface of his skin. It was an admirable quality to have in someone so young.

Iris smiled a soft smile of appreciation as she felt proud of what her friend was doing. "I'd like that a lot toothless, thank you." Chaos thanked with appreciation flowing off of all her words. She would remember this act of kindness her friend did for her. "Come on, we can go surprise attack grandpa before big brother Naruto shows up. That should get us in a lot of trouble and get you all the negative energy you could ever need." Konohamaru suggested as he tugged on Chaos's hand.

"Hold on a minute monkey. Go on ahead we'll catch up in a quick second." Iris suggested as she used her childish pet name for her best friend. Taking a quick second to look between the twins Konohamaru nodded before racing off towards the very tall and massive Hokage Administration building in the background that was less than three blocks away.

"Are you okay sis?" Iris asked as she rubbed Chaos's hand soothingly with her thumb. "I'm scared Iris… what if they come back again. I couldn't even move." Chaos whispered as she squeezed her sisters hand in fright. "Shush! It's ok. I'm here for you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you I promise." Iris said in a tender manner as she nuzzled her face against Chaos's cheek which the unstable girl affectionately returned as she desperately needed her sister's attention and comfort. "What happens when the bad people start coming for you?" Chaos questioned in a vulnerable voice while peering into her sister's sympathy filled blue eyes. Iris smiled a beautiful smile while placing her forehead against Chaos's. "I'll have you there to protect me, I have no doubt in that." Iris said with an overwhelming amount of confidence that overwhelmed Chaos with a feeling of happiness. Iris's rich and vibrant accent sounded like music to Chaos's ears as she practically melted into her sisters embrace.

"Besides Daddy will be here to protect the both of us. We're stronger together that we are apart. Family sticks together no matter what, always remember that ok." Iris lectures as she felt a sense of contentment finally come over Chaos. Her anxiety was starting to fade which was a good thing. Her sister's been in this state ever since the two Harpies showed up. Not even Naruto could fully drag her out of this state. She latched on to him for the entire week without ever leaving his side once because she was so scared. Today was the first day she was separated from him since the incident.

"Thank you, Iris… I love you." Chaos said as her heart or as she jokingly liked to call her reactor felt at peace finally for the first time all week. She needed this pep talk and to be surrounded by her sisters calming presence. "Love you too sister. Now let's go do something bad!" Iris cheered with an unladylike grin on her face that showed her teeth. Her eyes were squinted shut making her look like a carbon copy of their father whenever he grins at them. It started off small and barely noticeable but the sound grew and grew until Iris could hear her sisters signature giggles. This was the first laughter she's heard from her sister all week.

"You look and sound so silly Iris. I never would have expected you of all people to say something like that." Chaos giggled as she embraced her sister in a loving hug. It felt good to feel at peace, and she was lucky to have a kind and loving sister like Iris. Not to mention the rest of her family and of course her father who she absolutely adored and admired.

"Let's go show grandpa what love is." Chaos giggled as her eyes glowed in sadistic amusement. Chaos was back.

* * *

 _ **Hokage's Office**_

Hiruzen felt something was going to happen. He felt it in his old bones. Was this something a life-threatening attack coming at him. No, he didn't think it was that serious but he could tell that something was just a little bit off. A knock sounded on his door which brought him out of his musing. He wasn't expecting any meetings just yet and Naruto wasn't supposed to stop by with Jiraiya for at least another thirty minutes. The one thing that put his mind at ease that it wasn't a legitimate attack was the fact his ANBU Black Ops unit stationed in his office at all times weren't reacting. They were a part of ANBU Commander Puma's personal platoon so they were some of the best of the best.

"Come in." Hiruzen ordered as the door creaked open and his grandson Konohamaru entered the room. "Oh… Konohamaru, are you here for another one of your sneak attacks?" Hiruzen said with amusement swimming in his eyes. This would be the young boy's first attempt of the day. He usually averages about three to four a day.

"No, not today old man. I just wanted to hang out. My friends aren't with me today so…" Konohamaru said as he made his way over to his grandfather's desk. He came around the desk and put up the gesture of wanting to be picked up. Hiruzen was instantly on guard as Konohamaru just felt off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Nevertheless, he picked his grandson up into his lap like any normal grandfather would. He completely missed the fact that Konohamaru's eyes flashed from black to purple.

Another knock came to the door which confused Hiruzen as now he was starting to suspect something was going on here. Of course, if Hiruzen opened up his senses and used his intuition he'd be able to easily foresee what was really going on here. But since he couldn't sense any danger and his ANBU weren't moving he'd let whatever scheme his grandson had plotted play out. "Come in." Hiruzen repeated as he waited to see what was about to happen.

"Hey grandpa I'm here to defeat you! Give me that hat old man!" Konohamaru screamed as he came running into the room with a shuriken in his hand. With a war cry the boy threw the shuriken at Hiruzen who was now having second thoughts about the person sitting in his lap. The Hokage wasn't worried about a single thrown shuriken from an 8-year-old so he took his trusted pipe out of his mouth to use as a makeshift weapon. Halfway across the room the shuriken suddenly multiplied into two dozen which shocked the old man who now found that he couldn't move from his chair. Taking his pipe Hiruzen's experienced eyes managed to notice that the rest of the weapons in the air were illusions, he knocked the one real shuriken out of the air with a simple wave of his hand.

An all too familiar giggle sounded out as Chaos revealed herself to be in Hiruzen's lap. **"Aegis."** Chaos chanted as two small hexagonal patterned spheres appeared around Hiruzen's wrist trapping the Hokage to his own chair. The shuriken that Hiruzen knocked away transformed into Iris who had a smirk on her face. The princess launched a fireball from her foot with a quick spin kick that the old man was definitely impressed with. It was always a treat to see the elegant little girl fight.

Hiruzen smiled as his chakra built up within his body. It felt good to feel the energy of his own immensely powerful chakra humming beneath the surface of his skin. **"Fire Style: Heat Conduction Bodily Transfer Jutsu."** Without the use of hand signs at all Hiruzen activated his simple Jutsu with no difficulty. Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen sucked up all the heat coming from the fireball directly up his nose shocking the three children who weren't expecting this. In less than a second Hiruzen opened his mouth and released a thick steam cloud of superheated air that Chaos and Iris jumped away from as quickly as they could. **"Phoenix Fire: Ember!"** Iris chanted as her cheeks swelled up to twice their natural size. Her cheeks turned red from heat as she spat out a thick cloud of embers and superheated gases directly at the Hokage still sitting in his chair who raised his eyebrow at this unique technique. The old man while impressed, was not fazed by this as he had a counter ready.

" **Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu!"** Hiruzen called out as a cup of water that was sitting on his desk came to life and rose out of the glass it was sitting in to cut right through Iris's attack in the form of a whip. "You might want to take cover little ones." Hiruzen warned as he sucked in a breath of air. Thinking quickly Iris dragged Konohamaru next to her as Chaos put up another Aegis shield just in time. **"Fire Style: Stream Jutsu!"** Still without the use of his hands the Hokage launched a small stream of fire at the kids who were completely protected by Chaos's barrier. The old man hardly put any real power into the already weak low level Jutsu, he was just trying to play along with the children.

Iris waved her arms around in an intricate manner that brought the flames the Hokage just launched at them under her command. Coordinating in tandem with her sister Chaos dropped her shield once the attack was over as Iris got ready to redirect the flames at their opponent but the Hokage smiled a mischievous smile while letting out a chuckle. **"Earth Style: Tile Shifter Jutsu."** The old man chanted as the tiles on the floor in the room came to life startling the three kids who were unprepared for this. The tile underneath their feet spun around quickly throwing everyone off their balance and causing Iris to lose control of the flames she was just controlling. The flames sputtered out of existence since it had nothing to command it anymore while the kids fell to the ground in a heap.

Chaos's giggle could be heard first as her wings popped up behind her back. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at this as he wasn't very familiar with her wings. " **Artemis!** Fire." Dozens of small purple fireballs launched off her wings at the old man who had to think quickly. **"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets Jutsu!"** Hiruzen chanted as small cylinders of compressed air in the form of vacuum less space flew out of Hiruzen's mouth at high speeds that intercepted all of Chaos's fireballs perfectly which the small child wasn't expecting in the slightest.

"You've done pretty well but I think it's time we put an end to this little game." Hiruzen praised with real pride in his eyes as he quickly dodged a handful of shuriken from his grandson by moving his head out of the way. They all did really well. **"Earth Style: Terraform Jutsu!"** Hiruzen chanted as three chairs made out of the material from the tiles on the floor grew out of the ground behind the children. **"Wind Style: Gust Jutsu!"** Hiruzen wasn't giving the children any time to react as a gust of wind from his mouth blew all of them off their feet and into the chairs behind them. **"Lightning Style: Static Lockdown Jutsu!"** The Hokage was on a roll as he generated a small burst of static electricity that stuck the three children to the chairs with a small magnetic field just like static electricity usually does.

Once all three children were stuck to the chairs Hiruzen's mischievous smile grew in proportion as he casted one last Jutsu. **"Bukijutsu: Shrapnel Blast!"** The pens and pencils stored in the cup on his desk lifted up into the air and pointed towards the children with the erasers directed at them. With a simple motion, the pencils launched at the children hitting them in the forehead each.

"You three did very well… I'm very impressed with you." Hiruzen said with a gentle smile that had the three kids feeling a wave of contentment washing over them. Hiruzen's grandfatherly like aura was a pleasant feeling for the little children as they found themselves being drained of their intoxicating adrenaline coursing through their veins. The fight was over and everything was slowing down to a more calming tone. "Grandpa, you can use all five Chakra Natures… that's so neat." Chaos squealed in her skittish voice with a giggle as she was excited by the immense prowess the old Kage showed. It was a huge feat of skills and one that shouldn't be overlooked. "Hahaha… yes my child. It's quite impressive to say the least. I can use all five basic Chakra Natures which is very rare in the shinobi world. But I'm capable of so much more than that as well. This old man has a few crafty little tricks up his sleeve." Hiruzen chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. He was happy right now.

"But I must ask, what brought on this little attack of yours?" Hiruzen asked with curiosity in his voice. Iris was the one to answer as she piped up with her blue eyes shining in childlike wonder. "Sorry grandpa… Chaos wasn't feeling too well today so we decided to do something to cheer her up." It was a simple response and one Hiruzen understood since he was well aware of Chaos's dependence and need to absorb negative emotions and chaotic energies to sustain herself.

"Well then that's understandable… are you going to let me go now little Chaos?" Hiruzen asked as he idlily looked down at the Aegis shields pinning his wrist to the arm rests of his chair. It wasn't much of a discomfort to the old man. If anything, it was quite relaxing since he didn't have to move around his aching wrists anymore, so he was quite thankful to the tiny terror on that aspect. That, and nothing they could have thrown at him in their playful mood would have been enough to pressure someone of his great stature. "Nope!" Chaos cheered with a skittish laugh escaping her mouth. A look of glee was on her face as she jittered around in her makeshift chair.

"Oh well that's fine I guess. It doesn't really matter since I'm nothing more than a simple Shadow Clone." Hiruzen beamed with his grandfatherly smile before suddenly exploding in a cloud of smoke. "He was a Shadow Clone! Aw man! We couldn't even beat one of grandpa's measly clones!" Konohamaru whined in a typical childish manner while Iris pouted with an amused twinkle in her eye. Chaos was busy laughing in enjoyment of this up until the point the door behind them opened up and four people walked into the room. Hiruzen, Yūago, Naruto, and Jiraiya all came into the room in the midst's of a conversation until Naruto and Jiraiya stopped upon seeing the three children stuck to stone chairs.

"Girls? What are you doing here?" Naruto exclaimed in shock since he wasn't expecting to see his daughters here in the Hokage's office. He was on his way to pick them up from where they told him they'd be, which was supposed to be Ichiraku Ramen. "Hey Dada!" Chaos squeaked which peaked Naruto's interest since this was the first time all week he's heard his daughter speak with such life and enthusiasm in her voice.

Hiruzen took the time to explain away what the children were doing here which shocked Naruto since he never thought the kids would try something so crazy. After a stern talking to from their father that the girls didn't mind since this was what they were expecting Hiruzen had Yūago escort Konohamaru out of the room so that he could have his private meeting with the Uzumaki family. They had a lot to talk about.

"I hear you had a run in with some interesting characters while out on your training trip. I'd very much like to know what they have planned for little Chaos here." Hiruzen said in a serious voice as he prepared himself for a long meeting.

* * *

 _ **The**_ _ **Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves Shinobi Hospital and Psychiatric/Rehabilitation Center**_

It was the middle of the afternoon. The meeting took forever in Naruto's opinion and with how hot the sun was he didn't relish the thought of going back outside anymore. The cool air-conditioning of the Hospital building was reprieve enough for him. But one thing did trouble him though. It was quiet… to quiet. The receptionist wasn't even at the front desk which was strange in and of itself. "Hey Naruto that you?" Shikamaru's voice sounded out from the entrance as the lazy boy entered the building. He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead as he let the air-conditioning cool down his body.

"Hey Shikamaru… it's been a little while huh?" Naruto said with a small smile as he bumped fist with the lazy boy who gave him a bemused smile. "It has… you've been gone all month. It seems to me like you went ahead and got a lot stronger. You've got a different vibe to you now." The genius boy noted as he looked his friend up and down with an appraising eye. Even though the boy was walking with a slight slouch in his step from what appeared to be exhaustion, Shikamaru could also tell that Naruto had a new aura of power about him. A lot has happened to the Uzumaki in the month since he's seen him, Shikamaru was sure of it.

"You could say that… but to be honest a lot has happened to me over the month." Naruto said with a weary smile. He wasn't too full of energy right now. The meeting took far longer than Naruto initially expected since the elders Koharu and Homura decided to but in on the meeting. It turned into a long drawn out discussion as the elders had to put their opinions in. It got to the points where it was a shouting match between Naruto, Eva, and the two elders as they tried to enforce their wills on the Uzumaki family.

It drained Naruto of his energy by the time he left the Hokage's office and made his way over to the hospital. He wanted to check on Hinata and Rock Lee who were recovering in the facility. "A lot is always going on with you." Shikamaru jabbed at Naruto in a sarcastic manner while rolling his eyes. Things were never boring when his blond-haired friend was around. Naruto chuckled at this since he couldn't refute this fact. He wished it wasn't the case but unfortunately, he wasn't in the good graces of lady luck.

"Hi big brother…" Chaos giggled as she appeared on Shikamaru's back with her expressive purple eyes reflecting her happiness as well as her usual insanity and unstableness. "Hey squirt… how you've been?" Shikamaru asked as the group made their way down the halls of the hospital. "I've been fine big brother…" Chaos said with an inflection of pain in her voice. She was remembering what happened back in Midway. "Hey you ok squirt?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow. He could tell something was wrong with his favorite little mischievous Angeloid. Chaos's eyes misted over a bit in sadness as she tightened her grip around Shikamaru's neck. Naruto's eyes shined with sympathy as he went ahead and explained to Shikamaru all of the interesting events that happened to him and his family over the one-month break. To say that he was exasperated by everything that he heard would be an understatement as Shikamaru just sighed. "Man, that's such a drag."

"Naruto what do you plan to do about this?" Shikamaru asked in a more serious edge as he digested the full story of what was told to him. He couldn't believe something this crazy would happen to his close friend while away on his training trip. Poor Shikamaru, if only he knew what was coming in the close future. "It's rather simple really Shikamaru, I plan to protect my daughter from those things. I will never let them have her." Naruto said with an edge creeping up into his voice. His eye jaded over as he recalled how heartless those Angeloids were as they would rather destroy an entire town filled with innocent people just to get to Chaos. It was despicable. They had no compassion or remorse for any of their actions. Shikamaru sighed as he really couldn't expect any other answer from his best friend. When it comes to his daughters, Naruto gets a little one tracked minded.

"If they decide to show up here in the village anytime soon we'll have the advantage. If Pervy Sage could flat out stonewall their attacks like they were nothing then the same could be said if Shoko or the old man were to get involved. Besides we'll have an entire force of thousands of shinobi who could take them on. The only trick is if we don't strike first and take them out fast they won't hesitate to just bomb our village if they feel cornered or pressured. They're cowards… that's how they fight. The second the fight isn't going in their favor they switch to plan B." Naruto explained in a grim tone that Shikamaru adopted as this gave him a lot to think about.

The lazy genius sighed a long breath as he turned to look at Naruto who was walking besides him giving him a curious look. "This is going to be a huge drag, but if those chicks come knocking again… you know for certain, I'll support you." Shikamaru said with the tiniest smiles threatening to break across his face. Naruto's eyes widened in shock at this bold claim by his generally unmotivated friend. A warmth settled in his heart at this notion as it really meant a lot. Shikamaru would essentially be putting his life on the line for a family that wasn't his own. It was an admirable quality that gave proof to Shikamaru's inner character. A soft smile was Naruto's only response as he happily continued walking down the halls.

"Shikamaru have you been training?" Iris questioned as she looked to the lazy Nara clan heir who she had a soft spot for. She also thought of the older boy as an elder brother figure. But unlike her sister, Iris wasn't so attached to Shikamaru. The relationship they shared was perfectly fine with her.

But when it came to Chaos, the unhinged Angeloid truly cherished the bond she shared with the older boy who showed an interest in getting to know her and seeing what made her tick. Shikamaru's genius like mind was heavily intrigued by the notion of Chaos and her existence and it's what led to the deep seeded friendship that sprung up between him and Naruto and the subsequent bond that formed between him and Chaos. Truth be told, Chaos was rather infatuated with the slothful boy and looked up to him as her older brother figure. In despite of how she naturally views him, you could go as far as to say Shikamaru was Chaos's first crush. He was usually the target of her pranks whenever he's around and at other times she's very lenient with him while harsh on others in terms of her pranks.

"I've trained a little. It was a drag though. My dad wanted to teach me some more of our clan's techniques in preparations for the finals. He also hinted at starting me on more advanced techniques for my training as the next heir to the clan. It's been a real hassle lately." Shikamaru explained as Iris giggled at the black-haired boys complaining. Putting pencil to paper was a monumental task sometimes for the Nara Clan Heir to do so Iris could only imagine how it must have felt for him to actually apply himself and put forth the effort in his training.

The small group made it to Hinata's room to find the heiress and Henrietta engaging in an intense game of Blackjack. Over the years Naruto has exposed Hinata to the grand world of casino gambling games and she has taken quite the liking to them. They would often play together whenever the chance arises and would generally have a goodtime as the atmosphere between the two could get quite competitive. It was one of the few ways Naruto's been able to drag out Hinata's inner fire as appose to her default meek and subdued personality. Naruto could only imagine how dull and boring it must have been for Hinata who was bed ridden all this time. Playing some of her favorite games with Henrietta who's a master at these games must have been a god send.

The group talked for hours in peace about any and everything including what happened to Naruto ever since the end of the Second Exams. It was a lot to discuss and go over and Hinata along with Henrietta dotted all over Naruto with each dangerous event he revealed to them. He of course didn't mind the attention he was getting from his female friends but that transaction eventually devolved into a playful squabble between the girls who were jealous of each other for fawning over Naruto. Eva entered the conversation first as she pushed the two shy girls away from Naruto while complaining about how they were getting to close to him while Iris herself complained about how all of them were trying to steal Naruto's attention away from her.

All the while in the background while this was happening Chaos and Shikamaru were playing together with the psychotic little girl detaching her fingers for the lazy genius to examine. The conversation began to trickle down after a while as the girls tired themselves out playing multiple games with Hinata and just generally catching up with the two older girls.

"Naruto the doctors said I'm well enough to attend the Chūnin Exams tomorrow. As long as I take it easy and don't stress myself out I can go the entire day." Hinata revealed with a cheerful smile on her face that brought one to Naruto's face immediately as he grinned in happiness. "That's great Hinata! I'm glad you'll be able to make it. So, what did the doctor say about your condition?" Naruto asked as he picked up Hinata's medical charts and looked them over again just like he did the last time he was here. "The doctor said that I'm recovering nicely and my heart is getting stronger every day. I only need a few more healing sessions and medications that should last for another two weeks. After that I can be discharged from the Hospital. But since I've been doing so well over the last few weeks they're letting me out for the day." Hinata explained calmly while watching Naruto read through all the papers on the wall.

Naruto could confirm that this was what the doctor wanted as well based on the notes in the medical charts as the smile on his face grew larger with each passing second. "The doctor said I should have died from a hit like that…" Hinata trailed off as she held a hand up to her chest with her eyes reflecting how she felt about that notion. Naruto's eyes showed the same as he couldn't imagine Hinata dying that day. "…but my heart was protected thanks to our little princess here." Hinata said with a pleasant smile as she cuddled Iris to her chest with a warm aura surrounding her. She was till this day very thankful for what Iris did for her… even if she didn't know exactly what affect her meddling had on her body. She wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for Iris's intervention.

Iris blushed with a bashful smile as she buried her face into Hinata's chest as a swell of giddiness welled up in her stomach. Any child would feel ecstatic about being praised for their actions and Iris was no different. "I'm happy you'll be able to make it Hinata, and I promise I'll get Neji back for what he did too you." Naruto said in a more serious note as he grabbed Hinata's hand. His best friend smiled as her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Even after all this time she still gets embarrassed anytime her best friend becomes affectionate with her. It was very touching and endearing.

"Will you be ok fighting him… I don't want you to get hurt?" Hinata asked as her lavender colored eyes shined with worry as she knows just how strong her cousin is. "You should be more worried about Neji being the one who's going to get hurt Hinata. Someone needs to finally teach him a lesson and beat it into him that fate isn't the only force in the world. I will walk out of that match tomorrow as the winner. It's a promise of a life time." Naruto said in a passionate voice as his eyes stared directly into Hinata's soul. He wouldn't settle for tying with the boy, nor would he allow himself to be beaten by Neji. He was winning no matter what.

A peck on the cheek was Naruto's answer to his declaration. The blond haired Uzumaki's whole face was stained red and Hinata who just kissed him looked like she needed to stay an extra month in the hospital with how red her face was. But all cute moments come to an end as the other girls in the room made their presence known again. "HINATA!" Eva and Henrietta yelled as they both started to pinch the indigo haired girls' cheeks in retribution for her actions. "No cinnamon buns for you!" Henrietta exclaimed as she had made her intentions known from earlier in the day that she'd get Hinata her favorite treat.

Naruto sweat dropped at this as Iris who was just being affectionate with Hinata five seconds ago was now giving her a childish glare as she hopped out of Hinata's arms and jumped into Naruto's lap while wrapping her arms around his neck both affectionately and defensively. Her adorable childish pout and glare combo was in full affect as Hinata had her face stretched out by her two friends.

Let it be said that Chaos was having a feast on the amount of negative energy floating around the room. The best part is it was from her family who were horsing around with each other which added a sweet aroma to the sensation of it. The little walking apocalypse was laughing her head off while watching the others interact with each other.

It would be another thirty minutes later before Naruto and Shikamaru would leave Hinata's hospital room to go visit Rock Lee. Naruto left Iris and Chaos in the room with Hinata since they weren't going too far and the girls were a little tired. It was the Uzumaki families only day off since tomorrow the Third Rounds begin. Although, Naruto was confused by the unnatural insistence that Iris was giving him to actually go visit Lee's room. She was being a little forceful in that regard. It was uncharacteristic of her to do so, it made him a little wary since he's come to notice that bad things happen whenever Iris starts to act out of character.

With that being said Naruto just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He had a bad feeling in his gut that he was trying to ignore but the closer he got to Lee's room the worst the feeling became. It was to the point that he started to speed walk towards the hospital room which concerned Shikamaru a lot.

* * *

In seconds, the duo reached Rock Lee's room only to discover he wasn't alone. They were rendered speechless to see Gaara in the room standing over Lee's bed with a cloud of his infamous sand snaking its way across the defenseless boy's body. He was going to either crush his prone form through constriction or suffocate him to death. Either option wasn't appealing and wouldn't be allowed to happen. Right as Gaara was about to enact his unwarranted vengeance against Lee he suddenly found that that he couldn't move his body anymore. " **Shadow Possession Jutsu** successful." Shikamaru said as Gaara slowly turned to face the two intruders with a deadly glare.

"What are you doing?" Naruto growled as he stared directly into Gaara's eyes with a glare of his own. He never thought this is what he'd find coming into Lee's room. "I'm here to kill him, you're interrupting." Gaara retorted as his sand was still floating around Lee's bed. Naruto channeled his chakra into the room as the sand floating in the air started to freeze over preventing it from harming Lee any further. "We're not going to let that happen." Naruto countered as his chakra hummed beneath the surface of his skin. It would appear he could never catch a break. But he wished a potential fight didn't have to break out right next to Lee who is asleep in his bed unaware of the danger he's in.

"You already beat him in the exams, that should have been enough. Do you have a grudge against Lee?" Shikamaru asked as he tensed his shoulders. The murderous glint in Gaara's eyes were shooting bolts of anxiety up and down his spine. "I have no grudge against this boy, I simply want to kill him that's all." Gaara said in the most monotone voice possible. It was as if he were speaking of the weather. "How could you even say such a thing? Are you out of your damn mind?" Naruto exclaimed in anger as the notion of just simply killing a person just for the mere action of doing it was the most insane thing he could ever possibly think of. "Unfortunately for you pal we won't let you do as you please. So, you may as well pack up and go home." Shikamaru challenged but on the inside, he was sweating a little bit.

' _I've always thought something was off with this guy. We all saw the way he fights during his match. If he decides to make a move right here and right now I'm not so sure Naruto and I can successfully stop him. This room is far too small and Lee's body is in the way.'_ Shikamaru thought to himself gravely as he didn't want to risk putting an ally in danger, especially since Lee was defenseless. "I will kill the both of you if you get in my way… especially you Uzumaki. I want your life the most." Gaara said as more sand started to pour out of his gourd. The murderous glint in his eye was increasing by the minute the more he looked at Naruto and the blond-haired boy could feel this killing intent from a mile away. It was incredibly potent.

"You fight like some kind of monster… like a demon. You're merciless and unrelenting. But don't think for a minute that something as imposing as that would be enough to stop us from defending ourselves." Shikamaru spoke as he subtly added a little more chakra to his hold on Gaara. He didn't know what was going to go down and he really wanted to be prepared for the worst. "He may fight like one Shikamaru, but he isn't one. I've lived with the real deal for most of my life and I've got my own monster inside me from day one. The thought of fighting him doesn't scare me. It's just the lengths he's willing to go too." Naruto countered as a deep frown came to his face at mentioning the Nine Tails.

Shikamaru casted a sympathetic look to his close friend at this as he's known for a long time too of Naruto's burden. "Interesting… it all makes sense now. You're a Jinchūriki too." Gaara intoned which shocked both Naruto and Shikamaru to their cores. "You're a Jinchūriki…" Naruto whispered in morbid shock and dread. He never thought he'd meet another Jinchūriki for a long time, let alone ever in his life time. There should only be nine in the world and to meet one such individual out of a world with millions if not more people is much more than just a simple coincidence. "I carry inside of me Shukaku the One Tailed Tanuki Sand Spirit. He was sealed inside of me while I was still in my mother's womb by my father Rasa the Fourth Kazekage. He wanted the village to have an ultimate weapon to be used in times of need so I was chosen for this burden. My eventual birth killed the woman I would have called mother and sent me into the arms of my father who raised me into the weapon our village desperately needed." Gaara spoke in a bone chilling voice that chilled Naruto's and Shikamaru's hearts to their very cores. It was unfathomable.

"For a time, my father pampered and protected me… but ever since I turned six he has tried to have me killed more times than I can count. Those who become too strong are likely to be feared. I became too powerful for my father to handle and all of his plans became undone. So, he chose to scrap me instead to save himself the hassle of dealing with an unhinged and uncontrollable Jinchūriki. But even those plans failed as every would-be assassin he'd send after me would all meet the same fate. No one can touch me due to Shukaku's sand protecting me. My father created a monster that he couldn't control." Gaara continued as Naruto took a step back in simple shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This is how he would have turned out if he didn't have his loved ones come into his life, and even when he did it didn't actually make his life any better. It just simple gave him a reprieve and a place to find comfort for when things got rough. It never actually fixed the problems he was having.

"He didn't love you at all. How could he have done that to you?" Naruto whispered as his eyes involuntary misted over with tears. He couldn't possibly imagine what Gaara must have gone through. He in some regards nearly went through the same struggles as Gaara did as the matrons at the orphanage tried to have him killed and that led to the accidental death of his first friend Kenichi, it's what also led him to meeting Eva for the first time.

He knew what it was like to have people want you dead and to actually go through with it but to hear that his own father was the mastermind behind these attacks instead of it being just random unconnected strangers struck a chord within Naruto's heart. The first rays of sympathy and companionship had been ignited within Naruto's heart. He felt sorry and sympathetic towards Gaara for the first time since meeting him.

"Love… for a time I thought what my father did for me was love. But he was a fool. I grew numb inside. I couldn't find my purpose in this world. Every person born into this world needs a purpose to live and with each death that I stacked onto my hands from all my assassins I eventually came to realize my purpose. I live solely for myself; I love only myself; as it was the death of my mother that brought me into this world, it is the deaths of others that will sustain the life she has given me and make me feel happy to be alive and as long as there are other people in this world besides me I will continue to kill so that I may prove that I exist. I will never disappear and I will never lose my reason to exist. Your life Uzumaki… The life of you and your family. No one has touched my soul more than you have so far in my life and if I am to continue living I must kill you all. Only then can I prove that I exist." Gaara spoke as he delivered an iconic speech with so much weight in it that it actually allowed tears to fall from Naruto's eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was too much for him. He never thought there was another soul out there who was like him and has suffered so much.

"This is what I meant when I said your souls are so similar Daddy." Iris's voice piped up as everyone turned to the door to see Iris and Chaos standing in the door way with the princess having a sorrowful look of compassion and sympathy on her young face. She truly felt sad for the life Gaara was forced to live. He didn't deserve any of it. "Iris! Chaos! What are you doing here?" Naruto exclaimed as he didn't even sense them approaching. He was so caught up with his emotions that he didn't feel his daughters coming, despite the fact he shares a deep bond with them.

"I sensed him coming a while back Daddy. I came to make sure everything was okay." Iris responded as she stepped into the room. "Did you know he was here already Iris?" Naruto questioned as he had a feeling his daughter knew something. "Yes… this was a fated meeting that needed to happen. That's why I had you leave the room earlier at that precise time. You needed to see and hear this." Iris spoke as her voice got a little deeper. Her eyes where slowly shading themselves a greenish color which instantly made Naruto realize what was really going on _. 'Lady Sōkyoku… she's starting to manifest herself more and more these days. I thought she told me a long time ago that she wouldn't full return until Iris was around ten. How come she's pushing things now and Iris is still only six?'_ Naruto contemplated as he dried his tears. He needed to be strong now. Sōkyoku was interfering once again which let Naruto know that this was some type of important event in his life and judging by what he just heard come out of Gaara's mouth he could safely agree on that matter.

"He's a Jinchūriki Iris… did you know this?" Naruto questioned as Shikamaru quietly listened in the background. This was extremely important and he would catalogue everything that was being said today. He had a lot to talk to Naruto about after all this was over.

"He's more than that father… much more. He's a _Par Animo (Soul Pair) ~Latin~_. He has a near identical soul to you. That's why my avatar has been getting the two of you confused. His soul bares such a striking resemblance to you that in a spiritual sense you can argue that you are brothers. It's why you've both led very similar lives." Iris explained in her deepening voice which brought a shocked looked to Gaara's face and an even bigger one to Naruto's. "So, in a sense… you two are spiritually related." Of all the things in the world he was expecting to hear today, this was not one of them. He was related… or more so spiritually related to Gaara. They were twins if what he was hearing was correct. Naruto didn't know how much more he could take. To many things have been happening to him over the past month and a half. He felt like he would collapse any second now.

"Iris what is going on?" Shikamaru whispered in shock as he was hearing things he couldn't even begin to understand. "Mother…" Gaara mumbled as he grabbed his head in pain while looking at Iris. A mental overlay of his very own mother was imprinted in his mind anytime he looked at Iris and right now it was causing him a lot of stress. "I'm not your mother unfortunately… at least not in the direct sense my child." Sōkyoku's voice sounded out as her eyes turned an emerald green. A subdued smile was on her face as she gazed at the distraught boy who was in mental distress.

Once again Sōkyoku was manifesting herself for an unknown reason and Naruto could feel the majestic phoenix's presence coursing through his veins once more. "What are you planning Iris?" Naruto asked as he refrained from speaking Sōkyoku's name. It was forbidden for mortals to speak or hear her name. To Naruto's limited knowledge she was some kind of ancient deity. "Your future…" Sōkyoku snipped back with amusement hidden in her voice as she turned and leveled her gaze up at Gaara who was being crippled with his mental anxiety and distress.

"You poor thing… you don't know what love is. But I can teach you." Chaos whispered into Gaara's ear with her skittish voice as she simply appeared on Gaara's back latching onto his gourd while wrapping her arms around his neck. Her purple eyes showed her excitement that was escalating by the second as everyone felt Gaara's chakra spike. Once again Chaos was able to bypass Gaara's ultimate defense without it immediately trying to attack her. Gaara couldn't take anymore as he started to growl. Chaos disappeared from Gaara's personal space as a huge cloud of sand spewed forth from his gourd into the air. The deranged boy let out an aggressive wail as the sand fashioned itself into multiple tendrils made to skewer people alive.

Naruto reacted on instinct as his chakra came rushing out of him in waves that actually started to shake the room from the intense pressure of it. A thick encasing of ice sprung up around Rock Lee's bed to protect him from what Naruto was sure to be an uncontrollable rampage by Gaara. Sōkyoku remained as calm as ever as she didn't even blink. In fact, she was no longer even looking at Gaara. She was looking towards the door and standing there was none other than Might Guy and ANBU Captain Shark.

"Alright that's enough…!" Guy shouted as he walked into the room while leveling a glare at Gaara who by some unforeseen force managed to reign himself back in and force himself back under control. His sand started to retreat back into his gourd as he glared back at Guy. A grimace of pain was on his face as he clutched his head in mental agony. More memories of his past were flashing before his eyes tormenting him as his instability once again showed itself. "This is no place to carry out a fight… save this aggression for the Chūnin Exams tomorrow." Guy informed as he never took his eyes off of Gaara who seethed silently in the middle of the room. "I'm leaving…" Gaara abruptly stated as he made his way over to the door.

He was limping as he fought desperately to keep his mind in check but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from leaving the room. "Yes, you will be leaving young man but you'll be coming with me. We need to have a little talk with your sensei about your actions today. You've broken several laws while in my jurisdiction." Shark spoke in his monotone voice while looking down at Gaara. Shark was a pretty tall individual well in the six-foot range. "Get your hand off of me." Gaara seethed as he attempted to move from his spot but Shark's grip was iron tight. "Don't test me child." Shark said as he broke his usual monotone voice to subject a very cold and stern into his stance. Gaara backed down on this as he was still fighting a mental battle inside of his mind and he couldn't handle fighting another contest of wills with another person right now.

"Make no mistake, I will kill you Uzumaki just you wait… I'll kill you all." Gaara whispered in a deadly tone as Shark tightened his grip on Gaara's shoulder. "Let's go." Shark said as he used the **Body Flicker** to take him and Gaara away.

It took a minute but the adrenaline eventually left everyone's bodies as Naruto went about thawing Rock Lee's body out. The ice was gone in moments leaving the aspiring Taijutsu Master completely unharmed. The boy woke up a little while later groggy from his extended nap. He was filled in on everything that has transpired which left Lee shaken up from the notion that he could have been murdered in his sleep with no way to defend himself. It truly scared him.

"Iris… is there anything you can do for Lee. Can you heal him?" Naruto felt compelled to ask as he saw the pitiful state Rock Lee was in. His skin was pale and sweat was building up on his forehead. The boy was not doing good and with his arm and leg in heavy casts it made him feel highly uncomfortable. Truth be told he felt absolutely miserable and it broke Naruto's heart to see such a strong and determined young man stuck at the bottom of what was probably the lowest depth of his life. "You can heal Lee? How? Can you!?" Guy exclaimed as the thought of his prized student being healed filled is heart with hope. Even though the doctors managed to save his life they couldn't save his career. He would never be a shinobi again, let alone the fact he'd probably have severe trouble walking and using his body for the rest of his life.

Sōkyoku's serene and graceful smile waned as a remorseful look started to mar her perfect face. "I'm sorry father but there will be side effects if I heal Lee." Sōkyoku spoke in her regal and elegant tone that captivated Lee since this was his first-time hearing either Iris or Sōkyoku talking. This was his first time meeting them to be precise. "Side effects what side effects?" Guy asked in concern as he was both curious and cautious of what these possible side effects could mean for his precious student.

"If I heal him he will regain the ability to use Chakra. He was born with a genetic defect that prevents him from channeling his body's internal chakra to the outside of his body or to the surrounding environment. If I heal him… not only will he be able to use chakra like the rest of you, but unfortunately in the process… he'll lose the one thing that makes him truly special. He'll lose his dream." Sōkyoku answered with a sad smile on her face as she watched the shocked looks appear on everyone's face, but the biggest one was on Rock Lee's face. "All it would take is one simple touch…" Sōkyoku trailed off into a cynical whisper as she held up her palm and a beautiful yet equally mesmerizing golden flame coated her hand in a hypnotizing manner.

Lee looked at the golden flame for a long time as if he was hypnotized by it but in reality, his entire life was flashing before his very eyes. Small tears started to well up in his eyes that fell without his consent as Lee took his one good arm to wipe them away. After a long pause, he spoke. "Your name is Iris correct?" Lee asked in a soft and vulnerable tone. "Yes, my name is Iris Uzumaki… it's nice to meet your acquaintance Rock Lee." Sōkyoku said with her signature elegant curtsey that was extremely formal and lady like. She truly acted the part of a royal princess. Her rich accent that was enhanced by the fact Sōkyoku was present was like music to everyone's ears.

"It's nice to meet you Iris… I've thought long and hard about your proposal and I have to decline. You are right. My dream to be the world's greatest Taijutsu master is what makes me special. It's kept me going in my darkest hours and it's what defines me. Even if my career is now over and I can no longer be a shinobi I want to stay the same. I don't want to cheat in life and suddenly become as strong as everyone else. So… I'm sorry. But I'll have to decline." Rock Lee said as he fought as hard as he could to keep the tears from falling down his face. This was his entire life on the line right now. This was everything to him and he was giving it up still for a dream and idealism that he could no longer chase. This was the hardest decision he's ever had to make.

Sōkyoku lowered her hand as the golden flame disappeared off her hand. She lowered her head as everyone in the room missed the proud smile that graced her face. "As you wish… I won't heal you as you've requested but I can tell you are in an immense amount of pain. The medications aren't helping you deal with the pain. I'll help you get rid of that nuisance. It's the least I can do for you… you're a strong and resilient young man." Sōkyoku offered with a benevolent smile as she walked up to Lee's bed side and poked her index finger to his forehead. In a second all the pain and discomfort he was feeling simply disappeared as if it was never there to begin with.

"Thank you…" Lee mumbled in awe as he wasn't expecting all of his pain to simply disappear with a simple tap of the finger. Sōkyoku continued to smile as she turned around to walk away. Naruto scowled at this as he just simply couldn't take it anymore. Something big was going on. Lady Sōkyoku was manifesting herself and acting autonomous of him more and more lately and he felt like he was missing out on something important.

"Iris we need to talk after this." Naruto said in a serious tone as he grabbed onto Sōkyoku's arm. His eyes were jaded over into a dark navy blue and he was staring down at his daughter like any serious father would do when they wanted to have a stern conversation with their child. The atmosphere was a little tense and being aware of this the ancient deity flashed her eyes a brighter green in response to this declaration as her smile grew slightly amused and cocky. "And I'll be waiting father… come Chaos. Let's go back to Hinata's room. We'll bring her some Cinnamon buns." Sōkyoku said as her voice began to soften over the course of her statement. Her influence was receding as she and Chaos walked out of the room. The last of Sōkyoku's influence to be seen was her smirk and even that faded as she left the room.

Naruto sighed a tired sigh as he turned to Shikamaru who was giving him a certain look. "I think we have a lot to talk about Naruto as well." The lazy genius simply stated while stuffing his hands in his pockets. While his body language showed that he was mentally exhausted the look in his eye expressed a different message. He really needed to talk with his friend. "I couldn't agree more young man." Guy's voice concurred as Naruto spied the serious look the Elite Jōnin was sending him.

"And I have to go talk to someone too." Naruto sighed as his eyes reflected the amount of stress and exhaustion he was going through right now. He was honestly starting to think some kind of god was meddling with his life because he could never just have a simple day stress free. Something big always had to happen and a lot of stress and mental exhaustion often accompanied the end of each day. Along that same vein he was also starting to think that mysterious god that's meddling with his life was the one that resides within his soul. Sōkyoku was becoming more and more active as the days go by and that had to mean something. It just had to… and Naruto was going to find out why.

* * *

It was nighttime and Naruto had bags underneath his eyes as he knocked of a rich looking door. "Come in." The voice said as Naruto entered the room to see his boss for the last six years sitting behind his desk with his ever-present cup of tea in hand and documents in the other. It was Dino Pasquinelli the Kingpin of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia.

"Naruto what a surprise… I wasn't expecting you tonight. I thought you would have spent this day at home with your family? You don't have to work until after the Third Exams are over." Dino questioned as he placed his cup of tea down. "I know sir but life likes to throw me curve balls. I'm here to asked your permission for something." Naruto asked as he unceremoniously dropped himself into the chair that sit in front of Dino's desk. The old man raised an eyebrow at this lack of decorum as he noticed the haggard and stressed out look to one of his most favorite agents. His eyes had bags underneath them and he was walking with a slouch.

"Oh… and what would this special permission entail my boy?" Dino asked in growing curiosity as it wasn't too often Naruto came to him with inquiries like these. He usually has the bad habit of solving his problems on his own regardless of the difficult. "It's about my match tomorrow against Neji Hyūga." Naruto said as his tone darkened a bit. The tired and haggard look was still weighing him down as he looked at his boss but the look in his eye was anything but exhausted.

Neji Hyūga was going to lose this match tomorrow.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Aegis -** A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to. Chaos can also summon her Aegis shield at long ranges to encompass objects that are not connected to her; effectively allowing her to trap people, objects, and targets within an inescapable prison.

2.) **Fire Style: Heat Conduction Bodily Transfer Jutsu -** This is an advanced Jutsu developed by Hiruzen in his younger days as a way to counter his friend Dino. With this technique, Hiruzen is able to suck up the heat and moisture in the air around him either through funneling it into an outstretched appendage coated in his chakra or through his nose or mouth. This renders almost any and all Fire Style Ninjutsu and just regular fire ineffective and in some cases outright useless against the Hokage. Once inside of his body Hiruzen can then channel the heat he has collected back out of his body either through the opposite appendage or opposite orphacise. If he inhales the heat through his nose he has to exhale the following exhaust through his mouth and vice-versa.

3.) **Phoenix Fire: Ember -** A simple fire technique Iris can use in any form she chooses. Iris's cheeks usually expand as she fills her mouth with fiery gases and embers. She then shoots this out of her mouth in the form off a small cloud of embers and flames that can give a person 2nd and 3rd Degree burns if used directly against them. It's not a particularly powerful technique and the most Iris usually uses this technique for is to start camp fires or when she's cooking.

4.) **Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu -** The user creates a whip made of water that can wrap around the opponent. The user can also channel lightning chakra to shock anyone wrapped in it. The whip can be created from any volume of water including a simple glass of water.

5.) **Fire Style: Stream Jutsu -** The basics of Fire Style. It is the exact same as it's other elemental counterparts such as the Wind Style: Stream. The user exhales a spray of fire from their mouth in a narrow radius in front of them. The flamethrower scorches anything it touches but the user unless he/she moves their head will have no control over the direction of the attack. Also, the attack will lack many attributes including destructive power and shape transformation.

6.) **Earth Style: Tile Shifter Jutsu -** A unique and fairly crafty Earth Style Ninjutsu, the user channels their chakra into the surrounding earth or materials around them and shift its stance at a moment's notice. It is a subtle technique that doesn't have proper battle field applications but can be used effectively for menial tasks, stealth related missions, and other supplementary preferences.

7.) **Artemis -** While her wings are manifested Chaos can conjure her tainted flames and target multiple objects or enemies at the same time using her targeting systems. When they fire they are fast, traveling two to three times faster than the fire balls she shoots from her hands. They are smaller and in the shape of bullets. They have a lot of piercing power but a lower amount of explosive power. They are good at intercepting or bombarding targets.

8.) **Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets Jutsu -** The user takes a deep breath and then exhales several small blasts of wind chakra in such a manner that they are dispersed over an expansive range, enough to make it difficult to avoid them entirely without taking any damage. Due to the properties of this technique, the expelled blasts are capable of piercing into and potentially through an opponent's flesh when they collide with it.

9.) **Earth Style: Terraform Jutsu -** A very powerful and versatile Jutsu that allows the caster to mold and shape any piece of mineral into any shape they desire. There is no limit to what can be created by this technique but the only drawbacks to this effective technique is the fact the user has to have a substantial quantity of the material being used in their creation and an equally proportionate amount of chakra to mold the materials. It should also be said that the more intricated and detailed the structure becomes as well as how large it is affects how well this technique can be used. It takes massive amounts of chakra to be consumed for more complex structures and creations.

10.) **Wind Style: Gust Jutsu -** A low C - Rank Jutsu that creates a gust of wind that blows an opponent off their feet. The unique functionality of this technique however allows for the gust of wind to come from a multitude of places. Ex: Hands (Palms or Fist), Feet, Mouth, or through a weapon (Fan or other weapon that can generated air based on movement).

11.) **Lightning Style: Static Lockdown Jutsu -** A fairly low ranking technique that allows the user to generate a static field of electricity around a target that makes them involuntarily magnetized and susceptible to being restrained to other such objects. It's good for restraining and trapping individuals who are unruly and non compliant.

12.) **Bukijutsu: Shrapnel Blast -** A very simple yet versatile move that allows the user to control inanimate objects in their surroundings and use as weapons. By streaming chakra to said objects the user can then lift them in the air and launch them forward at their target. It can be used on real weapons for the most lethal affects, shrapnel and debris fields; or simple everyday objects such as pencils.

13.) **Shadow Possession Jutsu -** This is the signature secret technique of the famous Nara Clan. The user extends their shadow on any surface even water and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

14.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

* * *

 **[** _Par Animo (Soul Pair) ~Latin~_ **] -** A Soul Pair are a duo of souls that are near identical in every conceivable sense. The individuals these souls belong to will inevitably live very similar lives and depending on circumstances will also find polar opposite phenomenon happening within their lives that differentiate them for each other. On a spiritual level they are virtually identical and can easily fool anyone adept at sensing souls and spiritual energies and their signatures. It is also inevitable that these two souls will eventually meet each other and change each other's lives.

There are other phenomenon and quirks associated with the relationship shared between a Par Animo but those are still yet to be revealed.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys this chapter was very fun to write. A lot has happened and we finally get the Naruto vs. Neji match next chapter. In this chapter we get a mini skirmish between the girls and Konohamaru against the Third Hokage and they get wrecked with Hiruzen having both hands literally tied down. Chaos herself gets a much needed pep talk that helps her cope with the revelation and trauma of the Harpies coming after her from the last chapter.

Naruto and Shikamaru go to the hospital to visit Hinata and Rock Lee. Hinata is ecstatic to see her close friend and they strike up a conversation that end in a quick peck on the cheek. This of course predictably ends in a playful squabble between the girls in the room with Naruto caught in the awkward bystander position.

Things take a turn for the worst as the duo come across Gaara trying to murder Rock Lee in his hospital room. Naruto and Shikamaru stop him from doing this to which Gaara goes into his past and reveals much of himself to the shock of the boys who find out about just how many similarities Naruto and Gaara share which is driven home by Iris who reveals why this is so.

Naruto asks Iris if she can heal Lee to which she says its possible but he would regain the ability to use chakra. Lee ultimately declines much to Iris's approval but Naruto isn't so happy with the ancient goddess residing in his soul. Lady Sōkyoku is becoming more and more active. What does that all mean.

Finally Naruto speaks with his boss for a request in his upcoming match with Neji. He's convinced he will win... he has to.

* * *

Next Chapter: _**Chapter 58 (Uzumaki vs. Hyūga)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 57 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 10/2/2017


	59. CH: 58 Uzumaki vs Hyūga

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys it's here! It's Here! Naruto vs. Neji is finally here guys and I'm super excited about this chapter. I'm very proud of how this chapter came out and I do have to mention that this is the longest chapter I've done in a very long time. A lot gets resolved and wrapped up in this chapter so in the end it was ultimately necessary for the continuing plot.

With that being said the match between the two was epic to say the least and emotions were swirling around for all to feel. Hold onto your seats guys and take it all in.

 _ **(Also Season 5 Premiere of RWBY) Get hyped people!**_

So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 58

 _ **Uzumaki vs. Hyūga**_

It was time… it was early in the morning and the stadium was jam packed full of people. The stadium or Coliseum as some would call it was a massive construct. It was one of the biggest buildings in the entire village, right up there in terms of size with the Hokage Administration Complex; the Hospital Complex; The Monte Carlo Casino; and the Hidden Leaf Archive Building. To simply put, it was a massive structure that could house at least nearly half of the village's populations if all of the seats were filled properly and more if you packed them in the stands with the people standing.

The arena itself was massive as it was a large circular dome enclosed by massive concave walls that curved towards the top. The inner walls of the stadium were made of concrete plates while the outside of the stadium was constructed out of rich and expensive redwood wood panels that followed the curvature of the walls itself. The main building attached to the area was separated into three segments. The central building overlooked the stadium and was quite large in size and had an inner area enclosed by thick columns that housed the stands for where the spectators could watch the matches. This section also included the area where all of the VIP's, business men and women, Feudal Lords, and other important individuals could sit and get a good view of the matches. Above them in an upper veranda was an enclosed VIP section where the Kage could watch the matches by themselves.

The two separate buildings attached to the main one was slightly smaller in size compared to the main building and had a smaller sized roof. All three buildings had gold colored shingles that showed off the grandiose nature of the stadium. These two sections housed solely the middle-class spectators and general viewers who paid to come to the event.

The arena itself where the competitors would be fighting was a battlefield designed with the theme of the Hidden Leaf in mind. It was massive, being at least 100 yards in diameter or close to 360 feet and was a flat open field filled with ankle length grass and arid dirt patched scattered randomly throughout the area. On the boarders of the arena where the walls of the stadium rose up, thick congregations of healthy bustling trees sprung up into the air providing ninjas of the leaf with a sense of home and the added home field advantage.

"Hinata over here!" Sakura shouted out as she spotted the Hyūga Heiress walking down the aisle searching for a seat. She wasn't alone though. Henrietta and the other girls from Section 2 as well as Aria were in attendance and the chestnut-haired girl had her arm linked with Hinata's to help steady and guide the sick girl who while feeling much better and allowed a day away from the hospital was still physically weak. She would need a guide for the day and Henrietta was all too happy to help her best friend.

Quickly joining up with the pink haired girl, Hinata noticed that her teammate Kiba was there as well alongside Ino and Chōji who lost their matches. Tenten was present as well and so where all of their Jōnin Sensei's. The two Chūnin Izumo and Kotetsu were in the stands near them as were many of the clan heads. Lord Hiashi was a row up from them well within the view of his daughter and Hanabi was right next to him. On the top row of the stands Dino was sitting with his own company of friends and acquaintances chatting away to his heart's content. You'd think Shoko would be up there with them but in fact she was down in the row sitting next to Hiashi right above the row Hinata and the others were sitting. She would hang out with Dino later after Naruto's match. But another searing point of why Shoko wasn't sitting up with her boss and colleagues was for one simple reason. Balalaika herself was sitting next to Dino with her infuriating smirk in place which was driving Shoko up a wall. The Hidden Stone's King Pin was holding a conversation with the old Mafia boss of the Leaf and the two were laughing and joking around as if nothing was amiss.

"Boo!" A familiar voice shouted as Sakura screamed in fright causing several people sitting nearby to look back in alarm. It was Chaos and she had her arms wrapped around Sakura's neck right now. "Chaos! What are you doing? Shouldn't you be with Naruto?" This was the general thought plaguing everyone's minds as they witnessed the psychotic and unnerving smile cross the little Angeloid's face. This was a common place thing for those who know the little girl but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable for most of them. When Chaos was ready, she could be a very creepy little girl.

"It's simply silly… Dada said he wants to fight Neji all on his own without our help." Chaos responds as she watches Iris sit down in a nearby chair. She was so small that she only took up half the space in the seat. "Will he be okay by himself down there?" Chōji mumbled as he started on his first bag of chips. "He'll be fine… he doesn't need us to beat Neji. He just needs to fight wisely and he'll emerge victorious." Iris spoke as she hugged her precious teddy bear to her chest in a cute manner. There was an unusual seriousness to her voice but luckily her eyes weren't changing colors. Chaos chose this moment to leave Sakura's personal space and invade the space of her own twin sister as she appeared in the chair right next to Iris without any warning. Iris had a playful annoyed glare on her face as her sister smashed her cheeks against her own. The two Uzumaki twins were sharing the one seat by themselves due to the fact they were so small they couldn't take up the full space the seat provided individually. Iris sighed with a roll of her eyes as she wrapped her one free arm around Chaos's waist and pulled her even closer. She knew this was going to be a long day, especially since the tiny terror was shaking in barely restrained excitement.

"Is Eva down there with him?" Aria asked in curiosity since she couldn't see her fellow supernatural creature anywhere. "Nope!" Eva answered in a cheerful and bubbly voice as she popped up in front of Hinata's face. If the Hyūga heiress wasn't so used to Eva's antics she would have fainted front shock right then and there. But luckily the girl only jumped a bit in mild surprise. "Eva! You're not down there with Naruto?" Hinata asked in surprise as everyone including her would have thought Naruto would want his other half and special partner with him when he goes into battle. "No, Naru wanted to do this all on his own. He doesn't need my help. So how are you doing sweetie? Feeling any better?" Eva answered as she gave Hinata a peck on the cheek and asked how she was doing.

"Eva… not out here!" Hinata squeaked in embarrassment as her face turned bright pink. She quickly grabbed the tiny fairy and placed her inside her hair so that others couldn't see her. The little winter fairy was laughing her wings off and the others around them had amused expressions on their faces.

"Eva please try to stay hidden. We don't need people to start asking to many questions." Shoko deadpanned with an exasperated shake of her head. She couldn't help but face palm at the little fairy's exuberant behavior but decided to accept it. This was who Eva was as a person. "I'll be fine; besides I've been getting better and better with my invisibility spell over the years thanks to you, no one can tell where I am." Eva stated as her voice could be heard coming from Hinata's hair. She was completely invisible hidden beneath the simple illusion that her species are capable of using. She's become so proficient with it under Shoko's guidance that by visual standards she's completely undetectable.

"Just be careful okay." The retired kunoichi sighed while pinching her own nose. The little girl was a handful sometimes. "So, Hinata what did you mean by "Not out here"?" Ino asked with a sly smile as she did take note of the girl's word choice. Hinata's flushed cheeks turned several shades darker as she understood what her friend was trying to say. Hinata's stuttering habit returned with a vengeance as she started to fiddle with her fingers. She had no words for Ino as she became even more embarrassed by the snickering laughter coming from her friends in Section Two. They weren't helping matters either.

Chaos gained a predatory like gleam in her eyes as she turned to put her two cents into the conversation. "I see Big sister and Hina kissing all the time. Eva always kisses Hinata." The tiny terror enjoyed the look of betrayal and shock that crossed Hinata's face as she absorbed the girls despair. It tasted delicious. "I've even seen Hinata return a kiss to Eva once or twice myself." Iris piped up which sent a mortified Hinata into a near catatonic state as she wasn't expected sweet Iris to rat her out like that. Iris decided to pass the time with getting in on the action. It was rare that they would prank Hinata since they normally exclude her from their list of victims.

Everyone else was laughing at this point at Hinata's misfortune that grew to its final stages as Eva showed herself to give the girl another kiss on the cheek. In secret Eva as well as Naruto were really worried for Hinata since her health was in jeopardy due to Neji's actions. It wasn't easy for the two blonds to leave Hinata at the hospital all month without being able to see her. They wanted to do everything they could to make her happy and to distract her from her health issues.

Hinata's face started to glow bright red from the level her blush was reaching. She's outdone herself today by beating all of her old records and she had Eva and her friends to begrudgingly thank for that. On the inside though her friend's actions were dissolving her of her nervous apprehensions regarding the fight she was about to witness. She was scared for what might happen. Realistically she didn't want any of them to get hurt but she knew deep down they were going to fight each other with everything they had and someone was going to come out of this match the loser and bruised up. It was inevitable.

"You're too adorable." Eva giggled in delight as messing with her best friend who she affectionately refers to as her girlfriend is one of Eva's favorite pass times. Eva would have continued her teasing of her girlfriend if not for the prevalent sound of a man clearing his throat behind them. It was Hiashi of all people and he had a raised eyebrow while watching the interactions between his daughter and her supernatural friend. He was still getting used to Eva's rather affectionate behavior with his daughter. It wasn't a common thing in the world and especially in such a public place.

"Father! I'm so sorry… I…" Hinata stuttered horribly as she couldn't even form words to say to her own father right now. She was mortified and embarrassed beyond belief by the situations she was placed in. The Clan Head's expression was rather unreadable but those around him with the exception of Shoko missed the tiniest upturning of his lips into a bemused smile. "It would seem this is yet another side of you I've yet to discover. I think we have much to discuss once these exams are all over. The nature of your relationship to the Uzumaki is most interesting." The old Hyūga said as Hinata felt like she could die right then and there. She didn't think it could get any worse than this. "The Uzumaki would be allowed to join us of course." Hiashi added in as an afterthought that made Hinata curl up into herself. She spoke to soon. That made it even worst.

Shoko couldn't help but crack a smile at this. It would seem her old friend did have a humorous bone in his body. In the stands above them Balalaika was watching the proceedings with a predatory like gleam to her eyes. "I assume you're here for young Uzumaki's match am I right Balalaika?" Dino asked as he took a sip of his ever-present tea. He never went anywhere without it. It also was a very ironic coincidence that his favorite kind of tea just so happened to be Jasmine Tea. Many who knew the old man would deadpan at this very on the nose preference.

"Of course, Lord Dino. I'm betting on him to win this match. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities." The scar faced woman purred as she lit a cigarette in her mouth. Her eyes were intimidating yet predatory like as she watched a Jōnin step out onto the field. He would be the host and referee for these matches. "Abilities you've never seen before…" Dino commented idly as he watched the young woman grin. "Abilities I can't wait to see." Balalaika fired back with a purr of anticipation.

"Why would you bet on that boy Lady Balalaika… the Hyūga boy is obviously the better choice." A snobbish noble asked as he questioned the powerful woman. Balalaika hid a vicious sneer behind a fake smile as she turned to the arrogant man. "Never judge a book by its cover, you'd do well to remember that." Balalaika warned with a silent but deadly undertone to her voice. This man instantly wasn't in her good graces. "I'm betting 5 million that Naruto Uzumaki will win." Balalaika insisted much to the shock of all those around her. "Five million!?" Murmurs and harsh whispers broke out amongst the wealthy merchants and VIP's because of Balalaika's bold statement but many were unconvinced that Naruto could beat Neji. "I vote for Neji Hyūga. I highly doubt the Uzumaki boy has what it takes to beat the Hyūga prodigy. I bet 10 million." The arrogant man lauded in a haughty voice as he fanned himself with an expensive looking paper fan. Balalaika took a deep breath as she was seconds away from killing the snobbish man next to her but in the end, she was able to briefly hold onto her self-control. "Never underestimate an Uzumaki…" The powerful woman whispered to herself in a softer tone as she traced the scars across her face tenderly. "Is that so… we'll see who wins this once it's all over then." Balalaika said in a fake facade as she shook hands with the arrogant noble.

Dino subtly gazed out of the corner of his eyes at that speculative transaction that just occurred with a knowing look before going back to his tea. He looked down a few rows below him to see Shoko looking back at him and particularly Balalaika with mistrust embedded in her eyes for the Hidden Stone native. Dino shook his head slightly in a warning tone which caused the purple haired kunoichi to huff and aggressively turn around in her chair. Shoko wasn't happy.

"It's time… they're about to start." Shoko motioned as she pointed to the arena below. "Hello and welcome to the Bi-annual Chūnin Exams Third Phase. My name is Genma Shiranui and I will be your host and proctor for these 1 on 1 elimination rounds. So… with that being said I hope everyone here in attendance will greatly enjoy the spectacles displayed today by our promising Chūnin hopefuls. That is all." Genma announced while using chakra to enhance the range of his voice to reach everyone up in the stands.

Genma Shiranui was a Special Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf and a longtime friend of Shoko and those of her generation. He was a very calm, impartial, collected, proud and casual individual who was easy to get along with but highly reliable when you needed him the most. His skills are tried and tested and he's even respected by his superiors such as the Elite Jōnin of the village. He along with a select few others were handpicked by the Fourth Hokage to be a part of his own personal bodyguard squad which is a further testament to his skills as a shinobi.

Genma is a relatively tall man standing at a height of 5'9 which was around the average everyone in the village falls to. He has brown, shoulder-length hair which hangs about his face and prominent brown eyes. He wears his headband like a bandanna with the metal plate facing behind him, and the standard Jōnin outfit and a senbon in his mouth which was a trademark of his to those that know him.

After announcing that the Genin participants would line up in front of the crowd, Genma pointed to a side door that the group of Genin filed out of. Immediately, several people took notice of a problem with the line-up. Only nine competitors were walking out onto the field. Three were missing. _'Where is Naruto…?'_ Shikamaru thought as he stood in line with the other eight competitors. All three sand siblings were in attendance with Gaara having his usual murderous glare in place. The lazy genius made sure to stand on the opposite end of the line from the ticking time bomb. Neji Hyūga was standing in a rigid stance looking up into the stands where his uncle Hiashi was sitting, giving the man his own smoldering glare. Shoko saw this as she glanced at the Clan head sitting next to her. She had no real opinion she'd like to readily share on the matter between the family members but she would easily admit that it's now spilled over to affect Naruto and his family.

Shino was standing next to Shikamaru which was a blessing as the two friends exchanged pleasantries with each other. They didn't see much of each other during the one-month break. Shino's father Shibi Aburame the Clan Head of the Aburame clan had his son off on a training trip as well to prepare him for the Chūnin Exam finals so sadly many people haven't had the chance to see each other all month. Kurotsuchi, Samui, and Karui were all standing in this impressive line as well and they looked prepared for their matches. The trio of girls received quite a few boos from the crowd as there was a certain amount of prejudice being directed at them as the Hidden Cloud were not particularly welcomed in the Hidden Leaf after all of their repeated attempts at kidnapping individuals of special interests and deceiving the village… and the Hidden Stone were just flat out not welcomed in the Hidden Leaf.

"Wait… what's going on? Where is Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern once she didn't see her best friend amongst the competitors. "Yeah, where is he… and where is Sasuke?" Sakura agreed as she couldn't see the last of the Uchiha Clan anywhere either. _'Where are you sweetie… did something happen?'_ Shoko asked herself as she gripped the arm rest of the chair she was sitting in tightly. She was trying not to show her concern as she's well aware of the fact she's prone to losing her composure whenever her anxiety hits. The veteran kunoichi looked up behind her into the rows above to see Dino staring back down at her with a mischievous look in his old eyes. He took a sip of his ever-present tea and winked at her. _'What's going on?'_ Shoko thought as she turned back around in her seat to look around the stadium. Her father figure knew something she didn't and now she was on the lookout for whatever it was. Curiosity kills the cat and Shoko was well aware of the fact she was a curious and inquisitive person by nature.

' _Where are you Naruto… what's going on my boy?'_ Hiruzen thought to himself privately as he also took notice of the fact his surrogate grandson wasn't among the Genin. "Sir… Sasuke Uchiha isn't here as well. We can't seem to get a hold of him or Kakashi Hatake. With the time that has passed, he could very well be within Orochimaru's grasp and if that's the case we'll never be able to find him." Hiruzen's aid advised as he bent down to whisper in Hiruzen's ear. This was Raidō Namiashi and he was Genma Shiranui's teammate and fellow member of the Hokage Guard Platoon. Raidō's most distinct feature is probably the weal-like scar on his face, running across the bridge of his nose and down across the left side of his face. He has brown spiky hair, dark eyes and wears the standard attire of the leaf shinobi complete with a headband and the standard issue Jōnin Flak Jacket.

"I understand… start the matches." Hiruzen said as he closed his eyes to pray. He opened them seconds later as his colleague showed up. The Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Gold Dust was here fully decked out in his ceremonial robes being flanked by his two body guards. The two Kage exchanged pleasantries and somewhat friendly banter before settling down to enjoy the matches to come. Raidō looked on in suspicion at the Kazekage as the word play and conversational banter the two-powerful shinobi just shared was charged with uneasy tension. If Hiruzen took notice of any of this the old man didn't display any of it.

"Ok the first match between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga will begin shortly." Genma Shiranui announced as he signaled for the other Genin to leave the battlefield. Only Neji stayed as he crossed his arms. He still didn't see Naruto but what he failed to notice was the fact the clouds were shifting and changing rapidly. Almost unnaturally in nature.

"Well, where is he?" Neji demanded as he glared at nothing in particular. Genma looked up at Raidō who nodded for him to proceed. _'I know Dosu was found murdered during the month break by an unknown assailant but what is holding up the Uzumaki and Uchiha kids? I hope nothing fishy is going on here.'_ Genma noted to himself as he took his job as a leaf shinobi seriously. If anything was happening with fellow members of his village, he'd want to know and would want in on the action. He'd help them no matter the cost.

"I'm right here!"

It was sudden but the main entrance gate opened up and a thick cloud of fog and cold frigid air rolled into the stadium. A silhouette of a figure could be seen walking out of the fog onto the battlefield and once everyone got a good look at who it was there was an uproar in the stadium. It was Naruto and he looked completely different to people who don't know of his side profession.

Naruto was wearing different clothing to his traditional orange and blue fatigues. He was wearing a pitch-black two-piece suit with a black belt holding several pouches filled with his ninja equipment. An ash black colored flak jacket vest was on over his black shirt and his shirt was sleeveless allowing his shoulders to be seen. His pride and joy… his tattoo of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia was on full display to the world as his dark navy blue jaded eyes stared into the skull of Neji who was shocked by this unexpected and drastic change in look to his opponent.

Condensation and mist were emanating from Naruto's body that was lowering the temperature in the entire area giving him an eerie feeling. But the most noticeable feature to Naruto that had everyone the most shocked was the face he wasn't wearing his headband. His Hidden Leaf Headband wasn't tied around his forehead. It was without a doubt the most important artifact for any true Shinobi. It is their pride and joy and a part of the identity as a ninja. Naruto didn't have his one on right now and that was a powerful message.

"Oh Naruto…" Hinata whispered as she placed her hand over her mouth in mystified shock. She never would have expected her closest friend to do something like this, in hindsight she should have seen this coming based on the look she saw in his eyes yesterday. He was trying not to show it, but he was planning something… and now everyone knew what it was. "Oh my…" Shoko was just as shocked as she quickly turned back in her seat to look behind her. What she saw was Dino looking back at her with the mischievous twinkle that was already in his eyes shining brightly now. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

"Is this kid…?" Genma whispered in shock as he spied the tattoo on Naruto's upper arm. He was well aware of the criminal underworld and the governing body that rules over it. So, to see a mafia agent be a kid so young was a major eye opener for the veteran Shinobi. He's never actually met Naruto before but he knew of him. But never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined the boy would be a part of the mafia.

Murmurs from the crowd was filling the air as many wealthy individuals who were privy to the knowledge of the mafia's existence and important role in their society started to gossip amongst themselves. They were beyond shocked to see a mafia agent participating in a shinobi related contest. Even more surprising was Naruto's age. Those closest to Dino started to bombard him with questions that the old man navigated his way out of expertly. In the Hokage's box Hiruzen was just as baffled as everyone else as his pipe nearly fell out of his mouth. _'Naruto what are you doing? Did Dino put you up to this… but that look in his eyes, I think this is personal. He's thinking like a true mobster right now. This is personal so he's going to handle it face to face.'_ Hiruzen speculated as he sat back in his chair. He would have never thought in a million years he'd see such a bold spectacle in the middle of a Chūnin Exams.

"I knew this year's Chūnin Exams were going to be very exciting Lord Hiruzen but I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would be anything quite like this." The Kazekage commented in a voice of amusement, shock, and enthusiasm. Hiruzen chuckled at this as a way to provide a response and to mask his own shock. "Yes, I agree Lord Kazekage. We like to carry a few surprises up our sleeves here in the Hidden Leaf." Hiruzen joked as the Kazekage looked on with a barely contained gaze of interest at Naruto who walked out to the middle of the field.

"What is this? What are you doing?" Neji asked as he looked Naruto up and down in contempt. The same could be said about Naruto who had a cold look in his eyes. Today was the day he and Neji would finally cross paths and not only would it be the first time… Naruto was going to make sure it would be the last time.

"It's simple Neji. I'm here to keep my promise to not only Hinata but the one I made to you as well. I will beat you today." Naruto said as he didn't dare look Neji anywhere but in his eyes. Genma could feel the tension in the air and it was leaving even someone of his sizable caliber uncomfortable. "Where are your normal clothes? Do you think this wardrobe change will cause the rift between us to close?" Neji sneered as he wouldn't admit it aloud or to anyone else but the change of clothing and atmosphere around Naruto made him a bit intimidating and unnerving. "No Neji, the gap between us won't get small. On the contrary it's gotten larger." Naruto retorted as the first strands of chakra started to hum beneath the surface of his skin. The grass directly underneath his shoes started to freeze over but to the naked eye this was unnoticeable.

Neji's eyebrow twitched at this comment as he felt insulted by the insinuations Naruto's words carried. He refused to believe that he was inferior to Naruto in any category of the Shinobi Arts. He's spent the better half of his childhood training to perfect the arts of the Hyūga Clan and their world renown Gentle Fist Taijutsu. He's a prodigy and master in many of its advanced forms and applications. Not to mention his standard shinobi training and skills that he's perfected. He's put in too much time and effort throughout his life to simply be upstaged by a clan less orphan. In Neji's eyes Naruto was nothing more than a scoundrel and good for nothing who tainted the already poor excuse of a Clan Heir in Hinata and to an extent her younger sister Hanabi.

Neji never considered Naruto anything of significance and always thought he held Hinata back. Of course, over the last month he's had a lot to think about… especially in regard to Hinata's unexpected and unforeseen overwhelming strength during their match. He never saw her like that before and most definitely he's never in his life seen anything quite like the abilities and techniques she was using after she got serious and released her mysterious seal. She nearly beat him if not for a few tricks up his sleeve and the fact her newfound strength came with a time limit. She was pushing her body way past its limits, which was further amplified by the fact she was fighting another member of her clan which made it detrimental to her maintaining this powerup.

"I notice you don't have your headband on. What's that about? You don't feel you deserve to wear it?" Neji couldn't help but ask as it was one of the most noticeable things in Naruto's appearance right now. Naruto frowned at this statement but shrugged it off as he siphoned out more chakra. "I'm not wearing it for a simple reason Neji. I don't have to. This isn't a fight between ninja. You couldn't respect Hinata as a ninja and put her down at every chance you could. You constantly called not only her but me a failure. So, since you won't respect us as Shinobi despite all the overwhelming evidence stacked against every statement you've ever made I won't fight you as a Shinobi. You treat us like trash, so I'll fight you the same way I deal with the disgusting trash I come across in this world. I've got a personal vendetta against you Neji and the way we handle it in my line of work is to crush the person who steps on our toes." Naruto said as his eyes grew dark in hate and rage. It was time.

As shinobi Hinata and the others could hear far away by channeling chakra to their eardrums to enhance their auditory senses and because of that Hinata was able to hear everything Naruto and Neji were saying. Hinata's eyes gushed with tears as she curled in on herself. She couldn't believe the lengths Naruto was going to for her and their pride. He was going above and beyond for her and she knew just how important this was to him. He was revealing himself to the world as a member of the mafia. Under normal circumstances that wasn't allowed as the general public and low-level shinobi world shouldn't know the true nature of the mafia unless they become directly involved with them. This was a special occasion so she could only assume he was fine if the look in Dino's eyes could be any evidence. She never had the pleasure of meeting the important man before but she knew from how much Naruto's talked of him that he is Naruto's boss.

Naruto was taking a big risk and was doing it all for her. That thought made her heart beat faster to the point it felt like it was going to break out of her chest. But at the same time, it made her weakened heart flare up in pain. Hinata couldn't believe she was genuinely getting heartache over her best friend's actions. She thought this joke to herself in private but the pain that flared up in her chest prevented her from enjoying any possible amusement. Henrietta was quick to tend to her best friend as she wiped her forehead of sweat and helped massage her back. Shoko aided Hinata by placing a soothing hand glowing in green chakra over the heiress's chest to eliminate the pain she was feeling. The indigo haired girl thanked her friends for this but silently thought to herself how much could she take of the emotionally charged atmosphere this match was creating.

Neji backup in unease at this as he was overwhelmed a bit by Naruto's killing intent as well as his convictions. Neji was starting to get the picture now, Naruto was serious. "Fate won't allow that Uzumaki… we are all given a destiny at birth and it is futile to fight against it. You and Hinata were destined to be failures and you can't change that." Neji ranted as he clenched his fist in anger, he took offense to how Naruto addressed him. "Neji I'm only going to tell you this one last time. Fate is decided by the individual… don't lump me in with your twisted views. People's greatest strength is the ability to adapt and change themselves. We are constantly improving and reinventing ourselves to be better. If you were so tied down by fate then how was it that you were able to get so strong. You're one of the strongest Genin in the entire village yet you claim you are held back by destiny." Naruto said as Neji gritted his teeth at hearing the logic Naruto spoke. There was some truth to it.

"I have many dreams Neji, one of which is to become the Hokage of the village one day. You claim that I'm a failure but I'm going to prove you wrong. I won't reach the top because it's my destiny and fate, but because I'm going to work my hardest and earn that position. I'll show you fate doesn't control us." Naruto said as he slid into a Taijutsu style. He was ready. "Once this is over I'll show you that you can't escape your fate." Neji replied weakly as he couldn't come up with anything else to say. Naruto's words were shaking him to his core. His beliefs were frazzled.

"Are you ready to go now?" Genma asked as he got between the two hostile Genin. He was ready to see a brutal fight. "Any last words…?" Was Neji's reply. "Yeah, I vow to win." Naruto said as Neji activated his Byakugan in response to this. It was finally time.

* * *

"First round match of the Third Phase. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyūga will now begin." Genma announced for all to hear as the crowd grew rowdy once this was said. They were waiting for this ever since it was first announced nearly a month ago. They wanted to see the famed prodigy of the Hyūga clan in action. Many expected him to dominate the match. There were barely anyone betting in Naruto's corner.

As soon as the words left Genma's mouth to begin the battle a massive amount of chakra exploded from Naruto's body that nearly jump scared half the people in the audience. Neji stumbled back in shock as he covered his eyes from the dust that kicked up out of nowhere. **"Double Acceleration!"** Naruto's entire body was shrouded in dark navy blue translucent chakra that raged out of control around him as tiny slivers of Eva, Iris, and Chaos's energies could be seen swirling around the towering mass of chakra.

" **Tempest Turn!"** Naruto chants as four translucent clones spawned off of the chakra cloak and sped off across the field heading straight for Neji who to his credit immediately put up his guard as his Byakugan was working overtime trying to tell him what to do. These clones were unlike anything Neji's ever seen before. The only part of the clones that were visible to him was the portion of them that was made up of chakra. To a small certain extent, he could see the tiniest slivers of Yōki mixed into them, but as for Iris and Chaos's energies he couldn't see them at all and it was causing a weird and unexplainable distortion with the clones. The same type of phenomenon Neji always sees around Naruto whenever he channels his chakra.

Naruto finally found a new name for this unexplainable technique that first started cropping up back in the Forest of Death. He's worked hard to bring it into fruition and now the fruits of his labor were paying off with a brand-new technique and an all new branch of skills for his sacred **High-End Skills** Jutsu's.

The clones were very fast as they made a b-line straight for Neji who slid into his perfected stance of the Gentle Fist. His eyes were focused in on the task at hand and the palms of his hand were ablaze with chakra as he engaged the first tempest clone that got into range. The clone was very agile and fast as it slid into Neji's guard and threw a punch that the genius deflected with a wave of his hand. Neji slammed a vicious palm thrust into the clone's chest causing it to explode in a violent explosion of kinetic energy and compressed chakra.

Neji was thrown back by this and into the waiting arms of the other three clones who all tried to attack him in his seemingly vulnerable state. Neji aimed to prove them wrong as he corrected himself within the blink of an eye. All three clones engaged Neji at close range but payed the price as the boy took them out one by one with pin-point accurate shots. He was putting the Gentle Fist Style to use but that would do nothing to help him as Naruto disappeared in a controlled yet violent burst of speed that was so fast Neji briefly lost sight of him.

This entire engagement happened within 10 seconds at most and in one instant after disappearing Naruto now stood behind Neji with a kunai made out of ice pressed against his neck. "… and just like that. It's over." Naruto whispered in a deadly tone as his dark blue cold eyes burrowed into the back of Neji's skull. The branch member could see Naruto's eyes perfectly fine thanks to his Byakugan and the cold look in them froze his body in place as he wasn't expecting the sheer amount of speed Naruto just displayed.

' _Holy crap! I could barely track the kid after he took off. What kind of technique is that?'_ Genma thought to himself as his eyes widened a bit. He's never seen a technique quite like this before and he had to admit that he was highly impressed. "He's mastered that new technique… it's impressive." Shoko spoke as a proud smile came to her face that mimicked that of a proud mother. She knew he'd get the hang of it soon. It was a fitting name to a great new technique. "How is Naruto so fast?" Ino asked in shock as she's never actually had the pleasure of seeing a fresh Naruto in the heat of combat before. The only two times she's actually seen him fight he was both injured and exhausted and as such never used all of his abilities.

"It's his signature technique that he developed all on his own. With it he can manipulate the kinetic forces in his body and move at accelerated speeds instantaneously and double it when needed to. But this is another new technique he's developed." Hinata answered as she was both surprised and not surprised to see Naruto develop another technique for his prized original technique. It was always a matter of time since he's never once stopped training and practicing with his technique and he would always practice it with her whenever they had full out spars. The rest of the crowd was stunned into silence once they saw the finesse in which Naruto trapped Neji. That level of skill was not something the crowd would have thought the blond-haired nuisance capable off. While the prejudice and hate that Naruto faces by his very own villagers have gone down a lot since he became a ninja, it didn't actually mean it disappeared. People were just less vocal about it and decides to keep their opinions to themselves. They still don't see Naruto for who he truly is.

"Damn he's fast!" Kurotsuchi commented with a whistle as she and everyone else were up in the competitors waiting box watching the match kick off. They all remembered Naruto's match against Kiba in the preliminary rounds and most of them were quite impressed with his showcasing but they also recognized the fact he wasn't fighting at full strength. This time he was and he was using his full might. None of the foreign teams have ever witnessed Naruto using his High-End Skills before so they were in for quite the treat. "Impressive." Samui whispered as she tightens her grip on the metal railings.

"Are you going to ask me to surrender so soon?" Neji asks as he can see just how dangerous the look in Naruto's eyes really was. "Not even close." Naruto growls as Neji reacts immediately. Expelling chakra from all the pores in his body Neji blows Naruto back out of his personal space as he spins around just in time to catch the kunai Naruto threw at him out of reflex. Naruto didn't want to kill Neji, even though that thought did cross his mind at least once or twice. He just wanted to seriously hurt the boy for what he's done so with that being said Naruto summoned his twin swords made out of ice into his hand. He never uses his swords against his comrades in any serious fights. Even in spars he holds back significantly and blunts the ice the swords are made of so that he doesn't hurt them. But not today. The swords were razor sharp as Naruto flickered right into Neji's guard with the **Body Flicker Jutsu**. He wanted to see just how good Neji really was.

" **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!"** Naruto laid into Neji's defenses with everything he had without pulling any swings as he tried to go for the attacks that would disable the use of the Hyūga's arms. He wouldn't go for strikes around or above the neck and he wouldn't try to stab the boys heart out but he was going to make sure to skirt the line of his own self-imposed rules. Coming in with dozens upon dozens of strikes Naruto was showing off his impressive Kenjutsu abilities that were captivating the audience and the few sword wielding shinobi amongst them as Naruto danced around Neji's form while raining down blows from every conceivable angle. To Neji's credit he was using his incredible flexibility and skills to deflect and parried any strike Naruto sent at him. But he couldn't stop all of them and the cuts and scratches across his arms and stomach was the proof of that.

Naruto would admit that he was quite impressed by Neji's skills in deflecting his strikes as even Hinata has a lot of trouble in stopping his attacks from landing. But Neji was doing far better. "So, you can use Ice Style huh? I wasn't aware you had a Kekkei Genkai." Neji conversed as he sent concentrated micro bursts of chakra into Naruto's swords each time he came in contact with them which was enough to shatter Naruto's swords with each pass. But with each pass that happened Naruto would just simply reform his blades in an instant to reengage the boy who has grabbed so much of his anger.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Naruto replied as he switched up his sword style to a faster paced barrage as he twirled his swords around his wrist in dazzling ways as he pushed forwards with his assault on Neji who was being pushed back much to his annoyance. Naruto saw his opening come to him in a split second as he channeled his chakra without the use of hand signs. **"Wind Style: Stream Jutsu!"** Activating the beginner level technique Naruto blew a small thick stream of air into the ground in front of Neji that blew a dust cloud of dirt and dust up into the air and right into Neji's face. The boy genius coughed as he jumped back out of his opponent's immediate range and began rubbing his eyes of the small dust particles that blasted him in the face.

" **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"** Naruto was relentless as a barrage of dozens of sharpened icicles flew out of the dust cloud at a high rate of speed which Neji managed to deflect with minimum injury while Naruto charged back in with his swords ready to carve the boy up but this time Neji was going on the offensive. The second Naruto got in close Neji shattered his swords with pinpoint precision as he started to lay into Naruto who growled in annoyance. **"Wind Style: Hurricane Fist!"** Naruto wasn't about to be outdone by his opponent as his fist became surrounded in violent swirling winds as he traded fierce blows with Neji who was showing a masterful display of the Gentle Fist Art.

Neji blasted a palm strike pass Naruto's face as the blond haired Uzumaki locked his arms with Neji's to prevent him from landing anymore strikes. Naruto landed a brutal elbow shot to Neji's chest that he then followed up with an uppercut to Neji's chin which dazed the boy and allowed Naruto to finish up with a judo toss that threw Neji off his feet. The Hyūga landed roughly on his back which stunned him for a quick moment. Naruto immediately went in for his next attack while he had the advantage **. "Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"** Slamming his foot into the ground Naruto sent a trail of fast moving ice across the ground towards Neji who gritted his teeth in anger. Neji scrambled to a ready position and coated both of his palms with chakra. The Hyūga launched one palm forward to stop this dangerous and unique technique that Naruto was sending at him and in the end, he got the desired result he wanted. It was a powerful strike that Neji unleashed and in a second the ice trail coming for him was blown apart.

" **Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike!"**

Neji jumped to his feet in a heartbeat and using his remaining hand slammed a powerful palm strike to Naruto's stomach that had Naruto coughing up a wad of spit. "I see you still got some fight in you." Naruto grunted as he deflected Neji's second attack while launching a barrage of ice kunai at Neji's form who used the **Body Flicker Jutsu** to evade the entire assault. "There's more where that came from Uzumaki. You have many abilities at your disposal but don't think for even a second that it will be enough to beat me! Especially without the help of that strange miniature girl who seems to know you and Hinata." Neji berated as he slid into his Taijutsu form once again.

"Heh… is that so… I hate to break it to you Neji but I don't need my other half's help in beating you. I'm strong enough on my own. **Acceleration!** " Naruto challenged as he took off with incredible speeds that Neji had trouble tracking. Instead of trying to guest where the blond bullet would show up next Neji took matters into his own hands. Surging a potent dosage of chakra into both his palms the brown haired Hyūga prodigy slammed one palm into the ground so hard that the entire land around Neji's feet fractured and lifted into the air with tremendous force. It was the same tactic he used on Hinata in their match. Naruto who was ready to make his move ran straight into this eruption of earth that threw him off balance.

This was the opening Neji was looking for as he took his second palm still surging with chakra and launched it directly at Naruto's chest. With his enhanced reflexes Naruto saw this coming as his own fist became coated in a dense layer of chakra out of instinct alone that he sent forward at the very last second.

" **Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!"**

" **Accel Punch!"**

The two attacks met in the middle of the fighters with a thunderous boom that sent shockwaves of chakra across the field and an explosion of dirt and rocks high into the air. Both Genin were flung back by this violent upheaval that sent them to opposite ends of the arena. Their feet dug trenches in the ground as they each slowed to a stop with grunts of pain. Their clothes were ripped and torn from the beating they were giving each other but the glares they were sending each other were beyond potent.

' _These kids are nuts… they've got such crazy and destructive techniques. These guys are no mere Genin at all.'_ Genma thought to himself as he braced himself against the shockwave that was created from Naruto's and Neji's clash. As a Jōnin he was more desensitized to such powerful displays but in his line of work even he knows that its not to common to come across such spectacles in real world ninja combat. Only in certain situations were there are high level ninja involved and powerful Jutsu's being thrown around do such things happen.

Balalaika's eyes became half lidded as a subtle smirk was growing across her face. She was heavily enjoying this match right now. The look on the nobles faces near her were also a sight to see and it was only doing wonders for her mood.

The arm Naruto used for his Acceleration Punch was blistering red as the chakra points all along his arm were shut off and especially around his fist. Neji on the other hand only had bruises from the kinetic wave of energy Naruto's punch naturally gives off.

"Not bad… but it's clear to the both of us that you were more hurt in that clash. You have so many abilities yet they're wasted on a failure like you. They won't help you with this match." Neji commented as he sucked in breathes of air. "I bet you feel real tough right now Neji… it's taken you this long to inflict any real damage on me yet with Hinata you had to nearly put her to death just to win. Your issues with your family will ultimately make you weak." Naruto countered as he saw the look of anger and rage come across Neji's face.

"You want to know why I hate the main branch so much… I'll tell you why!" Neji growled in anger as he explained the entire history of his clan and the events that transpired on Hinata's third birthday. It was a compelling and heart wrenching story that made Naruto feel twinges of sympathy for the Hyūga member but he still couldn't excuse the unwarranted hatred he held towards Hinata.

"It's a sad story Neji… it really is but the only thing that I can take away from all of that is your twisted and misguided views on what happened that day and the years to follow." Naruto spoke as he formed and theory in his head. "You're projecting your trauma from back then onto your ideologies now. You have this obsession with fate when in reality it was just a shame that your father was born second. It was the death of your father and the circumstances that followed that twisted you into the person you are today and made you so skilled and strong. There's no guarantee that if you were born into the main house hold you would be as strong as you are now. Fate can't decide that for you. You despise those who you view as weak and who try to improve themselves when in reality your jealous of them for having the strength to try when you yourself feel you do not." Naruto spoke his mind as he saw the pain and anguish cross Neji's face.

He broke him. He tore down all of Neji's emotional barriers and hit him at the heart of the problem. It was the biggest bitter pill Neji's ever had to swallow but now it was staring him straight in the face. "You… you… bastard! How dare you! You know nothing about me! You know nothing at all! How can you presume to know how I felt as a child!?"! Neji raged as his body shook from the pain he was feeling in his heart. If he were any other person he'd be reduced to tears by now but Neji was holding on for what it's worth.

Naruto smiled a small sympathetic smile as he felt some of the anger and resentment he was feeling for Neji wash away with the state the boy was in now. "Let's just say I'm great with children." Naruto hinted cheekily as he powered up his chakra again. Neji forced his emotions back in check as he surged his chakra throughout his body.

Both young Genin took off across the field in a dead sprint as they approached each other within the blink of an eye. Neji was the first to strike as he sent a powerful palm thrust forward at Naruto who anticipated this predictable attack from a Hyūga. He had an answer to this act of aggression as his chakra flared. **"Tempest Turn!"** Naruto shot off his new clone to intercept the incoming attack that worked like a charm as Naruto was able to outmaneuver Neji and flank him to his back.

Neji was getting serious now as he simultaneously struck the clone and Naruto at the same time dispelling the clone in a burst of energy and sending Naruto flying. "I'm not done yet." Naruto growled as he slid across the ground to gain back his traction. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Nearly four dozen clones spawned onto the field which shocked Neji as he's never seen so many clones before. He tensed as he rigidly slipped into the Hyūga's famous Taijutsu style. He had his work cut out for him.

' _So many clones… how does he have so much chakra to be throwing around?'_ Neji raged in his mind as the army of clones swarmed him in seconds. The boy wasn't a prodigy of the Hyūga clan for nothing though. He began displaying a masterful showing of Taijutsu as he tore through the army of clones who were throwing everything they had at him which in the end wasn't enough as Neji was systematically decimating the clone army who could do nothing but rush to their deaths.

"This is getting insane." Ino whispered as she saw how hectic the fight was become. They were throwing everything they had at each other and then some. "I wonder how long Naruto can keep this up." Shoko whispered as she unlike the majority of the crowd watching could see the strain on Naruto was inflicting on his body. He's used up a tone of chakra since the fight began and using his High-End Skills was draining him of his monstrous chakra reserves. Especially his brand-new Tempest Turn technique. It was a fresh technique that he just finished learning, but he hasn't mastered it yet. He was wasting chakra with it and the many other intense techniques he's been using. Neji wasn't much better off but he's limited in the amount of techniques he could use to begin with.

' _The real one is hanging back because of this.'_ Shoko noted as she saw a small group of Naruto's hanging back from the main group that was engaging Neji and losing. It wasn't the most noticeable thing in the world but to a trained and veteran shinobi like her this was as plain as day. Naruto was slowly but surely starting to feel the strain on his system. _'Please be alright Naruto…'_ Hinata prayed as she had her hands pressed together tightly. She was the most familiar with Naruto's fighting style and mannerisms so even she could tell that the real one wasn't among the group of clones attacking her cousin. Hinata just got done explaining to those surrounding her what happened in her childhood as Neji spoke about it and because of that it dragged up a lot of unpleasant memories from her past. This match was starting to become too much for her.

' _That's the real one… the one hanging back.'_ Neji spotted as he broke free of the crowd of clones and shot straight at the real Naruto whose eyes widened in surprise. _'I've got to defend myself.'_ Naruto thought as he clapped his hands together in his signature style for his Ice techniques. **"Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu!"** Naruto's body immediately became shrouded in a layer of frost that had sharp spikes jutting out from the surface of his skin. He looked like a porcupine or a human sized mace. **"Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!"** Naruto's defenses weren't up to par as Neji completely shattered the impromptu defense Naruto tried to muster. Naruto flew back with a grunt of pain as his few remaining clones moved in to intercept Neji who was ferociously pressing his attack.

Naruto only had four clones left after Neji tore through his army of shadow clones and now they were rushing to help the original. Naruto groaned in pain as he jumped out of the way of Neji's latest attack which was right on time as Naruto's clones formed a perimeter around him cutting off any chance of escape. **"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"** All four Naruto's shouted as they spewed forth gallons upon gallons of water that formed into massive walls around Neji. He was completely surrounded and seconds away from being submerged in crushing waves of water.

' _I'm completely cut off on all sides. I have no choice but to use it now.'_ Neji realized as he flared his chakra out for all to see. Naruto could sense this spike in chakra as well as see it through the water and his eye widened in disbelieve at what happened next. **"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!"** Neji pivoted on his dominant foot and began to spin at dizzying speeds until he was an unrecognizable blur. The massive cloud of chakra that he was expelling from his body began to rotate with him until it too was spinning at mind numbing speeds. Once he got going the shell of chakra turned into a dense sphere of spinning chakra that was kicking up dirt and harsh winds all around it. In seconds, the towering walls of water slammed down onto Neji with a thunderous crash but to Naruto's and everyone else's shock the defensive barrier held up perfectly fine and soon enough the water itself was spinning alongside Neji's shield which was blowing back the excess amounts of water flooding in. Naruto's attack was completely blocked.

"That's the Rotation… how could he have learned it?!" Hiashi exclaimed in a voice of controlled shock, it was more like disbelieve than anything else. The look in his eyes were of disbelieve and a little hint of pride. His nephew learned this technique all on his own. It was highly impressive. "Father… I thought only main branch members could learn this technique?" Hanabi asked as she turned to Hiashi to see the look of discomposure on the normally stoic man. "It is Hanabi… but somehow your cousin has learned this technique all on his own." Hiashi noted as he couldn't take his eyes off of the match before him. "To think a young man of that age could master one of your clans most secret techniques… it's a showing of talent that should be rewarded Hiashi. It's only a shame his anger and resentment was the fuel he used to learn it." Shoko said in a troubled voice as she gazed at her old friend. Hiashi himself had no comment to this as he frowned in regret.

' _Neji… is that how you managed to avoid the last attack I gave you in our fight. The floor was dug out in a smooth shape. You used the rotation at the very last second.'_ Hinata realized as she gazed down at the battle with worry reflecting deep in her lavender colored eyes.

' _I need to do something to get through this shield. This must be the secret technique of the Hyūga clan Hinata told me about years ago. The one she said she couldn't master.'_ Naruto thought as he surged more chakra through his body. He winced a bit in discomfort as he noted he was starting to run low on chakra. His new Tempest Turn technique was still too new to be used in combat and he was abusing it a lot during this fight. The chakra requirements and skills needed to perform it were starting to reflect on his stamina and energy.

"Break through!" Naruto shouted to his clones as they switched tactics. **"Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"** The clones shouted as they depleted the remainder of their chakra to use one of Naruto's most favorite techniques. Thick trails of chakra shot off from the clone's feet that connected with the water still being deflected by Neji's defense. In an instant, the water turned to sharp jagged pillars of ice that smashed into Neji's chakra shield and even still it was proving to be ineffective as the sound of crushed ice could be heard in the stadium. Large chunks of ice were sent flying as Naruto's latest attack was repelled with little difficulty whatsoever. It looked like it was an ultimate defense.

"It's no use in trying to break this technique. It's the ultimate defense in the world." Neji bragged as he came out of his spin with a cocky look in his eyes. A perfectly dug out groove was in the ground around him as slushy water and ice could be seen at its edge pooling around the circumference of this new hole. There wasn't a scratch on Neji from any of Naruto's attacks and this caused a frown of anger to wash over Naruto's face as he tensed his body. "We'll see about that!" Naruto challenged as he took off yet again in a dead sprint for Neji who had an arrogant smirk on his face. He seemed to have restored some of his composure and confidence by unleashing this technique. It was his pride and joy.

Launching several volleys of ice kunai and shuriken Naruto watched as Neji once again activated his rotation. His projectiles were predictably deflected which Naruto was betting on who was already in the air from a brief burst of his **Accel Turn**. Positioning himself right above Neji's shield Naruto dove down while coating his fist in a dense layer of his Yōki rich chakra. **"Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu!"** Naruto roared as he slammed his fist into the top of the rotating sphere of chakra and a massive growth of ice sprung to life in an explosion of chakra that rippled across the field in shockwaves. ' _There they go again with these crazy moves.'_ Genma thought to himself in exasperation as he braced himself a bit to withstand the pressure of the shockwaves coming straight at him. These two Genin were tearing the place apart.

Neji's rotation was holding up against one of Naruto's more stronger attacks but the blond-haired mafia agent noticed a dip in the speed of the chakra sphere. His attacks were having an effect on Neji's so called ultimate defense. **"Tempest Turn!"** Naruto shouted as he launched up to four of his special clones at Neji's shield. The translucent clones suicide dived at the rotating chakra sphere and exploded in burst of kinetic energy that did manage to destabilize Neji's balance. But it would do very little as Neji was prepared once he saw Naruto land roughly on the ground. Chakra exhaustion was right around the corner for the Uzumaki which is an ironically statement if he knew his heritage but the fact remained Naruto used a lot of chakra during this fight and now it was starting to catch up with him.

"You're within my field of deviation." Neji declared as he switched up the fighting stance he was in. It was very bold and imposing as he zeroed in on Naruto who was trying to get to his feet. "That stance! It can't be… first the Rotation and now this!" Hiashi exclaimed as he nearly jumped to his feet in shock. This was too much for him to take.

" **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"** Neji roared to the heavens as he charged Naruto before he could even blink with a burst of speed he didn't think Neji had in him. Naruto's body felt like it was lit of fire as Neji rained blow after blow across his body while chanting the number of palms he was using in the technique. It was like sharp needles piecing his chakra points as he felt them forcibly shut down all across his body. Naruto's body convulsed in pain as Neji pounded a total of sixty four of his 361 chakra points closed.

Naruto's body went limp as he collapsed to the floor like dead weight. He couldn't even move a muscle and his entire body was growing numb and paralyzed by the pain he was feeling. It was unlike anything he's ever felt before. Never before when he's sparred with Hinata has he ever felt the same amount of pain that he was currently in right now. It was unbearable and agonizing.

"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed as she and everyone else in their group were wide eyed and slack jawed at the devastating move Naruto just suffered through. They couldn't believe it. It was a rare sight for any of them to see Naruto so beaten before but this was one of those times when they would have to accept it. "Naruto…" Shoko whispered in concern as she accidentally broke the armrest to her chair because she was gripping it too hard. Her heart was racing as she felt the urge to hop the railings and check on her partner but she was trying her best to hold herself back. Balalaika had a minute frown on her face as she gazed down at Naruto with barely concealed intense curiosity. Her look said it all. Her eyes were willing Naruto to stand back up and she wouldn't take no for an answer. It was only because of her intense focus on Naruto's current condition that was preventing the powerful woman from outright killing the snobbish man next to her who was now bragging and boasting in naïve arrogance.

Iris was dead silent as a tense look was in her eyes. Her whole body was coiled and stiff as she bit her lower lip. Her father was laid out on the ground from one of the most devastating techniques in the entire world. Very few people in the world could survive being hit with this powerful technique. Chaos's eyes were red right now as her scanners analyzed Naruto's body in a heartbeat. A giggle escaped her lips as she saw the state her father was in… it was a weak and faint giggle that was completely different from her normal ones. The tiny terror was worried.

Hinata's heart chose this moment to give out as she just couldn't take the scene of Naruto incapacitated on the ground. The Sixty-Four Palms technique can kill a person if targeted on the right areas of the body and Hinata had no doubt Neji didn't pull his strikes. The Hyūga heiress grabbed her chest in pain as she started coughing up blood.

"Hinata!" Henrietta cried out in alarm as she grabbed Hinata's convulsing form and tried to stabilize her. The rest of her friends reacted in concern to this as Shoko snapped out of her concerned daze for Naruto and immediately attended to Hinata's declining health. "Hinata!" Hiashi was up in an instant and Hanabi wasn't far behind as they watched Shoko lay Hinata out on the floor in front of the seats. "Don't worry I got her, she'll be just fine." Shoko pacified to those around her as she immediately took charge of the situation. She went through a small chain of hand signs so fast that the others around her couldn't even see her hand movements anymore. **"Iryōjutsu: Mystical Palms Jutsu."** A glowing green hand was placed down on Hinata's chest and immediately color could be seen coming back to her face as her coughing fit died down. It was a close call but Shoko came through at the right time and now Hinata was going to pull through with no difficulties at all.

Iris who was sitting near Hinata was gazing at the sickly Hyūga with a passive gaze while a subtle frown marred her face. She didn't make a move to help as she knew Shoko would take care of Hinata but her mind was focused on more specific matters concerning the heiress. Her eyes were shaded green as she gazed at the indigo haired girl.

On the field Neji slowly made his way over to Naruto with a small limp in his step. Neji was tired and he didn't know how much more he could take if the battle were to continue. His chakra network burned from exhausting the use of his Gentle Fist Style that was so heavily reliant on expending chakra through the body as well as physical speed. He glared down at Naruto who was dry heaving and gasping for breath. Neji hit him several times in the chest and he could feel his lungs writhing in pain and suffering. This wasn't good. Naruto knew he was starting to near his limit and if he could get up he'd only be capable of fighting for a little while longer. His next set of actions were going to determine the outcome of this match and deep within Naruto's heart he knew he had to win.

"Do you see it now… this is your limit. This is the furthest reach of your destiny." Neji apathetically stated as his eyes bored a hole into Naruto's skull. A hint of his earlier emotional pain could be seen in eyes from when Naruto hinted at his insecurities. Naruto's eyes weren't as cold as they were before but he was glaring back as best as he could, it was hard to draw breath but he couldn't just accept Neji's words laying down. He didn't believe in being controlled by an all-powerful destiny and he most definitely did not believe in using such ideals as excuses for his failures.

"Proctor call the match!" Neji ordered as he deactivated his Byakugan. "My point stands… you're nothing but a failure." Neji sneered as he began to walk away. He was done with this whole ordeal. Naruto on the other hand wasn't. Neji didn't get far as Naruto slowly climbed to his feet with exertion clear on his face.

"Is that all you can say, if you believe in destiny so much then why are you the one walking away? You haven't beaten me yet." Naruto challenged as he watched Neji pause and turn around with a glare firmly set in place. "You got a few good shots in during this match and one big one just now. But do you honestly believe that's enough to put me away for good? Is that the extent of your destiny?" Naruto probed maliciously as a look of anger stretched across Neji's face. Naruto was using his own words against him.

"Have you ever stopped to think and consider how Hinata must have felt in all of this. It's not her fault Lord Hiashi was born first and your father second." Naruto began but he was cut off by Neji whose anger was getting the best of him at this point. "Is that right! You have no idea what it's like to be branded with a mark that can never go away! A mark that defines you and sets you apart from those around you like a curse! You know nothing at all!" Neji yelled as he seethed in anger at Naruto's continued defiance of his words. He truly believed in what he was talking about and he wouldn't have Naruto's ignorance deter him from it.

"Hehehehe! Oh, I know about that alright. I know all about having a mark that sets you apart. So, what… big deal." Naruto callously said as he watched on as Neji was practically ready to explode. "After all your stupid talk about destiny for all these years I get the feeling you don't believe in it yourself. I thought it was your destiny to serve the main house, not try to kill it. Face, it Neji… you're suffering on the inside and you just want to finally be free of it. It's nothing to be ashamed of and quite frankly I can relate. You say this is as far as my destiny can take me… we'll… I'm going to prove you wrong and free you from your pain. In the end, I know that will give Hinata the closure she deserves." Naruto said as he placed his hands into the ram hand sign.

"Such nonsense… proctor this match is over. All sixty-four of his chakra points are blocked. If he comes at me again I won't be held responsible for his death." Neji said in an unstable tone as Naruto's words once again hit home. He would never admit that what Naruto was say was actually getting to his heart, the heart that he vowed to block away, and completely bury a long time ago. These were words no one has ever spoken to him, simply because no one's ever gone this far against him or for him. No one's ever cared this much for whatever their reasons may be and Neji didn't know quite how to handle it.

"Oh, don't right me off just yet! I've got a few tricks still left up my sleeves." Naruto countered as he saw Genma beginning to move. _'It feels like I don't have any chakra left and if that's the case my Yōki will be useless as well. I won't rely on Iris and Chaos's energy either. I think it's time I start using the power that was given to me at birth. One way or another I have to own up to the fact that I'm a Jinchūriki. If not, I may end up like Gaara.'_ Naruto thought to himself solemnly as he dug deep within himself and appeared before the Nine Tails seal.

"Alright fox, if you're awake right now… I need your strength." Naruto spoke as a low growl could be heard emanating from the darkness within the cage. A powerful and intimidating glowing red eye stared Naruto down who didn't flinch. The fox was smiling a malicious smile, Naruto could tell and the ominous red chakra associated with it was seeping through the bars. Naruto knew what was coming next and he was ready for it. Just this much of the fox's chakra was well within his ability to control and it was more than enough to beat Neji.

It was time to win.

"You have no more chakra left to use. This is hopeless." Neji dissuaded with a shake of his head. He thought this was foolish. No one can mold chakra after having sixty-four of their chakra points blocked. It's never been done. "Is that so… didn't I just tell you that I have a few more tricks up my sleeves?" Naruto taunted as he concentrated as hard as he could. _'This is going to hurt a bit.'_ Naruto thought as the nine tails chakra started to forcibly reopen all of his blocked chakra points. It was a painful process but it had to be done.

"I'm only going to ask you this one last time. Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked as he watched on as Naruto seemingly appeared to be struggling with molding his chakra. Naruto smirked as the last of his chakra points were reopened. He started directly into Neji's eyes, all the way down to his soul. "Because you called us failures… I'll prove you wrong." Naruto relied with all the confidence in the world as he made direct reference to him and Hinata. Regardless of all of his personal stakes and grievances against Neji, at the end of the day he was still doing this for Hinata's sake.

Neji on instinct alone snapped on his Byakugan in retaliation to Naruto's statement and he was just in time too as a fountain of chakra exploded from Naruto's body shocking everyone in the stadium as they didn't think he had any left in him. Copious amounts of red sinister chakra were swirling around in the air creating gale force winds that nearly blew Neji off his feet. The sudden release of this volatile chakra blew Naruto's vest off exposing his shirt underneath as well as kicking up tons of dirt.

Nine thick bands of chakra flowed around Naruto causing alarm and panic to spread throughout the crowd as nervous filled whispers rippled throughout the stadium. "The Nine Tails Chakra." Hiruzen whispered as he stared in surprise at his surrogate grandson. He wasn't expecting Naruto to have such control over its power. _'This is the Tailed Beast Initial Release Form. Naruto's gained mastery over it?'_ Shoko thought as she wasn't fully aware Naruto could control this much of its chakra. "Is this like what happened back in the Forest of Death?" Ino asked in fright as everyone in the stadium could feel the dense and slightly oppressive chakra baring down on their shoulders.

"What happened in the Forest of Death?" Shoko asked in morbid curiosity as she was able to pick up on what the blonde Yamanaka Heiress had to say. It caught her attention immediately as she thought back to what Naruto told her of his experiences in the forest. All he said was that he lost control but he never went into deep detail about what happened. He glossed over that whole ordeal.

"I… uh…" Ino stuttered as she didn't know what to say. She's never spoken to Shoko before so she had no idea how to interact with the woman and when you add on the fact she was generally uneasy about what she saw back in the forest it made it extremely hard for Ino to even speak. "Ms. Shoko it's kind of a long story." Hinata spoke softly as her voice was horse and straining from the lapse in health she endured a few minutes prior. "Tell me." The purple haired woman said in a serious tone as she did not like the fact her partner hid something from her. They would be having a talk about this later.

While everyone else was either shocked or amazed by this bizarre phenomenon happening down on the field only one person had a different reaction. To no one's surprise it was Balalaika. Her eyes were wide open and showed true giddiness as she slightly shook in her seat. _'There's no doubt about it. This chakra. It's the Nine Tails Chakra. He has access to its power.'_ Balalaika grinned as she could barely contain excitement and joy. _'It's just like Kushina.'_

While this was going on the stadium itself was experiencing a change in weather. Dark storm clouds rolled in without warning darkening the sky and dropping a blanket of snow onto the surrounding area. The nine bands of energy surrounded Naruto in a sphere before dissipating into a flickering aura of red chakra that clung to his form like a second skin. Naruto could feel an immediate difference in strength when comparing this dosage of chakra to the other times he's called upon the Nine Tails Chakra. This felt more focused and controlled as well as more potent. All the other times it was wild and uncontrollable.

' _This power is stronger than the other times before… I like it.'_ Naruto thought as a smirk came to his face as all his injuries healed themselves on his skin. He knew that if he pumped a little more energy out his eyes and facial features would change to be more reminiscent of the Nine Tails but Naruto thought that was unnecessary. This was enough.

' _Is this even chakra? What is he?'_ Neji thought as he felt snow dropping down onto his head. It was black instead of the ordinary white color it was supposed to take and it even burned a little. Nothing was natural about this energy flickering around Naruto's body.

"Here I come!" Naruto shouted as he simply disappeared from his spot as if he wasn't there to begin with. It took Neji nearly 10 seconds to register in his mind that Naruto was no longer in front of him, the blond was just that fast. With his Byakugan Neji was able to see that Naruto was up in the air behind him to his 7'o clock position. Three shuriken made of ice were in his hands and in seconds Naruto threw them at Neji far faster than he ever thought possible. The Hyūga felt his muscles strain as he ripped his body into depth defying spins that would leave anyone dizzy.

" **Rotation!"**

The shuriken predictably bounced off the rotation chakra shield and in seconds Neji plucked the three throwing stars out of the air with nimble fingers before reaching into his utility pouch to pull out three of his own. "Take this!" Neji yelled as he threw all six shuriken back at Naruto who disappeared in the blink of an eye. "What?" Neji was having difficulty keeping up with this new speed of Naruto's which was even faster and instantaneous than his Acceleration Technique.

' _I can't keep up with his speed!'_ Neji panicked in his mind as he felt his body move without his brain even being consciously aware of it. He just dodged a high-speed fist from Naruto on instinct alone which was the right thing to do as Neji could feel the energy ripple off of the punch. Naruto could tell that Neji was becoming overwhelmed and that was working right to his favor as he rapidly fluctuated his chakra to add on his High-End Skills. **"Accel Punch!"** Naruto was as quick as lightning in his attacks as he threw the kinetic punch forward with the intention of slamming it directly into Neji's chest but the skilled boy at the very last second managed to deflect Naruto's punch off course forcing it to release its stored-up energy harmlessly into the air. While initially annoyed by this, Naruto didn't wait even one second to have a comeback to this attack. Taking his other hand in the blink of any eye Naruto charged up another potent punch filled with kinetic energy that he instead slammed directly into the ground near Neji's feet kicking up large slabs of earth and debris that obscured Neji's view of the blond-haired mafia agent who transitioned into his next attack.

" **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!"** Naruto yelled as large spiky pillars of ice ripped through to the surface of the ground that was not the normal clear color. This ice was amethyst colored and was moving faster than the normal technique. Neji noticed this too as he strained his burning chakra network to gather chakra to his palms. Throwing his palm strike forward Neji roared to the heavens themselves as he blew apart the encroaching ice caps coming at him. Naruto blazed out of the debris field in the blink of an eye and engaged Neji at close range with ice kunai in hand. Neji returned this favor as it became a close quarters knife battle that was an intricate battle of death that enthralled the audience who were on the edge of their seats with the many close calls that were going on between the two and the knifes that were coming within inches of stabbing each other.

Ducking under a knife strike by Neji Naruto spun his hip around and judo tossed Neji over his shoulder before he could stab him again. Slamming the boy to the ground Naruto flipped his knife around and tried to stab the Hyūga while he was on his back but the brown-haired boy was having none of it. **"Substitution Jutsu!"** It was a snap decision by Neji that once again saved his life as he substituted with a large slab of upturned earth behind Naruto. The boy wouldn't even have a chance to do anything as Naruto's reflexes were at an all-time high right now. A trail of ice escaped Naruto's foot as Neji tried to approach him from behind. **"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!"** Amethyst colored ice broke through the surface of the ground right below Neji's feet that started to encroach on his body with its frigid cold aura.

Neji was already use to Naruto's Kekkei Genkai and so he didn't even bat an eyelash at fracturing the icecaps that were threatening to seal him away. He used a semi Rotation to blow the ice away and free himself from his captivity which was a move Naruto could appreciate but not in the context of this battle. Both boys stared each other down as they would hate to admit it but a begrudging amount of respect was forming between them in the midst of this battle. No fellow Shinobi has ever kept up with him when he uses the Nine Tails Chakra. But Neji was going toe to toe with Naruto and matching him in fighting prowess. Naruto wasn't conceited enough not to give Neji the credit he deserves. He was a powerful and talented fighter and for that he has his respect.

Breaking off both boys threw the kunai knifes at each other which collided in midair between them. Kicking off the ground at the same time both Genin grabbed their respective knifes out of the air and clashed at the apex of their jumps with a loud clang and visual metallic sparks flying between them. Landing on the ground both boys slide across the ground digging trenches into the ground with their feet to stop their momentum. They locked eyes once again as they knew they were reaching their limit. Naruto felt right at home right now. Snow was falling in the stadium and the temperature was cold and frigid, just the way he liked it. Neji was feeling the effects of this atmosphere as he was having a hard time not only seeing Naruto through the blanketing snow but also moving in this environment as he's never experienced fighting in the season of winter before. Most Shinobi of the Leaf haven't.

"This is it Neji… you feel it can't you… this match is coming to an end." Naruto panted as his stamina was slowly withering away. The Nine Tails power was intoxicating and rejuvenating to Naruto but it also diminished his stamina over time and makes him extremely tired.

"Yes… it is time to decide this match and once it's over our destinies will be determined." Neji said as he slipped into the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist for the last time. He was ready and Naruto was in full agreement. "Here I come!" Naruto roared as his chakra shroud flared to life for one last time as he took off at full speed across the arena. His feet were tearing the ground apart as Neji went to meet his charge. _'Everyone is given a destiny at birth and it is futile to fight against it.'_ Neji's words rung within Naruto's mind as he felt the last traces of anger he had towards Neji fade away and be replaced with just raw determination. Determination to prove to the Hyūga boy that destiny isn't something that can shackle you down.

' _Face, it Neji… you're suffering on the inside and you just want to finally be free of it. It's nothing to be ashamed of and quite frankly I can relate. You say this is as far as my destiny can take me… we'll… I'm going to prove you wrong and free you from your pain. In the end, I know that will give Hinata the closure she deserves.'_ Synonymously Naruto's words echoed in the back of Neji's mind as well as he felt the tiniest amount of tear droplets gathering in his eyes. Never before has anyone pushed his ideals this far. He was at an emotional crossroads within his life and he didn't know which direction he was going to take. The only thing that he was certain of was that Naruto Uzumaki has changed his life.

"Even us failures can stand tall Neji! If you feel like you're a bird trapped within a cage then let me bust it down! Put your faith in me once I become Hokage and put your faith in Hinata once she becomes Head of the Clan. We'll change the way of the Hyūga Clan with you by our side!" Naruto roared as he clenched his fist back with his kunai in hand.

Neji hesitated at the last second due to this as he felt a pang of anguish assault his heart in the heat of battle. Naruto's words meant a lot. Even if he didn't want to admit it. _'I don't want to lose… I can't…'_ Neji protested in his mind but this defiance was so much weaker than it originally was at the start of the match. His spirit was changing. Naruto threw his fist forward with all his might as he roared to the heavens. Neji wasn't far behind as he spun the fastest he's ever gone.

" **Vermillion Accel Punch!"**

" **Rotation!"**

Red vs. Blue. Red meets Blue. The symbolism was there as the two boys collided in a titanic final clash that shook the very foundation of the stadium itself. People felt a jarring force rippled through the stadium and the seats itself as a massive explosion engulfed the battle field in pitch black smoke and dust. Gale force winds ripped through the coliseum and out into the surrounding area which served to scare away many of the birds and wildlife that live in the dense forests that intermingle throughout the village.

It took nearly a full minute for the tremors to stop and for the land to settle but when it did a large crater was in the middle of the arena with two smaller man sized and shaped holes on opposite ends of the destroyed earth. _'These kids aren't human… I'm convinced of that fact now.'_ Genma thought with a sweat drop on the back of his head as he had to shield his eyes from the copious amounts of dust and dirt flying around.

The special Jōnin was hesitant in his movements as he approached the edge of the crater the two powerful Genin created as his eyes swept the area looking for any signs of life. He knew the match was over by now and now he was just looking to see who was left in a condition to properly continue.

"What happened? Who won?" This was the thought that was running rampant throughout the entire stadium as every single spectator in attendance were on the edge of seats with anticipation coursing through their veins. The whole audience were silent as the dust settled for everyone to see the outcome.

A hand. A hand could be seen breaking through the surface of the ground where the smaller man-sized hole could be seen. For the moment, it was indistinguishable from any of the two fighters but soon enough the rest of the body emerged and to the shock of the crowd Neji was the one to emerge from his earthly imprisonment. Copious amounts of dust and dirt were caked up on his clothes and skin and more scrapes and bruises than the eye could see littered his body from head to toe.

Neji coughed up blood and spit as he sucked in deep pockets of air to rejuvenate his aching lungs as he walked across the expansive crater to Naruto's hole with a very noticeable limp in his gate. He could barely walk and he was out of chakra as evident by the fact his Byakugan was deactivated. "Neji won…?" Kiba whispered in disbelieve as he turned to look at Hinata and the look on her face said it all. She was devastated and hurt. "Naru…" Eva murmured in fright as she gripped Hinata's hair in apprehension. She was frightened and nervous of her other half's potential condition. He could be critically hurt.

Naruto's defenseless and still form could be seen in the spread-eagle position within his own hole. He wasn't moving a muscle and it looked as if he were unconscious. "In the end… this is the limit of your destiny. It's impossible to truly be free of our fate. This match is over Naruto Uzumaki." Neji wheezed as he held his ribs in pain. It was a shame that his Byakugan wasn't on or else he could have foreseen what was to come. A small tremor was the only warning and indicator Neji would have before his entire world was rocked by a devastating uppercut that came from underneath the ground. Naruto's fist slammed into Neji's jaw with such force that the teenage Hyūga flew nearly 10 feet in the air before limply falling to the ground a few feet away in ragdoll like heap.

The entire coliseum was stunned into shocked silence as Neji didn't move a muscle after going down. Naruto was standing tall towering above him and Neji was down for the count. Naruto was in just as bad of a condition as Neji with notable injuries around his hands where it was evident he dug a hole underneath the ground with his bare hands. "I can't move." Neji groaned as his entire body was paralyzed from the skull rattling shot to the jaw. The fact he was even conscious was a feat in and of itself.

' _He used his clone like bait to lure in his enemy for a final trap. Even during the hectic commotion of their final clash and being drilled into ground, he never stopped planning a head for his next move. He held absolute confidence in his abilities and his tactics and never wavered once. He instinctively knows what the power of believing in himself can achieve. In my books, he's deserving of a promotion to Chūnin. If that's not the qualities needed for one then I don't know what is. On top of the he has one hell of a left hook.'_ Genma noted with a grin on his face as he nodded to Naruto in a newfound bout of respect.

"It looks like this is it." Naruto huffed in excruciating exertion as he stood above his fallen opponent. "I started out with nothing… I'm an orphan with no real blood family of my own. I struggled just to find scraps of food to eat since the orphanage I lived in didn't want to serve or take care of my basic needs. One day on my fourth birthday I suffered a terrible tragedy that left me near death and the very first person I could call friend dead. By all rights I shouldn't be alive today but I met my other half. My partner. The little Fairy you had a run in with. She saved my life and gave me the spark of hope that I could have a family. After her I met the second person I could call friend and the one who's been with me ever since. It was Hinata. Those two combined along with many others gave me hope that I could have a family. The one dream that I have that's more important to me than becoming Hokage and being accepted by our village is to have a family. With them by my side I'm well on my way to completing that dream. I started out with nothing but through my hard work and determination I was able to forge bonds and grow stronger than I ever would have thought possible. They make me as strong as I am today Neji. If a so-called failure like me can grow to be so strong than certainly a genius like you with an entire clan at his side should be well ahead of me." Naruto said in the most heartfelt tone imaginable as he reached out with his hand for Neji to take it.

Every shinobi in the crowd felt a pang of sympathy in their hearts for Naruto as they were able to hear what he was saying. They were moved by his powerful words and slowly but surely their opinions of him were changing. This epiphany was slowly being shared with the rest of the crowd as the word was spread to those who couldn't hear what was being said between the two Genin.

That was the final straw. Neji couldn't take it anymore as he started to cry. Tears of pain, anguish, and relief were pouring out of his eyes as he took Naruto's hand and clasped it tightly. The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause as everyone could feel the raw and untapped emotions flowing off of the two fighters. It was too much for them to take. Naruto in one swift movement pulled Neji to his feet and embraced him in a tight hug to keep the boy from collapsing. He didn't resist as he weakly encircled his arms around Naruto's shoulders in return.

The crowd grew louder at this gesture as every other sound within the stadium was drowned out by the chorus of clapping and cheering from the hundreds of people in attendance. If it were possible for the crowd to become even louder than they already were then they would be soon as Genma chose this moment to announce the winner.

"The winner for the First Round - First Match of the Chūnin Exam's Third Phase is Naruto Uzumaki!" The crowed lost their minds at this as chants of Naruto's name could heard running rampant for all to hear. A medical team could be seen rushing out onto the field to tend to Neji and Naruto in an act of further sportsmanship picked Neji up and gently placed him down onto the stretch the medics had with them. "I don't see any more hatred in your eyes. You came into this match hating me." Neji commented idly as he looked into Naruto's eye and didn't see an ounce of resentment or hatred anywhere. Naruto smiled a small smile as he gave Neji a response. "The same could be said for you. I told you I'd free you of your destiny. It wasn't my destiny to hate you for the rest of my life. People are always changing and improving themselves Neji and now that you're free of your own chains you can experience this too." Naruto said as he watched more tears fall out of Neji's eyes.

"You and Hinata should be able to move on from this now. You can be a real family again and experience the same power that I feel every day. You can do it and the next time we fight… we can fight not only as friends… but as… Shinobi of the Leaf." Naruto said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his headband. He tied it securely around his head for the whole world to see which caused the crowd to go to the next level of insanity with their cheering. "I'd like that a lot. Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki." Neji said softly as he was carried away by the medics to be treated. The last thing he saw was Naruto's small smile staring back at him.

Eva and everyone else were screaming their heads off in cheering for Naruto as Hinata was reduced to tears at Naruto's actions. He had done it. He kept his promise to her. Shoko had small tears in her eyes as she clapped as hard as she could. _'That's my baby boy. Kushina… Minato… are you watching? Can you see your son now? Can you see what he's done.?'_ Shoko thought to herself in tears of pride and joy. She was over the moon with her happiness right now. "Well I'll be damned. That Uzumaki kid is fantastic. I like him." Kurotsuchi said as her eyes zeroed in on Naruto and his Tattoo of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia. A grin was on her face as she trailed her eyes up and down his muscular form. She liked what she saw. Samui had a cool expression on her face but you can tell she was staring at Naruto with a lot more intensity than what was needed.

Two people were also in the audience that no one took notice of before. It was Fū and Karin. They were sitting next to each other and were clapping just as hard as everyone else. They were highly impressed with what they just witnessed and the looks in their eyes didn't need to be explained at all. They wanted to talk to him.

Chaos and Iris were cheering as loud as they could but because of the fact everyone was distracted by the spectacle going on in front of them no one noticed how Iris's eyes were a vibrant emerald green instead of blue. Lady Sōkyoku was the one clapping for Naruto.

' _He has it… it's him. I've found what I've been looking for all this time. Kushina… your son has it.'_ Balalaika thought to herself as she laughed a genuine laugh of happiness and joy. The only thing that brought her mood up ever further was the fact she watched as the rich noble next to her emptied out his pockets in shame. This was a great day for the Kingpin of the Hidden Stone.

' _I sense a promotion in your future Naruto. Well done my boy.'_ Hiruzen thought with a pleasant smile that dimmed a bit as he caught the unhealthy gaze of curiosity coming from the Fourth Kazekage next to him. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed in suspicion at this but he'd let it go… for now.

Hiashi saw all that he needed to. The patriarch of the Hyūga clan rose from his chair with a purpose etched into his heart. Hanabi turned to her father with a questioning gaze in her eyes. "Father… where are you going?" The little girl asked. "To do something I should have done a long time ago Hanabi." Hiashi stated with unreadable emotions in his voice as he watched Neji get taken off the field. His gaze lingered for just long enough to catch Naruto's actions. The Uzumaki looked up into the stands and directly into Hinata's eyes. The look in his eyes held intense emotions of passion, love, respect, and devotion. Much more than what a simple friend should have for another and Hiashi could see the same reflected in his daughter's eyes who was crying tears of joy with her hands placed over her heart. A permanent blush was on her face as she gazed down at her closest friend with an intensity that he hasn't seen since his wife was alive. Naruto rose one single hand up into the air and gave Hinata the thumbs up. This wasn't just his win… this was theirs… this was for her.

Hiashi cracked a smile as he caught the look in Shoko's eyes who was looking at him in amusement. "I expect for you to bring that boy over for dinner after the exams… we have much to discuss." Hiashi said in passing as he walked pass Shoko who started to chuckle. Hiashi would bide his time patiently… for now he'd let Naruto have his moment with his daughter.

He deserved it after all.

Because Naruto Uzumaki won.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Double Acceleration -** The first variant of Accelerating Turn that works the same way as the original. The user stores up kinetic energy in their body but the difference is at this point. The user separates the built-up energy into two separate pockets surrounded by a shell of the user's internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), the two bubbles of kinetic energy is pressed up against each other and concentrated at the user's feet creating which in turn creates tremendous amounts of pressure on the body. Once released the added pressure results in a massive shockwave of kinetic energy that propels the user forwards at incredible speeds. The user then releases the second and final bubble of kinetic energy after the first gets depleted allowing them to speed back up again. Because of this there is a brief amount of lag in between each jump but the lag spike is so short that only experienced fighters would be able to notice or counter it.

2.) **Tempest Turn -** Tempest Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then giving form to that energy using their internal energy and shooting it out of their body. With this technique that is unique to only Naruto he can create multiple afterimages of himself that function similarly to Shadow Clones. However, they cannot interact with their environment like normal Shadow Clones. They are literally made up of the energy cloak Naruto creates whenever he activates his Accel Turn. The after images energy wise are indistinguishable from their creator but visually they have a light blue glow to them. The copies have a sizable speed advantage but they are not moving at the same speed as when Naruto uses Acceleration. Also, the copies take up so much energy that Naruto can only create up to four copies with this move. Also, while using this move to its fullest Naruto is unable to use Acceleration because all of it is being used to maintain Tempest Turn.

 **High End Skills -** Naruto firmly believes that he can increase the speed of his Acceleration technique. He believes that he's only scratched the surface of the techniques power and speed. As such he has dedicated himself to coming up with variations of his original base technique Acceleration. The first branch will be a direct off shoot of the base technique and as such when using it he calls it Accel Turn. However, Naruto believes with some creativity and ingenuity as well as his stubbornness and drive he can create other branches that use variations of Acceleration. So with that in mind he decided to name this new branch of skills and potential skills under the banner of High End Skills because of the difficulty and skill needed to use them.

3.) **Body Flicker Jutsu -** A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

4.) **Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance -** Naruto's own version of Shoko's _Hazard Blade Dance_. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.

5.) **Wind Style: Stream Jutsu -** By blowing air from their mouth, the user is able to change direction while in mid-air at high speeds. It may also be used to blow up a dust cloud, concealing one's location and movements. It can also be used to attack an opponent.

6.) **Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.

7.) **Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu -** A low level Wind Style Jutsu that causes swirling winds to form around the user's fist. Although it is a Ninjutsu it is mostly used in Taijutsu combat to augment the users punching strength. The winds generated by the Jutsu are strong enough to launch opponents away and send them flying. The winds can also be concentrated in the user's hands to palm thrust opponents or to grip, catch, or push things away from the user.

8.) **Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu -** This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

9.) **Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike -** This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the user's palm to an opponent's body. Like other Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage which will temporarily paralyze an opponent.

10.) **Acceleration -** Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.

11.) **Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow -** A technique born from their innate ability to expel chakra from every Tenketsu on their body, a member of the Hyūga clan can hit their opponent with a blast of chakra that will send them flying away from the user. It was also shown that this technique can be used with pin-point accuracy to target the weak point of a technique.

12.) **Accel Punch -** The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.

13.) **Shadow Clone Jutsu -** A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the number of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

14.) **Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses that allows him to generate spears and icicles of ice out of his body directly from his Chakra Points. He can use it to impale anything that is constricting him or tying him down. It cannot shoot out of his body however. It is limited to just jutting out of his body.

15.) **Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu -** This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.

16.) **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation -** A secret taijutsu that is orally handed down only within the main house of the Hyūga clan. This technique utilises the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body. It is also a defensive manoeuvre to compensate for the Byakugan's blind spot as the released chakra blocks any possible attack on the user. After releasing chakra from every tenketsu in their body, the user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers. The user can also actively control the size and power of the sphere to suit the situation. The technique is also capable of reflecting an opponent's chakra against them. This technique is only effective when rotating, since the chakra itself is not enough to stop a physical attack thus if they cannot spin, the user becomes vulnerable. The chakra rotation can be disrupted by chakra threads, which slows down the user, binding and tangling them in the webbing for example, and ultimately forcing them to stop.

17.) **Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu -** A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

18.) **Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu -** A Jutsu that Naruto developed that allows him to slam into an area and create a massive construct of ice that breaks apart and cuts deeply into anything in the surrounding area with millions of little icicle shards. It is an area effect Jutsu that covers large distances.

19.) **Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms -** The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is a taijutsu that should only be passed down in the main house of the Hyūga clan. It is a manoeuvre of the Gentle Fist fighting style.[2] With the Byakugan's near 360° field of vision, the user envisions an Eight Trigrams circle. Then the enemy within this circle is hit with a series of violent blows. By striking sixty-four of the tenketsu throughout the opponent's Chakra Pathway System, their chakra flow is stopped, making them unable to even stand. Once someone is within range of the user's field of divination, the user assumes a Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver the attack. Each set of strikes is done at an exponentially increasing pace and strength. The attack not only disables the enemy but also knocks them back with every set of strikes.

20.) **Iryōjutsu: Mystical Palms Jutsu -** This medical Ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control, and because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-ninja are able to use this technique.

21.) **Substitution Jutsu -** One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.

22.) **Vermillion Accel Punch -** A special variation of Naruto's Acceleration Punch technique. While cloaked under the influence of the Nine Tails Chakra Naruto activates his Acceleration Punch to deliver a powerful punch that is enhanced to destructive levels that can clash evenly with powerful defensive techniques like the Eight Trigrams Rotation. The true power of the technique is unknown since Naruto called upon it in a situation of desperation.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ I don't know about you guys but I think that this chapter turned out great. I created so much build up to this fight that I'm happy it paid off with the end result. Naruto has to watch out from now on since he's attracted the attention of many individuals. This is going to have a big impact on his future.

How does everyone like the resolution between Naruto and Neji. It started out with them coming into the fight hating each other and in the end they come out of it with a newfound notion of respect, understanding, and friendship. "Talk no Jutsu" for the win!

Last but certainly not least I want to thank my long time reader _**Yukicrewger2**_ for the great suggestion in having Naruto fight Neji in his mafia uniform. As Naruto explains in the chapter it sets an interesting precedent and opens up a new dynamic in Naruto and Neji's grudge against each other. Thank's for the great suggestions as always _**Yukicrewger2**_.

* * *

Next Chapter: _**Chapter 59 (A Leaf in the Wind)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 58 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 ** _Published:_** 10/12/2017


	60. CH: 59 A Leaf in the Wind

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note (A/N):_** Hey guys I'm back again with an interesting chapter. A big storm is on the horizon and everyone will be feeling it in this chapter. Some of the fights happen in different ways and others have interesting results but it will all come to a head in the next chapter. Hiruzen will be feeling the pressure and suspicion regarding the Kazekage and his intense fascination with having Sasuke fight Gaara. What will the Third Hokage's decisions make and how will that impact the future. Stay tuned to find out.

So without any further delay. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 59

 _ **A Leaf in the Wind**_

It was a tough act to follow. That was what not only the other Chūnin hopefuls were thinking but the crowd present as well. While the crowd had died down some in their intensity it didn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that they were pacified. They were energized by a spectacle never before seen from an underdog no one was counting on to win. Their hearts were pumping and their blood was flowing. They wanted to get on to the next match right away. The match everyone has been anticipating since its announcement nearly a month ago.

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the Sand.

It was the most highly anticipated match in recent Chūnin Exam history and it was a spectacle that many foreign dignitaries were hoping to see. Naruto seeing that his time in the spot light was over quickly made his way up to the fighter's lounge above the arena where the rest of the contestants were standing. Based on the look Hinata was giving him, Naruto knew he would be having a long conversation with his best friend. The thought of that made his heartbeat accelerate in exhilaration. A tiny blush stained his cheeks as he made his way up the stairwell and up to the waiting room.

This feeling was one Naruto wouldn't have been able to fully understand more than a month ago but ever since he came to his startling epiphany during Hinata's match against Neji things have been becoming clearer to him since then. He held feelings for his best friend. Feelings that he came to realize were probably always there. But with that thought another shocking revelation jolted out at him. The way he felt about Hinata was very familiar. It was familiar because he feels the same sensations when he's around Eva. The way they would sometimes get lost in each other's eyes, or an awkward pause would come between them. Or even the rare few times where they would find themselves closing the distance between each other.

It was all becoming clear to Naruto. But a feeling of uncertainty settled into his heart. Was it possible for him to have feelings for two different people? Was it right or even allowed? He loved Eva more than he could put into words. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be here right now. She saved his life on the day they first met and continued to do so for years to come. The bond that they share that's become so integral to his very soul was something Naruto always recognized since the very beginning. He needed her, point blank. There was no denying that or downplaying it. He knew deep in his heart that he couldn't live without Evangeline. She was far too important to him. She was without a doubt his other half.

But that also brought up the place Hinata takes up in his heart. She was his first long term best friend. The premature death of Kenichi tore a hole in Naruto's heart and deterred him from the notion of ever having a true friend. When Hinata came along Naruto felt a spark of hope for the very first time that he was wrong, and that he very much could have a friend. When she proved him right it landed her in a place within his heart he didn't think existed. They had many things in common and even more things that made them different from each other.

They both started out as outcasts and failures in the eyes of society and slowly but surely, they rose themselves up to be better than they ever thought possible. This mutual bond of understanding has culminated in the deep friendship between Naruto and Hinata that has lasted them till this day. She was always the first friend of his to find out the most important events in his life and she was always the first person he would go to for advice or comfort. She meant the world to him and it also helped a lot that he was physically attracted to her and not just emotionally.

These were the thoughts that occupied Naruto's mind as he made it up to the observation room with a dazed and unfocused look in his eyes. His mind was a million miles away on matters he thought were the most important. Shikamaru noticed this as the blond-haired boy entered the room and made his way over to him. "Leave it to you to stun a crowd. You've set the bar quite high for the rest of us blondie. Troublesome." The Nara heir groaned with a roll of his eyes as he elbowed his close friend in the shoulder with a slight grin in place.

This little bump to his shoulder brought Naruto out of his inner thoughts as he came to the realization that he was within the waiting room. "Huh… uh…!" Naruto blinked as he came back to his senses to see his friend staring at him in slight confusion. "Hey… Naruto are you okay?" Shikamaru asked in slight concern as Naruto quickly recovered and responded. "Oh, yeah… I'm fine. I guess I just had a lot on my mind." Naruto mumbled in an uneasy tone as he glanced at the other participant in the room.

"Anything important?" Shikamaru inquired as he wanted to make sure his friend was ok. Naruto blushed in embarrassment as his thoughts drifted to the introspective contemplations he was just experiencing. He was really starting to get nervous about talking to Hinata and Eva soon. He was also annoyed that he was having such an important epiphany at an inconvenient time like this. He didn't need his mind clouded during the Chūnin Exams. Just because he just finished his fight with Neji didn't mean it was smooth sailing for him from now on. He still had future matches to fight and his mind was very distracted.

"Oh… no… nothing really important." Naruto sheepishly stated as he scratched the back of his neck in nervousness. He would rather not share such intimate and embarrassing thoughts with his friend in such a place. Shikamaru gave his close friend a weird look as he decided to just drop it. He would let it slide for now and instead hold a conversation with Naruto about his match against Neji which the blond haired Genin was all too happy to agree with.

* * *

 _ **With Hiruzen**_

"This crowd sure was lively Lord Hokage. I never would have expected that young man to beat the Hyūga boy in combat. It's quite the surprise really. Not only does he possess the Ice Style Kekkei Genkai and some other unknown ability but if I didn't know any better I'd say the chakra he was using was that of a Tailed Beast. It's surprising that the Hidden Leaf's Jinchūriki host is so powerful already." Rasa stated in amusement as he turned to look at Hiruzen who was smoking his pipe.

"As I've stated before, we're full of surprises here in the Hidden Leaf. Naruto is just one of many of them." Hiruzen replied as there was no point in denying the ominous chakra Naruto was using. It very much was the chakra of the Nine Tailed Fox and more specifically that of one of the Nine Tailed Beasts. The fact that it was mixed in so heavily with rich and potent Yōki certainly didn't go unnoticed either if the peculiar look in the Kazekage's eyes were any indication but that tidbit of information went without formally needing to be said.

"There's that… but I'm also certain the crowd is anxious to see the next match that's been hyped up for the last month. The last of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke Uchiha verses my son… Gaara of the Desert. It has garnered the attention of individuals from all over the world. I'm sure people are dying to see this matchup." Rasa claimed as his voice took on a tremor of excitement to it that wasn't present before. "Although… I do find it quite ironic that the Uzumaki kid didn't get this much hype. Carrying the name of the extinct Uzumaki Clan on his shoulders must be very difficult. He must be weighed down by his heritage every day. His red hair must have faded to blond because of it." Rasa probed mysteriously with an air of nonchalance around him as if he were simply speaking of the weather.

Hiruzen tried his hardest not to show any strong physical reaction to this statement but he did clench his teeth tighter to the point he almost cracked his trusted pipe. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. No one really talks about the Uzumaki anymore. Not for the last 12 years to be exact.

"Just like my brown hair turned grey I suppose. Naruto is a strong child. Trivial things like legacies and heritages aren't enough to bring him down. He focuses more on the here and now. Unlike some others… Naruto doesn't tie himself down to the past. He looks forward… so I think that's all that matters." Hiruzen expertly bluffed as he navigated his way out of the hole Rasa put him in. The Kazekage was probing for information on Naruto because of his last name. A name that was just as prestigious… if not more so in some circles than both the Senju and Uchiha Clan names combined, and that's not to also mention the Hyūga Clan. As far as historical texts are concern these four clan names have been around for hundreds of years. It's widely believed, excepted, and for the most part historically proven true that they are the oldest clans in the worlds history. Their names have popped up for many generations and hundreds of years as appose to the vast majority of clans that date back maybe a hundred or so years.

Another clan Hiruzen could think of off the top of his head that was a very old and ancient clan was the Kaguya Clan that resides in the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village. With that being said in hindsight not too many people know the history of that clan and how they connect to the other four pillar clans as they are often called. The Kaguya Clan's history gets very hazy and misconstrued so most people aren't sure how to view them.

"I see… we'll then I guess that's all there is to it then. By the way, I didn't see the Uchiha at the opening ceremony. He has arrived, hasn't he?" Rasa asked in curiosity as Hiruzen took a long pregnant pause at this. He himself doesn't know what's holding up the skilled Genin and his famous Jōnin sensei. He honestly hoped nothing was wrong which was why he was starting to get a little antsy. Raidō seeing the conversation shifting into a direction he didn't like chose this moment to approach his lord again.

"Lord Hokage, we still have no word of Sasuke's whereabouts and we still have the issue of Orochimaru lurking around somewhere. I advise you my lord before the crowd gets to rowdy and something goes awry, please disqualify Sasuke Uchiha to save us all the trouble." Raidō advised as he tried to steer the conversation back in a direction where his leader could control it. While he had no doubt in his mind the Legendary Professor could have dug himself out of this situation, he still felt that it was his duty to help his Hokage out in any way that he could. Raidō also had a foreboding feeling welling up deep within his soul. Something about the Kazekage bugged him. While he never met the man before today, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a little off about the Kage. Add on the tense and unusual atmosphere of the stadium and you have a recipe for suspicion.

"It can't be helped then… Sasuke Uchiha is disqualified." Hiruzen decided as a sigh escaped his lips. He didn't say it but he also felt an unease in the air. His 69 years on this earth and the 60 that he spent as a Shinobi was warning him that he shouldn't let his guard down. He didn't live for this long by ignoring his gut instinct that's saved him more times than he could count. "Raidō please inform Genma of these changes." Hiruzen ordered as Raidō nodded his head in confirmation.

"Lord Hokage… I must protest. If I may, I'd like for you to hold off on disqualifying Sasuke Uchiha." Rasa spoke up abruptly which took Hiruzen by surprise. "Excuse me Lord Kazekage but I must protest this notion as well. It doesn't matter how favored he is with the crowd. Sasuke Uchiha is still a shinobi of the Leaf and is expected to carry himself as such. Being late to his own match and to such an important event like this is completely unacceptable. He's not here for himself or his match. His purpose just like those of the other Genin are to show off the strength and future potential of his village. He and no one else deserves special treatment. We are shinobi… we are tools of our village." Raidō spoke up with steel in his voice as he completely shut down the notion of Sasuke getting special treatment. It would be unfair and unwise to allow such a thing to happen.

"Very strong words from your aid Lord Hokage. I'm impressed with his free thought and ideals. You've raised fine shinobi in your village. It would have been a shame if he were a simple puppet who you were pulling the strings of so I'm most pleased to hear such a strong opinion against me. But I must point out that including me… every other noble, spectator, and leader here came with the intention of seeing Sasuke Uchiha fight. You wouldn't want a riot on your hands, would you?" Rasa spoke in genuine praise which through Hiruzen and Raidō off their game as the sincerity was sensed by them. But they were immediately back on guard once the Kazekage explained his reasoning for wanting the match to continue.

"Nothing but an Uchiha would do in testing the strength of our Village's military might and as Kazekage I must ensure that my people and my village are strong again Lord Hokage… after all… I wasn't the one who put them there." Rasa jabbed mercilessly under a false façade of calmness as he took a shot at the Hidden Leaf and their direct and indirect involvement in the political situation that has caused the Hidden Sand's rapid economic decline over the years. The Kazekage was basically saying that the Leaf was at fault and they owed his village this match. Win or lose it wasn't an option for Sasuke to drop out. It wouldn't be accepted.

' _Nothing but an Uchiha would do huh…?'_ Hiruzen cynically thought as he mulled over the Kazekage's words and took an extra second to gauge the atmosphere of the crowd. It wasn't looking to good. They were already taking too long in the intermission between the first match and the second one and adding on to the high the crowd was on thanks to Naruto's fantastic match… well it was making the sea of spectators extremely rowdy.

"Very well… a special exception will be made. Sasuke Uchiha is no longer disqualified. Instead, his match will be postponed and moved to be the last match on the card." Hiruzen declared as he took note of the giddy look that crossed the Kazekage's eyes in that instant. He didn't like were this was going. "Lord Hokage! I must object to this." Raidō insisted as he himself didn't quite like the decisions that were being made. "Raidō please inform Genma of these changes and this time they are final." Hiruzen ordered as a brief look of disbelieve crossed Raidō's face before he wiped it away and stood up straight and tall. He was stiff and rigid as he eternally put his inner debate to rest. "Yes, Lord Hokage. At once." Raidō conceded as he placed his hand up to a small earbud in his ear. It was a short-range radio communication device. Very much like the one Hiruzen used to speak to Anko before the Chūnin Exam's second stage began.

While Raidō was relaying this message Hiruzen was plotting something else in mind. With a simple hand gesture, a ANBU materialized out of thin air right beside the Hokage. The only thing was, it wasn't just any old ANBU. It was Puma. The ANBU Commander himself. His tall and imposing form nearly made Raidō choke on the air he was breathing as he never even sensed the man behind him. His intimidating aura and presence worked its charm on the experienced Special Jōnin who to his credit recomposed himself and went back to talking with his partner down on the field.

"Yes milord." Puma asked in his monotone voice. Hiruzen managed to catch the slight twitch of shock on the Kazekage's cloth covered face with the arrival of Puma which further put the old Hokage on suspicious terms with his fellow Kage. "Puma I want you to have someone retrieve Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake for me. The boy is scheduled for his match and I do not want any further delays." Hiruzen ordered as the silvered masked ANBU Commander nodded his head in understanding. "It will be done at once milord." Puma acknowledged as he stepped back from the Hokage's chair and spoke into his own personal radio. No one could hear his voice which was creepy in and of itself despite the fact he was only a few feet away from them.

* * *

 _ **On the Arena Floor**_

"Ok… I'll make the announcement." Genma replied to Raidō through their communication device. A frown was on Genma's face as he begrudgingly did as he was told. Not only did he not like the favoritism being displayed but the weird circumstances surrounding the decision. "Ladies and Gentlemen… I have an official announcement to make. Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the Desert will be postponed until later. For now, the next scheduled match which is Shino Aburame vs. Kankurō of the Desert will now begin without further delay. I thank you for your patience and the officials ask for your continued patience and support. That is all." Genma officiated as he along with everyone else heard the displeased uproar from the crowd. This wasn't a popular decision in the slightest and the crowd was making it well known.

Genma cringed a bit at this, as with his excellent hearing he could hear some foul language and outcries from some of the more vocal and rowdy spectators. He knew this was a bad idea. Shino looked towards his two friends and nodded his head as he psyched himself up for his match. Shikamaru and Naruto wished the bug user the best of luck in his match but their breath would go to waste when Kankurō opened up his mouth. "Proctor… I forfeit." If the crowd was angry before, then it didn't compare to how they were feeling now as some people could be seen getting up to leave in anger.

' _What the hell is going on?'_ Genma felt a chill go up his spine as his instincts were warning him of something fishy going on. _'Something isn't right here.'_ Shoko thought as she placed a hand against her chin in contemplation. Things seemed fishy to the retired kunoichi. She glanced back at Dino to see the old man with a subtle frown on his face. He wasn't pleased with this new development. Balalaika on the other hand had an unreadable look on her face. Shoko expected the woman to have a grin on her face since everyone else was suffering right now through these setbacks but if Shoko didn't know any better she would think that Balalaika had a look of anticipation on her face. She was waiting on something that was concerning her.

' _I don't like this.'_ Hiruzen thought as he settled more into his chair. He looked down into the arena directly at Genma who was looking back at his Hokage with a wary look in his eyes. Hiruzen shook his head letting the Special Jōnin know to continue.

"In that case. Shino Aburame is the winner by default and will be moving onto Round 2. Will Temari of the Desert and Karui Nimbasu of the Hidden Cloud please come down for their match." Genma announced as Temari smirked a bit. She was quick to reach the arena floor with the dark skinned burgundy haired kunoichi following close behind. "Place your bets… who do you think is going to win this?" Shikamaru asked quickly since it would seem the officials wanted to start the match without delay. "I'm not sure but I'd have to place my bets on Temari. Karui was good but she didn't stand out in the same way her teammates Omoi and Samui did. Plus, she didn't display any long-range attacks in her own fight back in the prelims so she's not going to be able to get close to Temari. Tenten found that out the hard way." Naruto replied while leaning against the balcony railings. He meant no disrespect towards Karui but in terms of overall abilities amongst her team, she was the most average.

In the stands Naruto's friends were discussing this same topic as well and while this was happening Ino noticed Chōji not eating his chips as fast as he normally would. "Chōji what's wrong?" Ino asks in concern. "Oh… nothing Ino I'm fine." Chōji quickly dismisses with a chuckle. Ino trails his line of sight and sees him staring at Karui as she makes her way onto the field. "Oh my gosh Chōji, are you staring at that girl?" Ino squeals as her innate feminine instincts to gossip and be inquisitive came roaring to the surface with a vengeance. "Ino shhhh! No, I wasn't staring…" Chōji wails in a flustered state as he quickly covers Ino's mouth. A prominent dusting of pink was on his chubby cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut. Ino grinned as she moved Chōji's hand away from her mouth. "Do you think she's cute? I think she is… her skin tone's not native to our country." Ino purred as she tickled Chōji who looked like he wanted to shrink down inside of his clothes and disappear. "I think she looks okay… but that's it. Don't bug me anymore." Chōji grumbled as he turned away from his teammate. She was like a sister to him and that's why she annoyed him more than anyone else could.

The match ended after a few minutes. It was a good one but as Naruto predicted Karui wasn't able to break through Temari's strong defenses. The girl even when she got close was still slightly outmatched by Temari who proved to be proficient in close quarters combat and was able to properly defend herself against Karui's expert level skills in Kenjutsu. In the end Temari achieved victory over the Hidden Cloud kunoichi who looked disappointed and aggravated with her loss.

"Karui Nimbasu of the Hidden Cloud is unable to continue the match due to knockout. Therefore, moving onto Round 2 is Temari of the Desert." Genma announced as he gauged the reaction of the crowd. They seemed to still be in a somewhat bitter mood but thankfully the match they just witnessed was enough to temper their disgruntled mood. Deciding not to waste any time Genma kept the ball rolling. "Ladies and gentlemen. The scheduled match between Shikamaru Nara and Dosu Kinuta will not happen due to Dosu dropping out of the competition before the finals. As such, Shikamaru Nara will be advancing to the next Round on standby." Genma stated which again gained boos and negative feedback from this hard to please crowd. In their minds, they weren't exactly getting what they paid for.

Genma didn't want to let things escalate any further so he immediately continued on with his announcements. "We are going to move onto our final fight in the first round. Will Kurotsuchi Suiseki and Samui please come down to the arena floor please." Genma ordered as he waved his hand up to the two final combatants. Both girls were quick to comply as they set themselves up for their upcoming fight.

"Should we place bets?" Shikamaru joked which Naruto responded too with a chuckle. "Kurotsuchi is going to take this one. It's going to be pretty hard since Samui is so strong and probably stronger that Omoi but in the end, I think she can pull off the win. Kurotsuchi is no mere Genin. She's just too strong." Naruto offered his commentary and thoughts as he stared at the tomboy who had a small competitive smirk on her face. She was confident in her abilities.

Naruto's prediction ultimately came true yet again. This fight was even more exciting than Temari's battle against Karui. Kurotsuchi and Samui really went at it. The match was fierce and closely matched by the two Kunoichi who proved to be each other's equal. Samui showed in even larger library of Jutsu against the Juggernaut that is Kurotsuchi and her vast array of Ninjutsu. It came very close in several areas as Samui's Lightning Nature affinity gave her the edge not many other people in the competition had against the Hidden Stone Genin.

It came down to the wire with Kurotsuchi finding herself on her back foot but she soon decided to get serious and use her powerful Kekkei Genkai. The Lava Style. When she decided to use this Samui didn't show any surprise whatsoever, the stoic girl continued on as if nothing was wrong. Kurotsuchi lobbed multiple rounds of her quicklime at Samui using the Lava Style's subset ability which is called the Corrosion Style. Samui found a counter to this by using her Lightning Style to cut through the wet cement coming at her. With her inability to trap the Hidden Cloud Kunoichi using her quicklime which was her trump card and pride and joy Kurotsuchi realized she'd need to use some techniques she normally doesn't use.

The stone Genin instead used the base form of the Lava Style to form and create real lava around the field which ultimately proved to be Samui's downfall as none of her Lightning Style Ninjutsu were strong enough to destroy the lava forming around her. In the end Samui chose the wise move of surrendering to Kurotsuchi who gave the other girl a nod of respect for not only making a rational decision but for also being the first person to ever find a way around her prized Corrosion Style subset ability.

"Samui of the Hidden Cloud has surrendered to her opponent. Therefore, moving onto Round 2 is Kurotsuchi Suiseki of the Hidden Stone." Genma announced with a bit of enthusiasm in his voice. He enjoyed this match immensely just like the Naruto vs. Neji match. He saw some pretty advanced techniques and maneuvers being thrown around and the ferocity at which these two Kunoichi went at each other gained Genma's respect.

The crowd had a mixed reaction. These were participants from the two villages the Hidden Leaf had sour relations with, particularly in the Hidden Stone's case. But they also couldn't deny that they put up one hell of a fight and gave the crowd a good show. It was spectacular and was right up there with Naruto's match. The entertainment factor of the battle eventually won out as the crowd gave out the best cheers that they could give, given the circumstances. Both girls didn't care one bit as Samui was helped out of the pit of Lava by Kurotsuchi as a show of sportsmanship while the Hidden Stone Genin looked up into the waiting room at Naruto with a tiny grin on her face. She had her Mafia tattoo on display as well and seeing this a challenging smirk came to Naruto's face. It was clear that the tomboyish girl was gunning for Naruto and he knew a matchup between the two of them would be inevitable.

' _This is the end of the first Round. Now what? Sasuke Uchiha isn't here still.'_ Genma thought as he turned to look at Hiruzen and Raidō who had similar looks on their faces. "Lord Kazekage… I assume you still want us to wait on one Genin who is tardy?" Hiruzen asked as he turned to address his fellow Kage. Annoyance was seeping into the old Kage's tone as this level of unprofessionalism would not be tolerated. After the exams were over with he would be having a long conversation with Kakashi and Sasuke to get to the bottom of things.

The Kazekage couldn't keep the teasing vibe out of his voice as he addressed his senior Kage. "But of course, Lord Hokage. I may be but a messenger, but I'm confident when I say I speak for all of these people who have come from far and wide to see an Uchiha in combat against my rather infamous son. There are only two Uchiha left in the world and only one that's still loyal to your village. We must take advantage of this while we still can." Rasa preached as he gestured with his hand in grandiose ways. _'Especially since he won't remain loyal to you for much longer.'_ The Kazekage thought to himself in a slithery undertone.

A rattling in Hiruzen's old bones were telling him that the Kazekage was up to something. He's never known the man to be so pleasant to deal with. He was a rather stoic and cold man who was unforgiving and in some instances, there were people who would even call him cruel.

"Raidō please inform Genma of this update. Puma where is Sasuke Uchiha?" Hiruzen asked to which the stoic and intimidating ANBU Commander leaned forward to whisper in the Hokage's ear. "My lord. Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake have been found outside the village. Kakashi reports that they came across a mysterious figure that we've identified as the Mummy who has evaded capture for the last few years. Kakashi managed to drive him off and my agents are tracking him as we speak. Kakashi also reports that he was lingering near our boarders." Puma whispered in a voice so faint that even Hiruzen would have a tough time hearing the man. The old Hokage narrowed his eyes in anger at this as things were lurking in the shadows outside of his control.

"Get them here and keep them safe. I will debrief them as soon as the finals are done. I also want a report from the agents pursuing our guest as well." Hiruzen ordered to which the commander acknowledged in his normal fashion. "Is everything fine Lord Hokage?" Rasa asked in curiosity as the ANBU Commander had much to say to the old man. "Everything is fine Lord Kazekage. I have great news. Sasuke Uchiha will be attending the finals soon. It would seem you'll get the match you've been craving." Hiruzen said in a murmur while taking a drag from his trusted pipe. "Excellent… I'm sure the crowd will be pleased." Rasa preened as he seemed to sit back and relax in his chair. Seeing this, Hiruzen now knew the Kazekage was plotting something. The aged Hokage was starting to subtly put himself on guard just in case. Something was amiss.

"Ladies and gentlemen. It's been confirmed that Sasuke Uchiha's match verses Gaara will happen today. So, until then we will move onto the Second Round of the tournament and proceed from there. Once Sasuke and Gaara have their match the winner will proceed onto Round 3 automatically to move the event along quicker. So, with that being said the poll is in and the next scheduled match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Shino Aburame. Please come down to the arena floor." Genma announced which got the audience back in a jolly mood. Now that there was solid confirmation that the match they've been dying to see was scheduled to happen they could rest easy. Besides with Naruto's breakout match at the beginning of the event, some people in the crowd including quite a few foreign nobles and dignitaries wanted to see him fight again.

"Well it looks like we're fighting buddy. May the best man win." Naruto said as he bumped elbows with the taller stoic boy. Naruto knew he was nowhere near one hundred percent but he was confident that he could give Shino a good run for his money. The Aburame Clan heir would be an extremely difficult opponent to fight due to his unique Ninjutsu and the sheer diversity that it affords him in battle. His bugs will be the deciding factor of their match. It all depends on Naruto's ability to detect all of them and make sure that none of them lands on him or it was game over. He didn't have much chakra left and if Shino got his bugs on him he'll drain him of what little he has left. It all depends on who can outlast the other. It was going to be fun in Naruto's opinion since he has the least amount of exposure and experience with fighting Shino.

"Hold on Naruto… something isn't quite right here." Shino advised once he saw Naruto getting himself ready. "What do you mean Shino?" Naruto paused as he turned to his usually silent friend. "My hive is warning me that something is amiss here. There is a conspiracy brewing against us. The Hidden Sand is acting suspiciously and an obvious favoritism is being shown to having Sasuke fight Gaara. But its more than that. It's almost as if Sasuke is being forced to fight Gaara for some reason." Shino explained which immediately put a somber mood on Naruto and Shikamaru's shoulders. The three Leaf Genin moved away from the others in the room to discuss this more in private and the more they talked the more the mood darkened.

* * *

"Hold on guys, let me get a second opinion on this." Naruto said as he closed his eyes and concentrated. _{'Chaos can you hear me?'}_ Naruto spoke in his mind as the tiny terror who was up in the stadium seats above them perked up in her seat. Iris noticed this as she saw her sister grow still in her chair. _{'Yes Dada. I can hear you.'}_ The Angeloid replied quickly. _{'Tell me. Do you or Iris sense anything strange going on? Are your senses acting up?'}_ Naruto asked to which a dark grin formed on Chaos's face. _{'Yes… a darkness is surrounding the village. There's so much negative energy growing around us. It's building up and soon it's going to erupt.'}_ Chaos responded with her signature giggles in Naruto's head. A frown marred Naruto's face as he started to put the pieces together. _{'Somethings very wrong… Chaos how far can your scanners reach?'}_ Naruto asked as he needed to act quickly. _{'It can reach just outside of the village but I can't sense anything. We're in the dark.'}_ Chaos replied with excitement in her voice which worried Naruto more. Now he knew something was coming. Chaos's first instinct is to always let a bad situation happen without restraint. Even if it was to her very own family, as long as she could predict that none of them would die she would never try to stop a situation from unfolding. It was in her nature to let chaos and destruction spread.

A weight began to settle in Naruto's heart as he grabbed the balcony railings for support. He could feel it. Anxiety was welling up within his heart. _{'I understand Chaos. Keep your eyes open and try and warn Shoko and Mr. Dino for me.'}_ Naruto instructed as he was about to cut the connection between him and Chaos when another voice spoke up. _{'Excellent. This is very smart of you Naruto.'}_ Sōkyoku's voice spoke up as Naruto suddenly found himself in front of the ancient goddess's majestic form. The massive Phoenix was staring down at him with her large emerald colored eyes peering into his soul.

"Lady Sōkyoku…! What's going on?" Naruto asked as he found himself deep within his subconscious inside the bird cage that houses his other resident. "I brought you here to give you something." Sōkyoku replied as she preened down at the ant sized human compared to her titanic form. "Give me something…?" Naruto paused as this was extremely unusual for the pragmatic Goddess to do. "Yes, take this." Sōkyoku said as a small feather fell off of her body and landed right in front of Naruto. This feather was small for Sōkyoku's standards. In actuality it was nearly seven feet tall and it was still one of the smallest feathers on her body.

"What's this?" Naruto asked as he was distracted by this new development. Sōkyoku doesn't do anything without a hidden motive behind it. That's just the way she is. "Touch it." It sounded like a simple request but Naruto instinctively felt like it was more of an order. Reaching out with his hand Naruto touched the feather and in an instant, he felt power course through his veins. "My chakra. It's returning back to full… you restored my chakra reserves!" Naruto exclaimed as he felt he was at 100%. "Yes, as you are now I'm afraid you won't last long. You'll need your full strength for what is to come." Sōkyoku advised as she gathered fire in her beak. "Wait! Lady Sōkyoku! Do you know what's coming! What's going on?" Naruto shouted before he was engulfed by the familiar and comforting flames of the Phoenix Goddess. _'It's finally time you start to grow little one. This day marks your rise to power. One day this world will tremble at your unimaginable might.'_ Sōkyoku thought as her eyes glowed with barely restrained power.

* * *

In the real-world Naruto jolted out of his trance which nearly scarred Shikamaru and Shino. "Whoa! What happened?" Shikamaru jumped as he saw an ethereal emerald glow in Naruto's eyes that faded back to blue. Shikamaru's sharp mind instantly recalled that this was the same emerald color that could be seen in Iris's eyes on occasion whenever she does something outrageous.

"We need to be careful. Something's about to go down and the Hidden Sand is behind it." Naruto warned which got serious looks to cross the two boys faces. "If that is the case I'd better forfeit my match to keep my skills and strength both fresh and a mystery." Shino proposed as he saw the serious look in his friend's eyes. He knew Naruto wasn't joking and he trusted in the Uzumaki's instincts. Something was wrong and based on what he himself already felt through his hive he was all the more incline to believe his friend.

"Iris told you this…?" Shikamaru questioned as he stressed Iris's name. Naruto picked up on this as he and Shikamaru still had much to discuss about the scene that took place in Lee's Hospital room yesterday. They didn't cover everything and Naruto kept some things regarding Iris close to his vest since he had to tread carefully on what he could and couldn't talk about. "Yeah… both Iris and Chaos, and it's getting to that point where I need to fill you guys in on some things." Naruto frowned as he himself didn't like keeping secrets from his friends anymore. He made a promise to himself back in the Land of Waves that he'd be more honest with those around him and now he had to make good on that promise, less he slips back into his old ways.

"If that's the case then I shouldn't skip my match then. I'll fight Temari and wear her down and make her too tired to continue. With that out of the way we can deal a blow to whatever plans' being cooked up. It will also buy us some time." Shikamaru stated as he glanced over at the other participants in the room with them. Kankurō and Temari were casting them suspicious glances while Gaara was just flat out glaring at Naruto with murderous intent in his body language.

"If you intend to wear her down then you'll need to be back to fighting condition afterwards. Take this." Naruto said as he blew into his hand and produced a small spray of flames. Out of those flame came an orange and red feather. It was one of Sōkyoku's feathers. Naruto picked up on this skill over the month break after he saw Iris do it back in the Forest of Death. She's always been able to produce feathers since she's been a tiny baby but Naruto's never once thought it could be an ability he himself could learn until Sōkyoku taught him over the break.

At Shikamaru's questioning look Naruto elaborated. "After your fight. Eat it. It will restore your chakra back to 100%." Naruto revealed which gained a skeptical raised eyebrow from Shikamaru. "Trust me, it takes the flavor of the thing you like the most. It kind of melts in your mouth." Naruto lamely stated while scratching the back of his neck. He realized how weird it sounded to be explaining it to someone else. "Ok…" Shikamaru trailed off as he pocketed the tiny feather. He would trust in his friend. "Now let's do this." Naruto said as the three boys bumped fist together. They were brought out of their boyish moment by Genma who was yelling up to them to hurry up.

"Proctor. I forfeit my match against Naruto Uzumaki." Shino announced which garnered outrage amongst the crowd as they were already sick and tired of people forfeiting and the general lack of order this Chūnin Exams seemed to be operating under.

' _Alright… that does it. Something is definitely going on here. The look in the kid's eye. He's telling me something.'_ Genma privately thought to himself as he saw Naruto giving him a pointed stare next to Shino. It was a look of caution and warning. A coded message.

"Okay then. Shino Aburame forfeits his match. Moving onto the Third Round will be Naruto Uzumaki on standby. Will Shikamaru Nara and Temari of the Desert please come down to the arena floor immediately." Genma announced as Shikamaru sighed in annoyance. "Do your best Shikamaru. We saw how skilled she was back in her match against Tenten. Don't underestimate her." Naruto advised as he clapped the lazy boy on his back in encouragement. Shino himself offered his own words of wisdom and advice. "Don't worry, I've got some skill with fighting Wind Style users so I should be fine. Besides I should be thanking you and everyone else for roughing up the field for me, you've given me a lot to work with." Shikamaru stated with a smirk which only grew once they all witnessed Temari glide down to the arena floor using her massive fan.

Of course, Shikamaru was referencing Naruto when talking about Wind Style users. Being one of the very few in the entire village gave Naruto a serious advantage in combat. Shikamaru has sparred against Naruto several times in the past so he had a lot of experience with the type of fighting he was about to endure. He already had several plans to face off against Temari cooking up in his head.

Hearing this Naruto smirked in amusement as he clapped Shikamaru on his back again. "Well then go get her then!" Naruto encouraged as he pushed Shikamaru over the balcony railings with a push that was a little too friendly. The lazy boy screamed in fright as he fell the two stories to the ground below. The look the other contestants in the room were giving Naruto caused the boy to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly in his nervous habit. "I'm going to kill him later." Shikamaru groaned in both embarrassment and annoyance. It also didn't help that he just knew without a shadow of a doubt that Chaos was somewhere in the crowd laughing herself to death. Of course, he was right since the tiny terror was indeed laughing herself into oblivion while Iris was biting her bottom lip to keep herself from joining her sister in hysteria. The rest of their friends were in the same boat while the rest of the audience got a good laugh at Shikamaru's expense.

What happened next would go down as one of the most tactical matches to ever come out of a Chūnin Exam. Shikamaru flexed. He truly flexed his intellectual might that far exceeded his physical one as he danced circles around Temari who was a calculating individual in her own right. She was hailed as a prodigy and genius in her own village but she paled in comparison to the Nara clan heir who was tested a long time ago and was discovered to have been born with an IQ higher than any other member of his clan in the last 90 years. His intellect was off the charts and he didn't even have to use all of it to combat the skilled and formidable Kunoichi who was keeping him at bay and in the eyes of the audience taking the lead in the bout.

Even the ninja in the crowd thought that she was dominating the match when in reality Shikamaru was simply letting everyone believe that notion. Every single move he and by proxy Temari made was all according to Shikamaru's plan. Everything was constructed by his design and he had the finishing move to the match thought up from before the match even began.

Shikamaru was the mastermind of this fight. He was the one in control and in the end, he was the one dictating the pace of the match. He wanted to drag out the fight for a lot longer than the other matches went on for the sole purpose of tiring Temari out and giving Naruto time to get word to the Hokage. Of course, executing this plan came at the cost of Shikamaru exhausting himself in the process but that was what Naruto's preemptive measures were for. Shikamaru would be back in shape in no time. He would play his part.

The fight eventually dwindled down with Shikamaru trapping Temari in a pincer maneuver that would be talked about for years to come. Shikamaru couldn't reach Temari with his Shadow's through conventional means since the further his shadow travels the slower and less responsive it becomes, not to mention it becomes thinner and less potent. With distance and agility on her side Temari was able to just stay out of Shikamaru's range for the majority of the match. Shikamaru tried every trick in the book. He stalled and dragged on time to allow the sun to move higher in the sky which casted more shadows in the arena for him to work with. He even went as far as to tie his shirt to a kunai in a makeshift parachute to extend the range of his shadow by a few precious feet which ultimately failed to capture Temari or so she and everyone else thought.

Every move Shikamaru made was for one simple purpose. To get Temari over to the two-man sized holes left behind by Naruto and Neji's fight. Luckily the holes maintained their integrity despite the fact Kurotsuchi tore up the field in her fight against Samui. It was a gamble and even Shikamaru wasn't sure his plan would work but seeing as how Kurotsuchi's match didn't disrupt that section of the field, it left Shikamaru with the ability to carry out his plan.

Once Temari unknowingly placed herself in-between the two holes in the ground Shikamaru immediately caught her. He sent his shadow into the ground in the whole that was in front of her which was hidden by her giant fan and had it come up behind her in the second hole that was directly in her blind spot. It was pure genius and soon some of the ninja in the audience were beginning to catch on. Brilliant cheers were emanating from the crowd as many smart and intelligent individuals present stood up in ovation for such a genius maneuver.

This standing ovation would very quickly turn to outrage when Shikamaru quits right as he was about to force Temari to surrender. He states that he's low on Chakra and wouldn't be able to properly compete in the next match in the condition he's in now. As expected of a Nara he also complains and draws out his sentences in a lazy manner but the message was clear. He had Temari in checkmate from the very beginning and now he wanted to hang his hat up. In the back of his mind Shikamaru sighed in relieve as he played his part.

"I can't believe I was beaten so thoroughly. You're amazing." Temari mumbled as she watched Shikamaru stretch out the kinks in his body. "Yeah, yeah. It was nothing. It would have been too much of a drag to continue. Besides, I've got to save my strength for later." Shikamaru yawned as he started to walk away. Temari had a tiny blush on her face as she's never been outwitted so fully before. She has always been used to the fact that she's the smartest tactician on the field, so to be beaten by someone who obviously outclassed her was a welcoming thought. A stray thought passed by Temari's mind as at Shikamaru's wording. Why would he be saving his strength for later?

"Okay. Shikamaru Nara has forfeited his match. Moving onto the Third Round is Temari of the Desert. Also, it should be announced that Naruto Uzumaki will fight Kurotsuchi Suiseki in the first match of the Third Round and as for Sasuke Uchiha's match with Gaara of the Desert, whoever wins that match will face Temari of the Sand in the Finals." Genma announced as the crowd grew excited again. It was becoming quite clear that this was quite the temperamental crowd. Seeing that they were going to be facing each other Naruto looked over to the Hidden Stone Kunoichi with a barely concealed gaze of competitiveness. He'd love to fight the individual who was obviously the strongest girl in the competition. Temari came in at a very close second and Samui was undoubtedly the Sand Kunoichi's equal so it would be a thrill to test his metal against the girl who was clearly gunning for him.

Outside of the stadium a unique pair of individuals were could be seen at the entrance. It was Might Guy and Rock Lee. "What happened to Naruto's match against Neji?" Lee asked once the guards on duty for the entrance gave the identical duo the rundown of how all of the matches went so far. "You see that's the thing. Naruto actually beat Neji in a stunning performance no one has ever seen before. You should have seen the crowd. They were loving every second of it." The guard said with enthusiasm in his voice. _'Naruto beat Neji!'_ Lee thought to himself in shock. _'He did it. He actually did it.'_ Lee was shell shocked to say the least. He knew Naruto was gunning for Neji but to actually know that he beat the boy he himself has never defeated before was an eye opener for the incapacitated boy. He was remembering the short conversation he had with Naruto the previous day and the small interaction with the little girl who Lee found out was his daughter. That was an interesting explanation to hear after that revelation. "That's fantastic… I'm happy for him." Lee said with a smile on his face.

Back in the stadium Naruto joined Shikamaru down on the field alongside Genma while they waited for Sasuke to show up. "Genma Sensei." Naruto spoke as he approached the experienced Jōnin. "Yeah, squirt what's up?" Genma replied in his laidback tone. He was quite a bit taller than both Naruto and Shikamaru so they had to look up to speak to him. "I wanted to warn you of something. Have you felt something off about the exams?" Naruto questioned as he saw a sharpness come to the older man's eyes. "Oh… and if I were to say yes?" Was the reply Naruto received. He and Shikamaru shared a look before addressing the man again. "I believe the Hidden Sand is up to something. I don't have a lot of proof I can give you but if you can pass a message along to the Hokage I'd really appreciated it." Naruto politely asked as he saw Genma size him up. "That's some bold claims you got their kid. Ordinarily I wouldn't believe anyone who would come up to me out of the blue with such an outrageous statement but I'll be honest with you. I feel this premonition too. Is that why you kids have been throwing your fights? Are you saving your strength?" Genma cleverly guessed which got the reaction he was hoping for out of the Genin.

"Was it that obvious?" Shikamaru questioned with another yawn. "Not really, not many people would connect the dots but a Shinobi must see through the lies in this world to understand the truths. I know quite a bit about you Naruto Uzumaki. Judging by that tattoo on your shoulder it helps me confirm your reputation and I hear you've already built quite a name for yourself. Even got a bridge named after you and I got to say I'm a little jealous on that one. But I know what you're capable of and I know your trustworthy, so I'm willing to put my faith in you and trust in your instincts this one time. So, what's this message that you want to pass on to Lord Hokage?" Genma states as he smiles down at Naruto and gives him a small nod of respect.

Naruto brightens up at this as this meant the world to him. It may be small and insignificant to others but to be acknowledged by the others in his own village makes Naruto's heart swell. When the crowd was cheering for him earlier it honestly took everything Naruto had not to break down into tears of joy right in the middle of the arena. He had to hold himself back and just focus in on why he did what he did. Now though having a senior ninja give him a nod of respect and blatantly speak to him so casually as an equal and on such friendly terms was a shocker to Naruto. But it wasn't unwelcomed and a pleasant feeling borrowed its way into his heart.

But all good things have to come to an end and sure enough a grim look came to Naruto's face that was matched quite well by the one on Shikamaru's face. "Tell the old man that Chaos is coming. He'll understand and know what to do." Naruto said as Genma was taken back by the seriousness in the young boy's eyes. "Gotcha… I can do that." Genma nodded as he put his hand up to the ear piece radio. "Good, now all that's left is to wait on Sasuke. I swear if he makes us wait any longer I'm going to freeze him to death." Naruto grumbled as he was annoyed at having to wait on the last Uchiha.

Luckily, they wouldn't have to wait for long as a breeze picked up in the stadium. It started out slow but soon it became a fierce whirlwind with a tornado of leaf's kicking up into the air. Out of this dramatic display came to individuals. It was Kakashi and Sasuke themselves.

It took all of five seconds of everyone and everything being completely silent before thunderous roars of approval and joy flooded the stadium from the crowd as people could be seen jumping from their seats in elation. The match everyone wanted to see was finally here. It was definitely a shocker to Naruto and Shikamaru since they haven't seen Sasuke since the end of the Chūnin Exam Second Phase.

Sasuke had a makeover for sure. Other than his new wardrobe, the most distinctive difference that could immediately be seen was the fact his two side bangs were much longer and a sharper look could be seen in his eyes. He was wearing a black one-piece version to his normal attire which was a high colored blue shirt and white shorts. This suit was pure black but kept the high collar attribute and the shorts right above the knees. Around his shins on both legs he had white bandage tape with black leather straps wrapped around his legs. As per usual he had a kunai holster attached to his right leg which was typical for all shinobi to have. On his left arm was a thick layer of white bandage tape that made it look like he had a cast on. It was thicker than the layers that were on his leg and it also had twice the amount of black leather straps constricting his arm. On his elbows he had flexible tan colored elbow pads for protection. His blue headband was tied securely around his forehead displaying the symbol of the Hidden Leaf proudly.

All in all, Sasuke looked strong. Naruto could tell right away from looking at his teammate that the Uchiha got a lot stronger in the short span of a month. It was obvious and very prevalent with the way he carried himself. "Look who went and got stronger…" Naruto joked as he went up to Sasuke and put his arm around the Uchiha's shoulder. "I could say the same for you. What's with the get up? Trying to act cool?" A subtle grin was on Sasuke's face as Naruto couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "You could say that… but I just had to smack Neji around a bit to get that fate crap out of his mind. But I could easily say the same of you. You kept us all waiting for a long time." Naruto jabbed back which got a small shake of the black-haired boys head.

"We ran into some trouble on the way back to the village. Nothing me and Kakashi couldn't handle." Sasuke explains which peaks Naruto's interest. "Who was it?" It was a simple question but Naruto wouldn't like the answer. "It was some man wrapped in bandages and used them to fight. Kakashi said he knew him…" Sasuke said but paused once he saw Naruto's face pale and lose color. "You know him don't you…?"

"I know him very much so… but it's who he works for that concerns me the most. It's the demons that attacked us on the bridge. That's who that guy works for." Naruto said which got Sasuke to widen his eyes in surprise. "Sasuke I want you to be very careful in your match. The higher ups were pushing for your match. Someone wants you to fight Gaara really badly. Save as much strength as you can. Somethings going on and I'm afraid we're all going to need to fight." Naruto warned in a serious tone as he stared his teammate in the eye.

"I understand… thanks for the warning." Sasuke said after a brief pause. He could see just how much this was bothering Naruto so he knew to take this warning seriously. "But hey… I could also just be too wound up and paranoid. In the end you're the one I want to fight the most Sasuke. So, you better not lose." Naruto said with a competitive smirk in place as he raised a fist to his dark themed teammate. Seeing the imposing fist extended to him the last Uchiha smirked a genuine smirk as a competitive fire could be seen filling Sasuke's eyes as he raised his hand and fist bumped with his teammate. "Got it."

It didn't take long for Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kakashi to clear the field and for Gaara to take their place using his sand based Body Flicker. The boy had a look of murderous intent in his eyes which wasn't much of a surprise but that wasn't going to deter Sasuke from fighting in this match. He trained all month for this fight and he had a few tricks up his sleeve for the untouchable boy.

* * *

 _ **With Hiruzen**_

"Lord Hokage… Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha have arrived and my agents report that they lost two of their members to an ambush. They weren't able to discern the identity of the attackers but they were forced to retreat. The mummy has escaped sir." Puma whispered into Hiruzen's ear once the two in question arrived at the stadium. The old Hokage was not pleased in the slightest with this latest development and he most definitely won't be please by what he's about to here next.

"Puma, bring those surviving members to your office. They are to be debriefed the moment the exam ends alongside Kakashi and Sasuke." Hiruzen ordered as he saw Raidō being talked to through his communicator. "As you wish Lord Hokage…" Puma responded as usual before backing up to take his position behind the Hokage's chair again. His whisper like voice was impossible for anyone but Hiruzen to hear so even the Kazekage couldn't decipher what the commander was saying.

"Lord Hokage, I have a message from Genma sir." Raidō spoke as he bent down to whisper in Hiruzen's ear. "What is it?" Raidō was quick to respond as he told the whole message. "Sir, Genma says this message comes from Naruto Uzumaki. He wanted to pass along the message: Chaos is coming. He said you'll understand what this message means." If Hiruzen was angry before… than it didn't compare to how he was feeling now. Hiruzen casted a suspicious glare towards the Kazekage who was peering down at Sasuke with barely concealed interest.

"I understand. Be on your guard Raidō, it would seem things are not as they would appear to be." Hiruzen spoke in a hushed tone which caused the experienced Special Jōnin to stiffen in concern. He darted his eyes over to the Kazekage sitting a few feet away from him as well as his two bodyguards who were indistinguishable and unrecognizable to him. He didn't recognize the two body guards from any bingo book he's read recently which was concerning. "I understand sir." Raidō knew something wasn't right with the foreign ninja's sitting next to them and he was happy his leader was picking up on this.

"Puma I want you to mobilize all platoons and put the village on soft lock down. Have all ANBU platoons deployed to their stations and pass this message along to Shikaku so that he can instruct our main forces to do the same. I'm afraid an inevitable battle is about to be fought." Hiruzen ordered as he smoked from his pipe. He was allowing the first streams of chakra to begin to pour out into his chakra network. It was like jumpstarting an old car. Hiruzen's old body took time to warm up and get going and suddenly dumping a massive amount of his rich and potent chakra out into his network without any notice would do more harm than good to his aging body. "Yes milord… preparing for battle." Puma replied as he began relaying protocols and orders through his private radio link to the other leaders and commanders in the village. He would be ready to give his life for his Hokage, village, and its inhabitants. This was his duty as the ANBU Commander.

"The postponed first round match between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Desert will now begin." Genma's voice could be heard from all over as the entire audience became electrified by their excitement. It was finally time for everything to change.

"Begin."

* * *

 _ **To be continued...**_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ That was the end of this hectic chapter and a lot has certainly happened. Naruto starts the chapter off by coming to a startling epiphany that will certainly reshape his pubescent mind and how he thinks of his closest female friends. Things also heat up throughout the chapter in concerns to Hiruzen and the Kazekage. It's pretty obvious what's really going on here but I wanted to expand upon the dialogue scenes with Hiruzen since I love writing his character so much.

We had quite a bit of forfeitures going on in these matches and an equally ill complacent crowd of malcontent spectators who were fed up with how the exams were being handled, especially since in their minds they came for one reason and one reason only. To see Sasuke fight Gaara. Dealing with a rowdy crowd of pissed off fans can be a hassle for anyone.

The fights themselves were all summarized while highlighting many of it's important moments so everyone has gotten a chance to fight in the tournament. The order of the fights were slightly changed and a lot more context and extra scenes were added into the chapter to give it more flavor. But it would also appear in this version of events that the leaf aren't so oblivious to the danger they're in and neither is Naruto and the girls.

Many other smaller details are given light within this chapter as well but I'll leave those for you to share your opinions on in the reviews.

 _(Halloween is tomorrow so Happy Halloween to everyone and stay safe!)_

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 60 (Zero Hour: Invasion)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 59 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

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 ** _Published:_** 10/30/2017


	61. CH: 60 Zero Hour: Invasion

Naruto the knuckleheaded ninja that we all know, and love is just starting his career as a ninja, but the stakes are higher now. With his two girls Iris and Chaos growing up at a startling rate he must now handle their growing powers, and the mysterious demons that are after him and uncover the mystery behind Sōkyoku's mysterious past and origin. Watch Naruto progress through his live as an Ancient Evil born before the beginning of time stirs behind the scenes that threaten all of existence. Watch Naruto as he goes from being a Father to a Ninja.

I do not own anything from the Naruto Franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime that I may borrow themes and ideas from.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with the next chapter. An invasion is coming and action awaits. I don't have very much to say about this chapter other than it gets this party started.

 _Today Justice League is coming out and I'm going to see it!_

So without any further delay... sit back, relax, and enjoy.

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Chapter 60

 _ **Zero Hour: Invasion**_

So, this is what an invasion is like… what war is like…

The palpable amount of negative emotions raging forth from every fighter… the fear and anxiety from both the combatants and innocent civilians permeating the air… the smell of blood and the sound of metal clashing against metal. Dead and incapacitated bodies falling to the floor… shouts of anger, fear, concern, and death.

If this is what an all-out life or death battle is like… then Naruto could say for certain that if he could help it, he would never want to experience this feeling again. It was as they were slowly beginning to suspect. The Village Hidden in the Sand has betrayed the Hidden Leaf Village. A village that they've been allied with since the Third Shinobi World War. But to make matters worse was the fact that the Hidden Sand wasn't alone… the small upstart Hidden Village from the Land of Rice. The Hidden Sound Village that the three Sound Genin come from. They were the Hidden Sands secret allies and in some regards benefactors in this unwarranted attack.

These foreign ninjas were teaming up with one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations to topple the Hidden Leaf who despite some of their economic problems were still widely considered to be the strongest of the Five Great Nations. This is a serious problem for the Hidden Leaf. On their own the Hidden Sand was statistically weaker than the Hidden Leaf due to the rapid economic and militaristic decline of the Hidden Sand but that did not disqualify them as one of the five major powers. Add on the fact that the Hidden Sound while new… has an unknown number of shinobi and an undetermined amount of militaristic strength… things didn't bode well for the Hidden Leaf, no matter how well prepared they are for such an event.

This would certainly go down in history as a dark day in the Hidden Leaf's long history. It all started with the how Sasuke's match against Gaara ended.

* * *

 _ **Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the Desert**_

Naruto knew that Sasuke got stronger… the only question was… how strong? He and anyone else who might have had this question burning in the back of their mind would find out the answer to it really quick. One of the most prominent things to note with Sasuke's improvements was the simple fact that he got faster… how fast you might ask. He got just as fast as Rock Lee is without his weights on. It was a remarkable improvement to be sure, since Sasuke accomplished this incredible feat of physical augmentation in only a short month when it took Rock Lee over a year and a half to get to where he was today.

He already spied Rock Lee's powerful Strong Fist Taijutsu style back in the First Exams when they sparred briefly with his Sharingan and now in just only a month Kakashi managed to teach Sasuke to bring out the full extent of that one event. Kakashi's skills as a teacher should be commended.

Just like with what Rock Lee did earlier the previous month, Sasuke was out speeding Gaara's sand shield. It couldn't keep up with Sasuke or his enhanced mobility which was the same problem it had with Lee. Knowing this Sasuke continuously got within Gaara's person space and laid into the Sand Genin with his impressive Taijutsu skills. Gaara was the weakest at close range which Rock Lee exposed on his own so it was no different for Sasuke who was battering away at the dense skin layered sand armor on Gaara's body.

Sasuke didn't waist anytime as he used every opportunity given to him to circumvent Gaara's normally impenetrable sand shield. While this was going on Naruto, Shikamaru, and Shino took this time to head back to the stands to find Kakashi and the others.

"Kakashi sensei… it's been awhile." Naruto greeted as he walked down the steps behind the Jōnin. "Oh… Naruto! It certainly has been quite a while. A month in fact and I must say I'm really impressed with your victory over Neji Hyūga. I know it couldn't have been easy." Kakashi commented with his patented eye smile. He had a proud aura around him which brought a small smile of appreciation to Naruto's lips. "Thanks' sensei, it wasn't easy at all. There was even a moment in which I thought it was all over and I was going to lose…" Naruto began in a bashful tone as he honestly admitted that the fight wasn't as easy as he first thought. Since the end of Hinata's match and subsequently the bracket being revealed on who was fighting who, Naruto had always had it in his mind that he was going to beat Neji. He had to. There were no if's; and's; or but's about it. He made a promise on Hinata's blood that he would beat her cousin and he would never go back on his word. But by the middle of the fight Naruto came to realize just how good Neji really was. But this realization wouldn't stop him from actually overcoming the powerful Hyūga.

"… but in the end, I came into that match with a resolve and promise to keep. I had a great motivation to do so…" Naruto finished as his smile grew softer and more tender as he unintentionally panned his gaze over to Hinata who's cheeks were rapidly heating up in extreme embarrassment. What Naruto failed to realize other than the fact all of their friends were around… Hiashi himself had returned some time ago from having a heart to heart conversation with Neji. The first deep and meaningful conversation with his nephew he's ever had.

The powerful father and Clan Head to the Hyūga Clan purposely coughed into his hand in an abrupt manner which brought Naruto out of his unintentional gaze. "I… uh… uhmm." Naruto was caught red handed and his embarrassed stutters in front of the stoic and intimidating patriarch were telling. "That's quite bold of you sweetie… you have something you'd like to tell us?" Shoko said with a cheshire grin on her beautiful face. It wasn't always easy to find such moments when the young Uzumaki would slip up in his feelings so this was prime teasing material for the motherly Kunoichi.

Naruto's face was glowing bright red as his mind processed just how much of a hole he placed himself in. It felt deeper than the one Jiraiya threw Iris and Chaos down. "Yeah Naru! Is there something you'd like to say to us?" Eva pouted with a glare in place as she flew out of Hinata's hair and smacked right into Naruto's face. The Uzumaki stumbled back a bit as he had to peel the tiny fairy off his face with some effort. "It's nice to see everyone again…?" Naruto replied sheepishly as he placed Eva up into his hair to hide her away again and to also avoid having to look at her glare.

Of course, it didn't stop the other looks he was getting. He spotted the childish yet equally potent jealous glare from Iris; the hysterical laughter from Chaos; the amused look in Aria's turquoise colored eyes; the jealous look in Henrietta's eyes as well as those of Rico's and Angelica's; the amused and surprised looks in Ino's and Sakura's eyes respectively; the curious look from Kurenai; the heavily amused look in Shoko's eyes; the intimidating stare from Hiashi; and last but certainly not least the embarrassed look on Hinata's face. It was too much for the shy Hyūga to take and in all honesty, it was too much for Naruto to take at the moment as well.

Naruto who was trying to avoid all of these stares coughed into his hand while directing his attention over to his Jōnin sensei. "Uh… Kakashi sensei I need to speak with you." The teasing shine in Kakashi's eyes faded once he saw the serious look overcoming Naruto's façade. He would have this embarrassing moment stuck in the back of his head for years to come but for now he had to ask the grey haired Jōnin about a certain encounter he just had.

"Is it about your inspiration?" Kakashi quipped with a teasing eye smile in place. A deadpan blank stare blinked onto Naruto's face at Kakashi's great joke which made the grey haired Jōnin just beam in self-induced pride. "No, it's a little more serious than that." Naruto retorted as he accepted the fact Kakashi got him pretty good. Ordinarily he'd be able to take the joke and laugh along with it, but now he had something much more important to discuss with his sensei.

Seeing the serious look in his student's eyes Kakashi adopted a more mature demeanor. "What is it?" Guy who was standing right next to Kakashi panned over to take in this interesting conversation taking place and the others were tuning in as well. "I hear from Sasuke that you guys met someone on your way back. What was he like?" Naruto asked discreetly with a raised eyebrow which the older man caught on to immediately. "Oh, that person. If I remember correctly he's an old acquaintance of yours. I believe you and Shoko know who he is." Kakashi elaborated which caught the elder kunoichi's attention immediately.

The match between Sasuke and Gaara was still going on and was currently heating up quite nicely but that was in the back of Shoko's mind now as far as she was concerned. Kakashi's statement caught her entire attention. "Oh… and who would this person be Kakashi?" Shoko asked in curiosity while eyeing the grey haired Jōnin closely. "I believe he said he's stopped by your establishment a few years back. You and he had business regarding some of your records. He even stopped by on graduation day. He was wrapped up in his clothes heading from the direction of the Hidden Sand." Kakashi nonchalantly stated which had the effect of turning Shoko's eyes cold like icebergs. _'The mummy… that means those Demons are becoming active again. They nearly got Naruto when he was in the Land of Waves. I need to be vigilant. I won't let them try again.'_ Shoko thought to herself as she subtly looked around the stadium as a precaution.

"Did he say he was with anyone? Did he have some friends?" Shoko asked in code. "None that I could see. But I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to let me know if that was true or not. He seemed pretty reclusive. I wouldn't be surprised if he was traveling with a big group. I saw tracks of a large caravan." Kakashi replied back in the same previous manner. This coded conversation flew over the heads of most of the Genin present but to the Jōnin listening in and to Naruto, Shikamaru, and Shino the message was loud and clear.

A lot of Sand Ninja were coming this way. That could only mean one thing. An invasion.

"It's a real shame. I'd love to catch up with him. Let me know if you run into him again Kakashi. In the mean time I should let Lord Dino know of this. Triela can you come here please." Shoko finished off which got both Kakashi and Guy to give her subtle nods. They understood what was going on.

At the sound of her voice Triela approached Shoko with a look of curiosity on her face. Her twin long pigtails swayed behind her as Shoko whispered a message in her ears. The teenage girl's eyes widened a bit in surprise then narrowed down in anger. "Yes, ma'am. I'll go tell him." Triela said as she briskly walked up the steps. She slowed down to give Naruto a little friendly nudge in the shoulder and a pointed look before taking off up the stairs towards Dino and his associates.

"Is everything ok Ms. Shoko?" Hinata asked in slight suspicion and concern. Something was going on and the look she could see Naruto subtly giving her was sending warning bells off in her mind. "Yeah, Is everything ok Shoko." Aria added on as she looked at her co-worker and sometimes partner. "Everything is fine girls. We're just talking about some visitors we'll be getting today. It would seem that this year's Chūnin Exams are a lot more popular than any of us could have predicted." Shoko replied with a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her shoulders were more tense than usual and a more guarded look was in her eyes. She was waiting for something.

"Kakashi do you see this…" Guy muttered as he pointed out the fact several new chakra signatures were popping up in the stadium. "It's the ANBU Black Ops. More of them are coming in. That means they're already aware of what's to come. That's good." Kakashi responded back as he loosened up his body. He would be ready.

Before anything else could be talked about the attention of everyone in the stadium was brought back to the fight happening in the arena below. A change was happening to Gaara… a change that people didn't quite understand. A large sphere made out of dense sand was sitting in the middle of the battlefield. Harden spikes of sand were jutting out in defense for him which Sasuke himself couldn't get through. Sasuke's hand was bleeding from the failed hard hit he tried to lay into the sand. He was inches away from being skewered by the spikes and now he had to find a new way to break through Gaara's new tactics.

' _It's fine if you want to stay in that little shell of yours… it only gives me more time to set up my brand-new attack.'_ Sasuke plotted as he jumped back away from Gaara's still form. The Uchiha had a plan. Sasuke didn't just stop there as he kept backtracking until he reached the wall of the stadium. The black clad Genin jumped up the wall until he reached a few feet away from the very top. From this vantage point Sasuke could see the entire stadium and everyone in it. He was at the perfect height and distance for his plan to work.

"It's time to use this Jutsu." Sasuke whispered as he unclasped the leather straps on his left arm. As it turns out, the straps actually had a layer of rubber lining on the bottom of it which was certainly peculiar in nature. The boy started to go through a sequence of hand signs with concentration etched onto his face. His Sharingan eyes were focused down on Gaara's stilled form like an eagle circling its prey. Sasuke had a solution for Gaara's impenetrable shield.

"Kakashi's sensei, what is Sasuke doing? How is he going to get through Gaara's defense?" Sakura asked in concern as the match was coming to a stall due to the fact Gaara threw up a shield too strong for Sasuke to break through. "Oh… keep watching Sakura… you'll see. Sasuke's already getting himself prepared." Kakashi said with a small chuckle and eye smile. He had a look of anticipation in his lone eye that couldn't be faked. He obviously knew what was going to happen.

Naruto was focusing in on Sasuke's form and he was in for a shock, literally. Sparks of lightning were coming off of Sasuke's hand and soon a high-pitched whine could be heard reverberating off of the walls of the arena. It sounded very much like chirping birds. It would have sounded quite beautiful if not for the fact it sounded like a cacophony of at least a thousand birds. It was quite disorienting to hear and not only that but it was also quite loud.

In seconds a mass of lightning exploded from Sasuke's hands before condensing down into a pure ball of lightning that was nearly blinding to look at. A grin was on the Uchiha's face as he leaned forward in anticipation. His muscles were tense and coiled for battle and with the stabilization of the technique in his hand he was getting ready to strike.

"It's time!" Sasuke called as he took off from his perch like a rocket. His speed was immense as a destructive trench was carved into the stadium wall by the ball of lightning. In seconds Sasuke hit ground level causing a massive discharge of dirt and electricity to shoot up into the air. The black clad Genin charged out of the dirt cloud with the ball of lightning lighting up the world around him. His speed didn't diminish in the slightest as the trench of destruction continued unabated as Sasuke dragged his arm behind him close to the ground.

He was upon Gaara in seconds before anyone could properly react. With a roar of exertion Sasuke roared out the name of his attack while plunged his lightning coated fist into the sand sphere at such speeds that Sasuke's entire arm sunk right in with no difficulty.

" **CHIDORI!"**

Sand flew everywhere as the stadium grew quiet from shock. Many of the older shinobi knew of this technique. It belonged to Kakashi Hatake. It was his signature technique and the move he invented. "Kakashi… you taught that young man your signature Jutsu?" Shoko asked in surprise before Guy could get off the words he wanted to say. They were along the same line of thought so he allowed the older woman to continue. "Yes… you see Lady Shoko, Sasuke is a lot like me. It was one of the many reasons why I was specifically chosen to lead Team 7." Kakashi spoke while looking at the retired woman.

"Yes, I suppose that is one of many convincing reasons why you of all people were assigned this squad." Shoko said with a small frown while subtly peering up at Naruto out the corner of her eye. Kakashi caught this look as his eyes softened a bit. Surprisingly enough Sakura caught this subtle exchange as she frowned in curiosity. _'What does that mean?'_

* * *

 _ **ANBU**_ ** _Headquarters_**

"Commander Shikaku. I've just received word from Commander Puma. He says to expect an attack by the Hidden Sand village and to prepare the village for battle." A Jōnin said as he barged into Shikaku's office. The man was actually another member of the Nara clan. His name was Suzaku Nara and he was around the age of 39 years old. He had the customary genetic looks of all Nara men in his clan. Black hair, small grey or black eyes, and a tall lanky appearance. Suzaku had his hair tied up in the customary ponytail of his clan but since he had quite a bit of hair he styled the ponytail to look like a pair of bulls' horns on top of his head giving him a rather distinctive look amongst his clan.

Shikaku's eyes widened for a brief moment in shock before mellowing out into a grizzled hardened look. The eyes staring back at his fellow clansmen was the eyes of a man who has lived a long life and has gone through war. The Jōnin Commander of the Hidden Leaf was going back to war again.

"Suzaku inform all of the clans to prepare themselves and to lock down their compounds. Get me the battalion commanders now." Shikaku ordered as he quickly got up from his chair. He immediately headed for the war room that was situated in the building in the event the one at the Hokage Administration Building was compromised, and as expected because of its location it also served as the room the ANBU Commander operated out of. Suzaku was quick to comply as he rushed out of the room in a flash.

By the time Shikaku reached the war room many high ranking Jōnin and ANBU agents of important positions were already in the room getting situated in their chairs. "Let's skip the formalities. The Hidden Sand is preparing to invade our home. We have one simple task but many jobs to do in order to fulfill this purpose and that's to protect out home." Shikaku began as he lit a fire in everyone's spirits with just his simple speech. His voice was deep and baritone and carried with it an obvious and indisputable sense of authority, wisdom, and clarity. He was a man you could follow without regret or fear. He was a true inheritor of the Will of Fire.

"Battalions 1 and 2 to the Main Gate. Battalions 3 and 4 to the East Gate. Battalions 5 and 6 to the West Gate. Battalions 7 and 8 to the South Gate. Battalions 9 and 10 will spread themselves out between the North and East gate and the East gate to South Gate on the walls and into the interior of the village in the surrounding districts. Battalions 11 and 12 will mirror this and do the same on the opposite side of the village. Lastly, Battalions 13 through 16 will spread themselves out evenly throughout the village providing security with the evacuation of all the civilians." Shikaku ordered as many of the battalion leaders immediately jumped to their orders. They were ready.

"Inochi patch through to all Genin in the village and have them begin evacuating the civilians to the fallout shelters in the monument. They are ordered to stay there and guard the populous until further orders. Battalions 13 through 16 are to provide escort and cover for the Genin to do this job. After that they are to split up their battalions and reinforce all key critical areas and hot zones on any priority request." Shikaku further dictated to his old teammate who nodded in understanding. He was Ino's father and a member of the old generation of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

"Sir what about the key infrastructures and critical areas around the village. If any of those are taken over by the enemy then we're done for?" A Jōnin asks as he noticed Shikaku's plans left a hole in the villages defenses when it comes to defending key structures and zones in the village such as the Hokage Tower, Academy, Hospital, Library, and other such buildings.

"You don't need to worry about that. The regular forces will provide security for those places simply as an illusion. These structures are guarded by the ANBU Black Ops and will remain defended throughout this whole mess. Nothing will get pass them and once the village is secure and the civilians are completely safe from harm, we'll just sick them on the invading force and have them driven from the village." Shikaku explained as he concluded his orders. His plan was bullet proof and could be modified on the fly. He would be ready to lead the forces of the Leaf to victory.

"I agree Commander. My forces will be ready to act when the time is right." A monotone voice spoke up which drew Shikaku's attention to an ANBU agent in the room. This man was special. He wasn't an ordinary agent. "It's a lucky thing we have you back from your extended mission Lieutenant Commander Sphinx. You should be able to coordinate all of the ANBU with Commander Puma occupied in helping Lord Hokage." Shikaku spoke casually to the now named Sphinx. He was ANBU Commander Puma's second in command and the overall second in command of the ANBU Black Ops. He was an incredibly talented and powerful ninja obviously only second to Puma who has been the ANBU Commander for many years.

"It will be done." Sphinx replied in his monotone voice. _'This guy wasn't always the second in command. It's hard to believe it's been twelve years already. We lost so many good people to the Nine Tails attack. Including the previous Lieutenant Commander.'_ Shikaku idly thought to himself as he watched the imposing man leave the room. _'If only the other three Titans were still alive… things wouldn't have come to this. We would have absolutely nothing to fear from the Hidden Sand. The only one that's left is Lady Shoko and who knows what her presence here will do for us now.'_ Shikaku sighed as he lit a cigarette.

"Sir, what about us?" A familiar voice spoke up which caused Shikaku to crack his eye over to the owner of said voice. It was Anko herself and Ibiki who was behind her towering over many of the others in the room with his impressive height. "Anko I need you out in the field helping in any way you can. It would be a waste to not use your combat abilities. If you come across any high value targets you are to incapacitate them and bring them back here for Ibiki and the others to interrogate." Shikaku ordered to which the fishnet clad kunoichi nodded in understanding. She would do her job but Anko mind was a million miles away worried about Naruto and those in the stadium. She was going to try her best to make her way over to the stadium through the upcoming battle to see if it were possible for her to run into Naruto and the others.

Anko's mind was a jumbled mess of anxiety, uncertainty, and anticipation but through the hazy mess clouding her inner thoughts, the special Jōnin knew one thing was for certain. Things were never going to be the same again.

* * *

 _ **Outside the Village. Half a Mile.**_

"Is everything ready for the operation?" A Sound Jōnin asked to a Sand Jōnin sitting on the forest floor. He like every other Sound ninja had on a uniform to show off their allegiance. All of them including the one talking had on a light grey shirt with the tiniest hint of purple mixed in with brown bandages tied around their waist. Dark purple straps wrapped underneath their armpits to their backs. They also had snake camo patterned scarfs wrapped around their necks and black pants. They all had black full-face masks on which only had a single opening for their eyes. On their foreheads stitched into the masks were their metal plates that displayed the musical note symbol of the Hidden Sound Village.

"Yes, the summoning array is moments away from being fully charged. All we'll need after that is to wait on the signal." The Hidden Sand Jōnin replied as he along with nearly two dozen of his colleges were sitting in a large circle spread apart with a massive summoning sealing array in the center of their formation. It was extremely complex and looked like it was meant to summon something big, and if not that at the very least a large quantity of the unknown.

They weren't the only ones in a circle. Two other groups were in this formation as well but they were comprised of Sound ninja and the seal they were constructing wasn't Fūinjutsu at all. It was a large-scale magic circle. This didn't bode well for the Hidden Leaf who were unaware of this happening right outside of their walls.

"Good… we had to dodge a few ANBU patrols along the way. For some reason it would seem the Leaf is starting to tighten up their security. It all started only about 15 minutes ago." The Sound Jōnin admitted which caught the Sand Jōnin's attention.

"Do you think we've been compromised? Do they know we're here?" The man in the turban asked in concern as he eyed the camo printed Jōnin for a response. The shinobi of the sound frowned behind his facemask. "I don't think so, it shouldn't be possible. We haven't received any intel that we've been made. Until further notice we'll be sticking with the plan." The Sound Jōnin said as he took off with his squad to get into his assigned position.

* * *

 _ **Chūnin Exam Arena**_

Time seemed to come to a stop as Sasuke was slowly but surely finding it harder and harder to free his hand from the sand dome. He knew he connected with Gaara based off of the warm and wet feeling of blood and flesh on the palm of his hand but something was just off about this ominous feeling permeating the air around the stadium.

"What is this… this wet and warm feeling… what is this mother… is this blood? Is this my blood!? It's blood! IT'S MY BLOOD!" Gaara screamed a blood curdling scream of terror that sent a cold chill up Sasuke's spine. Almost everyone in the audience jumped in their seats from the sheer fright and shock rippling through their bodies. They were not expecting to hear the red headed unstable Jinchūriki scream his lungs out in such a terrified manner. It didn't stop there as Sasuke felt something latch onto his arm.

A sinister oppressive chakra could be felt seeping through the tough shell of sand into the air and feeling this Sasuke panicked a little bit and flared his new lightning technique once again which caused Gaara to scream even more. Ripping his arm free from the sand dome Sasuke jumped back in a hurry once a large nearly 15-foot-long clawed arm made of sand jutted out of the hole created by Sasuke's Chidori. The monstrous hand had navy blue stylized markings on it that if one were to look extremely closely at they could see that markings were actually tiny Fūinjutsu symbols condensed down to such a size that it looked like one solid strip of paint.

' _What the hell is that?'_ Genma questioned in the back of his mind as he clenched his fist within his pockets. The senbon that he was chewing on in his mouth become taunt as his jaw tightened up. He didn't like this. He was well aware of Gaara's status as a Jinchūriki, and what he was seeing with his own to eyes and what he was feeling chakra wise was all the indication he needed to know that things were going to quickly spiral out of control if left to continue as they were.

Instead of pursuing Sasuke further the hideous sand arm retracted back into the hole the Uchiha punctured in the defensive dome. It was slow and methodical as it disappeared back into the darkness of the hole and a low baritone growl could be heard coming from the sphere of sand in a show of warning. It sounded like a monster instead of a human like Gaara should be and a glowing gold colored diamond patterned eye could be seeing peeking out from the darkness of the enclosed dome. The presence the eye gave off as well as the potent killing intent exuding from it terrified Sasuke to his core. It was unlike anything he's ever felt before.

"What are you?" Sasuke whispered in shock as he took a few steps back in trepidation. Genma took a quick peek up to the Hokage and Raidō who were gazing down at him with the utmost serious look on their faces. Genma grew tense as he watched what was going to happening closely. He would be ready to act at a moment's notice.

The shell in the very next moment began to crack and break apart which got people on their seats in anticipation. "He's hurt." Temari grieved in shock as she gripped the metal railings in the observation area to the point where her skin turned bone white. Kankurō had a terrified look on his face as he took a few steps back in fright. His heart was racing a mile a minute and the thoughts of the Invasion Plan were pounding in the back of his skull as he turned to his sister in fear. Gaara had a stab would that was leaking blood on his shoulder and he was breathing heavily while holding his injury. An unstable and wild look was in Gaara's eyes as he seethed in Sasuke's direction. He looked like he would snap at any given second.

"Is it time. Are we doing this…?" Kankurō whispered out while eyeing the other three kunoichi in the observation room. Sweat was building up on his face as Temari shook her head quickly in indecisiveness. "I don't know. This wasn't supposed to happen like this." The girl was uncomfortable with how things were unfolding and even she was uncertain with how things would go from here. Luckily that decision would be made for them in the next few seconds as a certain individual took this time to act.

' _It's time.'_ Kabuto schemed as he perched himself in a tree overlooking the stadium. He would have snuck into the stands disguised as a ANBU guard but the grey-haired spy noticed that more agents were starting to move in. He couldn't waste time trying to navigate through their scrutiny when it would inevitable come out that he was out of place amongst their ranks so he instead chose to forgo that idea entirely. He would cut out the hassle and unnecessary extra work and just simply sit outside of the stadium while still being well within range of the audience.

" **Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana – Feather Illusion Jutsu."** Kabuto intoned as he unleashed his deceptively potent and sinister chakra into the air around the stadium. The air became heavy as imaginary white feathers started to drop out of the sky into the stadium. It was a powerful wide area of effect Genjutsu that could blanket large complex's like the coliseum under its affects. It's not an easy technique to use or master as Kurenai would attest to. Being the Hidden Leaf's Genjutsu master she has experience with this particular technique and because of its difficulty even she doesn't use it often.

' _Feathers?'_ Iris noticed as white feathers started to fall from the sky in her vision. She felt the overwhelming sensation to fall asleep until one of the actual feathers touched her shoulder. The princess's eyes flared a powerful emerald green that blasted the imaginary feathers away. "Look at the pretty feathers Iris." Chaos giggled as she remained completely unaffected by this powerful Genjutsu. For starters most known Genjutsu don't work on Chaos because of her biology and the fact that she has defenses against illusionary based attacks. It also helps that she has powerful illusion abilities of her own.

Shoko's eyes turned ice cold as she dispersed a powerful shockwave of chakra across the area around her waking up the ninja around her. It was time. Many high ranking and skilled shinobi of the leaf each started to release themselves from the Genjutsu in an instant once they realized what was happening to them.

' _That's the signal, the invasion has begun.'_ Baki noted as his heart started to pound within his chest. He would rather not have to fight the Hidden Leaf but the orders from his Kazekage are absolute and he recognizes the fact that his village is in economic trouble and the Leaf is partially to blame. In the end he was a shinobi and he had a job to do, regardless of his personal feelings.

"That's the signal… it's time." Temari said as she and her brother hopped the railings of the observation room down to the arena floor below.

"Lord Hiruzen… this year's Chūnin Exam has been the most fun and entertaining I've ever witnessed… but like all good things, eventually they have to come to an end. But our fun is just beginning." Rasa said as his two body guards came to life and threw down smoke bombs.

A loud and large explosion of dense black smoke filled the Kage VIP box and its occupants which garnered the attention of every single person in the entire stadium. "LORD HOKAGE!" Guy shouts in concern as sand and sound shinobi started to pop up in the arena from every conceivable hiding spot. Many of the visible sand shinobi in the audience jumped up from their seats and began attacking the closest leaf ninja in the area. Sound ninja were coming out in droves ready to pounce upon the unsuspecting leaf shinobi but the ANBU Black Ops were quick to respond as they intercepted many of the invading shinobi.

One such sound ninja was close enough to Shoko to select her as his target and taking a daring leap at her from behind he suddenly found his vision becoming disoriented from the rest of his body. A severed head flew past Shoko's still form as a murderous and bone chilling look appeared in her eyes. The gentle and kind motherly figure to Naruto was gone now and in her place, was a full-blown killer, a Shinobi.

"Henrietta! Take Hinata and her sister and get out of here! Section 2 get the rest of the asleep Genin and go with them. Find the rest of the agents and leave!" Shoko shouted out her orders as her beautiful sword was out in a moment's notice and another Sound Jōnin who had already committed to his charge alongside his fellow fallen shinobi found himself dead in an instant by an invisible lightning fast slash from the Kage level kunoichi. The purple haired woman wasn't joking around as yet another ninja fell to her blade who tried to aim for Henrietta and Hinata.

"Sister let's go!" Iris said as she jumped out of her chair alongside Chaos. The tiny terror had a psychotic look on her face that was warping her usual beautiful visage into a state of psychosis. Iris was active immediately as she foresaw the first threat to her and her family. The child reacted in an instant with a suitable defense for the situation. A massive gust of wind wiped up into the stands that blocked an incoming rain of kunai from three sand Chūnin. Kakashi was in the game in an instant as he grabbed the group of kunai out of the air in the blink of an eye and threw them back at the three-enemy ninja who weren't prepared for such a rebound.

One of them was killed from this counter attack with a kunai to the neck while the second Chūnin took a knife to the chest which his flak jacket protected him from. The third Chūnin jumped away to safety before being engaged by another leaf Ninja. All out anarchy was beginning to break out in the stadium as the spectators found themselves in a slumbering sleep with the Hidden Leaf Shinobi fighting all around them to keep everyone safe. A toxic feeling of dread and negative emotions flooded Naruto' soul due to his close connections with his two daughters and Eva who all have strong affinities for sensing the emotions and energies of others.

"Naruto pull it together! We've got trouble!" Shikamaru shouted as he saw two sound ninjas running up the steps towards them. They never got to make if far before Guy intervened. **"Dynamic Entry!"** The green clad Elite Jōnin shouted as he performed a double stomp to the back of the two enemy shinobi's skulls slamming them face first into the concrete steps below in a brutal display of domination. Behind him the others could see Kakashi taking on four Sound Chūnin at the same time while Kurenai, Asuma, Izumo and Kotetsu joined the fray once more sand and sound ninja made their presence known.

"Guy Sensei! What do we do?" Lee shouted in concern as he felt extremely vulnerable right now. Balancing on his two crutches with limited mobility was the worst feeling Lee could be experiencing right now as the sound of metallic kunai clashing against each other started to fill the stadium all around them. "Lee go with those girls over there by the Genin. They'll escort you to safety." Guy instructed as he fell in line with Shoko's earlier orders. He recognized that this would be the best solution to keeping the Genin safe. Lee nodded in understanding to this as he began making his way up the steps to the closest exit. The girls were right behind him escorting Hinata and the other asleep Genin out of the stadium. The audience would be fine since they were civilians and would be spared from this attack. Ninja on the other hand no matter the rank would be viable targets. Especially clan heirs.

Speaking of Clan Heirs, Hinata was scared beyond belief due to all the fighting going on around her. Her heart was pounding out of her chest in a painful manner as ninja jumped overhead fighting to the death. It was a stressful situation as the mafia girls formed a defensive perimeter around the Genin. Ino, Tenten, Chōji, and Kiba were all asleep having fallen victim to the Genjutsu's affects. Sakura who was adept at Genjutsu managed to detect this before it was too late so she was fully awake and aware of the battle happening around her. The pink haired Genin was out of her depth here but that didn't stop her from grabbing Ino to wake her up.

It only took a few seconds for Sakura to wake up her friends while on the move as they navigated their way through the stands. "Look a Hyūga! She'll do nicely." A sound Chūnin said as he and his two partners charged at the group of Genin with their intentions perfectly clear. "Hinata!" Hiashi yelled as he jumped the row of chairs in front of him within the blink of an eye. The Hyūga Clan head slammed a gentle fist strike into the attacking Chūnin's chest so hard the man's entire chest cavity ruptured in an instant. The man's body crumpled to the floor within seconds of Hiashi's brutal attack but it didn't stop the second sound ninja from making a b-line straight for the group of supposedly undefended kids.

"Hinata stay back, I got this. Rico switch with me." Henrietta called out as she quickly pushed Hinata into Rico's arms. The chestnut colored haired girl gained a rather dark look in her eyes as a combat knife slid into her hands faster than the eye could see. The Chūnin pulled out a Tantō from behind his back before charging in towards what he assumed would be an easy task. The older man slashed down with his short sword in an aggressive manner putting all of his weight into his swing which was a huge mistake as the smaller girl spun on a dime and judo tossed the man in one smooth and fluid motion.

The man hit the ground with a loud thud and a wheezing cough as he came to realize his fatal mistake. Attempting to rectify this proved futile as Henrietta who was still grasping the man's arm not only broke his wrist with a lightning fast twist of her hand but also his entire shoulder itself by dislocating it out of its socket. The man screamed in immeasurable pain as he wrenched his arm free from Henrietta's grasp. Scrambling to his feet while seething in pain the man switched hands and picked up his weapon to once again try attacking his opponent. The young mafia agent flicked her wrist and twirled her combat knife around in her hand right in time to block a heavy-handed slash from the man's short sword. The skilled girl disengaged at just the right moment to throw the man off balance from their blade lock and with surgical precision drove the knife right into his neck once he fell forward. It was quick, brutal, and efficient but Henrietta didn't just stop there.

She sensed the last Chūnin approaching her from her blind spot. The third assailant that decided to take the long way around Hiashi and his powerful presence. The man leapt at Henrietta's seemingly undefended back which was his first and last mistake. Because of the angle he put himself in while in midair he couldn't see the 12-year-old girl's arms which were being obscured by the corpse of his recently deceased ally. A soft click was heard as Henrietta's wrist plate opened up showing the intricate mechanical parts of her puppet like prosthetic limbs. Spinning around on the heel of her foot Henrietta took aim at the airborne shinobi and discharged a single round from the projectile weapon embedded in her arm. A small round chakra coated black bead shot through the air like lightning and pierced the man's skull instantly killing him before he could hit the ground. His dead body dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes while never even making it within ten feet of the Section 2 agent.

"Area secure. Let's go." Henrietta said as she turned to see Ino and the other Genin looking at her in shock. Hinata had a sad and remorseful look on her face. The girls from section 2 were killing machines whenever the situation demanded it and now was no different. "Come on we have to go." Henrietta said in an insecure voice as she tried to shrug off the scared looks from the Genin. None of them have had to kill in such a brutal fashion before. The only thing any of them have had to fight to the death with was the ogre demon that was summoned forth from the scroll back in the forest of death. The death of a mindless monster hardly compared to the death of a sentient being, even if they were trying to kill you.

"Hinata! Take your sister with you." Hiashi shouted out as Hanabi could be seen hiding in between the seats of the audience. Small fearful tears were coming from the little girl's eyes and seeing this broke Hinata's heart. Her little sister needed her. "I've got her!" Iris called out as she jumped down into the row of seats above the others. The blond-haired princess had a tender look in her eyes as she grabbed ahold of her best friend and wrapped her arms around her. Chaos in the meantime was covering her sister from 2 sand ninja that managed to slip past Kurenai and Asuma in the confusion.

It was pandemonium for everyone present as Iris managed to reunite Hanabi with Hinata who immediately embraced her baby sister in a bone crushing hug. "Hinata get out of here with everyone else. I'll take care of this." Naruto said as he jumped down to join the group alongside Shikamaru and Shino.

"Naruto what's going on?! What are we going to do?" Hinata asked as Naruto could see the concern in her eyes. She felt powerless to help anyone do to her condition and now with all of the fighting going on around her she knew she was completely useless. "We're under attack but everything will be fine guys. Just get to safety. Aria will go with you as backup and escort you to the fallout shelters. Me and the girls will stay here and handle things. So, get going." Naruto said with a reassuring smile as the rest of their Jōnin instructors grouped up with them.

"Naruto, I just saw Sasuke leave the stadium in pursuit of Gaara and his teammates. He's going to be alone and outgunned. I need you to go after him and give him some backup. Gaara's the key to this invasion Naruto as I'm sure you've already guessed given how special he is. Stop him at all cost. This is an A – Rank mission. Do not fail." Kakashi ordered in a serious voice as he stood tall before his students. He was completely serious right now as he watched Guy in the background taking on several ninjas at once and winning.

"I understand sensei… Shikamaru, Shino you up for this?" Naruto nodded as he turned to his two friends with a small smirk on his face. Shikamaru took one look at the expression on his friends face and sighed with an exasperated façade marring his face. "Do I really have a choice…?" Shikamaru mused as he gained the tiniest hints of a smile on his face. He would go even if Naruto didn't ask. Naruto smiled as he turned to Shino only to get a simple nod of conformation from the silent and stoic male. Shino was tagging along regardless.

"Wait… Naruto, don't leave without me. Let me come with you." Sakura spoke up suddenly which even surprised her as an uncertain look on her face. "Sakura…" The others had surprised looks on their faces as at the pink haired girl's bold declaration which was causing an embarrassed blush to spread out across her face. Naruto scanned his teammate with a searching look in his eyes as he apparently found what he was looking for. "You're worried about Sasuke aren't you?" Naruto pointed out which deepened the blush on Sakura's face. "Was I really that obvious?" Sakura lamely stated with an embarrassed continence marring her face.

"Pretty much… but he's your teammate so it's only natural." Naruto replied as he overlooked the obvious reason on why Sakura really wanted to come. She had a big crush on Sasuke. That's been common knowledge for so long and that fact hasn't changed even now.

"Ok, it's decided then. You'll need a tracker so I'll give you Pakkun." Kakashi said as he summoned his personal familiar which waved to everyone once the smoke cleared. The grey haired Jōnin brought his personal dog summon up to speed on everything that was happening in this unexpected invasion which surprised the pug quite a bit. "Alright, I understand. I can get the job done, if you kids put a pep in your step then I'll let you touch my paws. They're really soft." Pakkun said with his deep baritone voice which was very distracting considering the fact the little pug was barely even a foot tall.

The people present had weirded out expressions on their faces do to the fact Pakkun had a completely straight face. His voice also didn't help the situation since there were no inflection of sarcasm in the tone in which he spoke. "Uh… maybe another time Pakkun." Naruto declined with a short chuckle. He remembered as a small child the little pug would try and coerce him into touching his paws. He always claimed that they were very soft. "Ooh… I want to touch your paws!" Chaos's squeaky voice shouted out as the tiny terror in question phased into existence in her unusual manner with an excited look in her reflective currently ruby red scanners. Her typical dopey smile was in place and the pungent aura of insanity was in full effect.

"Humph… At least one kid can appreciate a good thing when she sees it." Pakkun huffed as he held his small pink paw up to Chaos's face who poked it with her small fingers. A squeaky giggle escaped the child Angeloid's mouth who grinned just like her father. "It's so soft…" The girl intoned as it would seem the psychotic little girl was getting lost in her own little world. "Chaos is that blood on your wings?" Sakura pointed out as she eyed splotches of fresh blood dripping from her sharp array of bladed wings.

"Yep, those mean ninja were trying to hurt those people in the stands… so I had to punish them." Chaos idly stated without a single care in the world. In her mind her actions were completely justified. Naruto had a slightly disturbed look in his eyes at his daughter's callous words but he also knew and accepted the fact that this was just the way she is. "Come on Chaos… we need to go catch up with Sasuke. You can play with Pakkun later." Naruto insisted as he managed to pull the distracted little girl away from the charming puppy.

With that settled Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sakura grouped up with Chaos and Iris joining them. Their destination was as clear as their mission was. Sasuke was out there in the chaotic carnage of this unprecedented invasion chasing down the most important asset to their enemies. He was alone without back up and more than likely outgunned. Temari still had a little gas left in the tank and as she's proved throughout the entire Chūnin Exam she's no push over, she's quite powerful. Kankurō on the other hand was completely fresh and could be hiding any number of secrets up his sleeve. As good as Sasuke is this set up didn't favor him, especially since he expended some stamina and chakra in his fight.

The group was seconds away from taking off after Naruto parted one final goodbye to Hinata and the others now that things in the lower levels of the stands were calming down but one person had to object to this. "Master let me come with you." Aria spoke up suddenly which caught Naruto's and everyone else's attention immediately. "Aria…? Why? I need you here with the others escorting them to safety." Naruto questioned as he had already told Aria what he wanted her to do. "I know… but they can take care of themselves, besides… everytime something happens you always send me off to do something else. I want to be useful to you master and I just have a gut feeling that I should come with you this time." Aria insisted as a swirling mass of emotions were swimming within her turquoise colored eyes. Naruto's never seen his faithful companion like this before, but now that he thought about it it's true. Naruto never really lets Aria do anything, she's always off to the side in these matters. Naruto now felt guilty about this revelation but time was pressing on. He had no choice but to decide now.

"Hey, Naruto… I'll look after them. We can handle ourselves." Kiba spoke up as he looked directly into Naruto's eyes with a serious expression on his face. None of Kiba's usual jealous animosity was in his eyes right now, only determination. For Naruto it felt like an eternity as he stared into his rival's eyes. He was trying, he wanted to see if this was a ruse. If Kiba was attempting to deceive him or not but it wasn't the case. Naruto had no doubt Kiba still liked Hinata but at the moment the Inuzuka clan heir was putting all of that aside for the greater good. The blond haired Uzumaki couldn't find any fault with such a declaration so he nodded a nod of respect to Kiba who returned it. "Ok, be careful. Henrietta get everyone out of here." Naruto conceded as watched his colleague give him a small smile.

"Come on Aria. Let's not fall behind." Naruto said with a wave of his hand as his cheerful witch servant beamed a bright smile. "I won't let you down master!" Aria said as she bounded after the backup squad who was finally ready to leave. "You never have Aria. Now let's go!" Naruto responded as he jumped out of the stands with his impromptu team following close behind. They cleared the large field for the exams in a few seconds while staying out of the way of Genma who was going toe to toe with Baki and was surprisingly enough holding his own extremely well. Despite Genma being a Special Jōnin and Baki being an Elite Jōnin the toothpick loving man was no pushover. It would seem he had a lot more power and skill than he would initially have you to believe.

The squad jumped up to the top of the stadium walls before disappearing over the horizon. Pakkun was beginning his job as the little pug led the mismatched group of Genin on their most serious mission yet. The fate of the Hidden Leaf depended on it.

"Kakashi! Where did you just send Naruto?" Shoko's voice could be heard as the older woman jumped down to join the group of Jōnin who were holding off a large group of enemy Chūnin and Jōnin. "I sent him after Sasuke and Gaara to back him up. Gaara is most likely the key to this invasion with him being a Jinchūriki, the sand must plan to have Gaara transform in the middle of the village. The plan probably was for him to do it right here in the middle of the stadium killing everyone instantly." Kakashi explained as Shoko narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Lord Hokage needs to be reinforced and this stadium needs to be cleared. Me and Lord Dino can do that, you need to clear the stadium and then go help out the front lines." Shoko advised as she cut down four Chūnin at once. Her strikes were lightning fast and surgical as she tore into any enemy who was unlucky enough to challenge her.

"I understand, but where is Lord Dino?" Kakashi called out which brought Shoko's attention over to the VIP section and sure enough the old man was missing as well as Balalaika. Realizing this Shoko turned her attention to the Hokage's VIP veranda only to see a large purple barrier shooting up into the sky sealing the entire roof of the building off from everything else. "A barrier…? If Lord Hokage is in there than maybe I can cut it down…" Shoko began but was cut off from a very loud screeching sound that could be heard from all across the village. Jumping up onto the roof of the stadium building Shoko and the others could see a massive three headed snake smashing through the great walls that surround the village's perimeter. It was brown in color and was hissing in warning to the battalions that challenged it.

"… A summoning that size will wreak havoc in the village. Change of plans, Kakashi I'll handle the summoning. You guys clean up here and go back up the Hokage after the stadium is cleared." Shoko instructed in a commanding voice that those around her felt in their very bones. "Understood…" Kakashi said absentmindedly as he watched the powerful woman take a great leap off of the stadium roof and clear as least 1000 feet before touching down on a building at least a few blocks away. The kunoichi was out of sight before long.

"Right… let's not stand around anymore… we got work to do." Kakashi said as he revealed his Sharingan eye. The village wasn't going to protect itself.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Lightning Style: Chidori -** The Chidori is a high concentration of lightning chakra around the user's hand. To perform, the user first gathers lightning to their hand; the high concentration of electricity produces a sound reminiscent of many birds chirping, hence the name. Once the chakra is gathered, users charge at their target and thrust the Chidori into them, piercing them and typically causing fatal damage. Despite the sound it makes, the rapid speed at which it's used makes it useful for assassinations.

2.) **Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana - Feather Illusion Jutsu -** It is a powerful genjutsu that generates a fluttering rain of sleep-inducing, illusory white feathers. Whomever sees them as they fall, piling up and covering the whole target area, will experience Eden-like bliss and fall into a state of tranquil slumber. No matter how much one resists the hypnotic spell, the desire to sleep is instinctive, and there's no fighting it. However, an experienced shinobi will be able to dispel the genjutsu before it takes effect.

3.) **Dynamic Entry -** The technique is basically the user performing a jump kick into their opponent's face. It is executed in a surprise attack manner in which the target is caught completely off guard by the user's attack. Once executed it is done in a devastating manner that is meant to incapacitate the victim and end the fight before it can even begin.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ So how was that? This chapter took me a lot longer to write than usual since my head hasn't been in the game for the last week or so. A dosage of stress to your daily mix can do that to you. But anyways this chapter is out now and the invasion has officially begun. Chaos is in abundance now and our favorite little Angeloid of death is enjoying herself immensely.

The Hidden Leaf is fully aware now that an invasion is imminent but even with this forewarning it still doesn't mean the village is fully prepared to fight off such an attack. Naruto and Hinata share another moment together but an embarrassing one at that. It's certainly one that they're not going to forget.

Chaos erupts in the stadium as all of the hidden Sand and Sound Shinobi begin to assault the leaf ninja in an all out brawl that catches many off guard except for our main characters. Iris and Chaos spring into action saving lives and protecting the lives of their friends while Shoko begins to indiscriminately cut down any enemy shinobi foolish enough to get in her way. It goes without saying that SHoko is a completely different person in the middle of battles. Henrietta also gets a moment to shine surprisingly and I have to say personally it's about damn time. I've just had to poor girl in the background alongside the members of section 2. The last time they had any action was way back in the first story.

The same could be said for Aria who finally speaks up and insist on joining Naruto on his mission. I added this scene in as my way of acknowledging the fact that Aria has never gone on a mission with Naruto before. She's never fought by his side to be more exact and this is my way of remedying that glaring oversight. Admittedly it's also a way for me to add in some character development for the girl among other things.

Things will be heating up in the following chapters to come so please leave a review and I hope to see you guys next time.

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 61 (Monster Hunt)**_

* * *

 _That's the end of Chapter 60 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

 **Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.**

 **Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.**

* * *

 _ **Published:**_ 11/17/2017


	62. CH: 61 Monster Hunt

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ Hey guys I'm back with another chapter. This chapter if full of surprises and interesting scenes. The invasion is in full swing and all of our characters are going off on their own missions. Unexpected characters and choices will be made in this chapter that will surprise you all. I'm super happy with the way this chapter has turned out.

* * *

Chapter 61

 _ **Monster Hunt**_

They were being followed… this wasn't good. Gaara wasn't in any condition to fight at the moment. He needed to get to a safe location where he could recover from his injury and rebalance himself. Mentally he was quite destabilized and unhinged from his fight with Sasuke Uchiha and now he was in no condition to properly unleash his Tailed Beast.

"Temari what do we do… if Gaara doesn't get his act together he won't be able to play his part in the invasion?" Kankurō's frantic voice could be heard through the rustling leaves as he and his sister traversed the dense forested biome surrounding the Hidden Leaf village. Hoisted on Kankurō's shoulder was his little brother Gaara, the Jinchūriki to the One Tailed Shukaku.

"I know but there's not much we can do about that right now. We need to make it to the rendezvous point and get Gaara some help… but it's taking us a while to get there since we had to take the long route around." Temari implied as she kept looking behind her as a precaution since she knew they were being pursued by Sasuke Uchiha. He was quick to jump on their tails the second they fled the stadium which was making their job in protecting their brother infinitely harder.

The siblings had troubled looks on their faces as they poured on the speed to draw distance between them and their persistent pursuer who so far was still after them despite the traps they laid in their wake. If things kept up this way, then one of them was going to have to break off and stall Sasuke to buy time. It was their only option left after running for nearly twenty minutes.

"He's getting closer Temari… let me stay behind and stop him. You've already exhausted your chakra fighting that lazy guy and your Wind Style Ninjutsu will only make his Fire Style stronger. I'd be the better choice." Kankurō suggested once they sensed the stubborn Uchiha closing the distance with them at a rapid pace. The boy was highly skilled, and that fact was only augmented by his tenacity. As things stood now, the Sand Siblings had no choice but to split up and fight now if they wanted everything to continue in their favor. If Sasuke caught up to them then it would be a chaotic mess of trying to hold the skilled Genin off and keeping the psychotic Jinchūriki both safe and in check. Seeing Sasuke again could set Gaara off into a rampage and he very well could unleash his Tailed Beast right then and there. The plan was for Gaara to transform inside the village, now that they were on the run the siblings had to meet up with a team of Sand Ninja in a staging ground far outside the village. They would escort them back into the Hidden Leaf in the second and final wave and have Gaara transform then.

At the very least that is supposed to be the plan, but Sasuke was putting a major dampener on that initiative. "Are you sure…?" The blond-haired teenager asked with concern to her brother who had a grim expression on his painted face. "I'm sure… I've got a job to do after all. You just get going and don't wait for me." Kankurō instructed as he passed Gaara over to his sister and slowed down to a stop on a thick tree branch with a solemn look on his face. He watched his sister race forward through the trees leaving him behind.

The aspiring puppeteer master turned to face the direction he and his sister was just traveling from with a serious expression on his face. His puppet that was usually wrapped up in bandages strapped to his back was down by his side leaning against the tree with his hand placed firmly on top of the large construct in a ready position.

Kankurō wouldn't have to wait for long as the black clad elite Genin soon came into view. Sasuke's longer bangs did little to hide the determined look in his eyes. He knew Gaara was up ahead and currently Kankurō stood in his way. That was something that needed to change. "I'm only going to tell you this once… move." Sasuke's demand was short and straight to the point. In all honesty, Kankurō expected nothing less from the Uchiha but that didn't mean he had to like it. Nor was he going to take it sitting down either.

"And what if I don't? What then?" Kankurō replied back with steel in his voice. The onyx colored eyes of the last loyal Uchiha was an intimidating sight to see and the puppeteer could guarantee that seeing the famed Sharingan would be even worse. Hearing this retort, the glare on Sasuke's face deepened as his semi matured Sharingan came to life in a crimson light. Kankurō couldn't help the deadpan that came to his face at this development. It would seem comical irony was striking him down right now. He wasn't really a great matchup against a Sharingan user. With their ability to slow down the optical perception of time in their brain and see chakra in different colors it would make it incredibly hard for a puppeteer to use his puppet against such a foe.

"You'll find out soon enough." These were Sasuke's last words as he leapt at the older Genin with all his might. He was getting through weather the Sand Genin would allow it or not.

* * *

 _ **Chūnin Exam Stadium**_

Chaos.

That would be the best word to describe the confusion and abruptness of the situation this individual found herself in. Their red hair stuck out like a sore thumb as they quietly slipped out of the stadium by reducing their chakra signature to absolute zero. It was a unique ability exclusive to her as far as she knew. This girl was Karin. The red headed girl wanted no part in the carnage taking place in the stadium she just left. Leaf, Sand, and Sound ninja were battling it out in the bleachers surrounded by unconscious civilians. Stray kunai and rag dolled bodies were dropping down onto the defenseless and unaware innocence injuring them in their slumber.

Karin didn't want to end up as an unfortunate casualty in this unwarranted attack, so she escaped the complex by taking advantage of the first opportunity given to her. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she peeked around the corner or the building. She didn't know where she could possibly go, she had no allegiance to this village and her own village of the Hidden Grass only used her as a healing battery to heal their wounded. To be more specific they forced her into it following the passing of her mother who was the previous holder of this daunting responsibility. Karin didn't want this to be the full extent of the rest of her life, it was completely unfair and unjust. The red-haired girl felt a heavy weight settle in her heart with these depressing thoughts.

This was her chance. She could slip away in the carnage of this battle and claim that she was killed in the attack. She could start her life over without having to be allied with the Hidden Grass. Making her decision Karin took her headband off and threw it to the ground. After the second exam ended her village never even came to retrieve her following the deaths of her two teammates, who didn't even care about her to begin with which put into perspective just how much her village valued her as a person.

The weight that was in her heart lifted following this action and taking a deep breath, the red-haired girl was going to slip away until a hand tapped her on her shoulder. Screaming in fright Karin turned around only to come face to face with Fū. The dark-skinned girl had a cheerful look on her face as she giggled at the frightened expression on Karin's face. "What are you doing?!" Karin yelled as she backed away from the cheerful girl and pulled out a kunai in defense. Fū chuckled as she held her hands up.

"Easy their sister. I'm not here to fight, I'm just trying to get away from all that mess. What are you up too?" Fū asked with a small smile on her face. She seemed unaffected by the ambient negativity in the air from the violence happening inside the building they were standing against. The small smile on her face seemed capable of shielding her from her worries.

"I'm… I don't know… I just want to get out of here. I want to start new…" Karin mumbled as the older girl stared at her with a contemplative look on her face. "Then let's go! We can go anywhere really." Fū said with her palpable air of enthusiasm suffocating Karin. "Wait what? Are you serious… what about you? Don't you have a village of your own?" Karin blurted out in surprise at Fū's happy go lucky attitude. It was extremely erratic and unpredictable for Karin to properly get a hold of. The mint green haired girl just seemed to do what she wanted with no regards to logic.

"Don't worry about it silly! I'm really lucky so I'll be alright. After we're done here you can come back with me to my village. I could always use a friend." Fū said with her cheerful attitude in full effect but Karin could detect a hint of longing in her voice. The girl was looking for a friend.

Before the two girls could continue their conversation, they saw a shadow fly over their heads. Looking up both girls see Gaara being carried by his siblings leaving out of the stadium in a hurry. Gaara was clearly injured and his siblings were escorting him which was shocking in and of itself but what followed made the situation even more interesting. Sasuke Uchiha could be seen nearly a minute and a half later following after the fleeing trio with a purpose in his step.

"That boy… he's number one." Fū stated with a peculiar look in her orange eyes that held excitement and wonder in it. Fū apparently knew Gaara's real identity if the amused expression on her face was any indication. "He has such large "chakra reserves… it's huge, but it feels so evil… sinister and unhinged…" Karin mumbled in uncertainty as her red eyes bored into Gaara's retreating form. "… but your chakra is even bigger than his, it's monstrous in comparison. But it feels so happy and calm. It's pleasant." Karin comments idly while panning her gaze towards Fū who beamed brightly at her in response. "That's because I'm lucky number seven! Number one is kind of a grumpy pants but maybe that can change… then we can be friends." Fū grinned as she watched Sasuke begin his elusive chase. "I take it you're a Sensory Type Ninja based on the way you reacted to him." Fū mentioned as she had a look of anticipation on her face.

"Yeah… I was born one… it's about all I'm really good at. I'm not a front-line battle shinobi, I'm a support type." Karin revealed as Fū shook her head in acknowledgement to this as she grabbed onto Karin's hand and started to drag her off in the direction the fleeing sand ninja were heading. "Hey wait! What are you doing?" Karin wasn't exactly sure what Fū's intentions were but heading in the direction those ninja just took off in was not in her to do list. "Come on… lets go meet number one, we'll ask him to be our friend after we help him." Fū squeals as she pulled the red head along with her without any hesitation. "Hold on! I don't want to go… this isn't our problem! We'll get hurt or worse." Karin protested as the negative energy associated with Gaara's chakra was severely off putting to the sensitive girl and Sasuke's chakra wasn't far off in that department either. He had a slightly jaded feeling to his chakra that was hiding something even more sinister. His chakra was slightly attractive to her she'll admit, but whatever that darker aspect of his internal energy is was very disconcerting.

"Don't be a chicken. It will all be fine. After we help him out and ask him to be our friend I'll take you back with me to the Hidden Waterfall Village. You can be my friend and we'll have a blast together!" Fū insisted with a cheerful smile on her beautiful face which was too much for Karin to resist as the dark-skinned kunoichi managed to drag the red head along with her.

* * *

It took them little to no time at all to eventually catch up with the tense pursuit going on in front of them. Kankurō was staring down Sasuke ready to defend himself against the last Uchiha who looked ready to step over the puppeteer in his quest to reach Gaara.

"Hi there!" Fū exclaimed as she surprised the two Genin who were on a collision course with each other. The dark-skinned girl landed between the two opposing forces and caught Sasuke's punch and Kankurō's puppets wooden hand simultaneously. She gently pushed Sasuke back a bit while throwing the death puppet back towards Kankurō with little difficulty. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked as he sized the girl who was at least 2 inches taller than him up. He wasn't sure what her intentions were but judging by her headband she was from the Hidden Waterfall Village.

"Hi! My name's Fū… I'm just here because I want to meet this guy's younger brother. He's just like me." Fū revealed as she pointed to Kankurō who had a look of shock on his face. "You're just like my brother… you've got a monster inside of you too." Kankurō mumbled in shock and fear as he took an involuntary step back. Fū frowned a bit at this as she leveled a stern gaze at the puppeteer. "It's not a monster, no matter how crazy the One Tailed might be and neither is your brother. He's simply a vessel, and a mistreated one at that." Fū insisted as she voiced her opinion on the treatment of Jinchūriki.

"We've got a job to do… and he has to play his part. You don't know what it's like to grow up living with a person who could snap and kill you at any given moment. I'm just doing my job." Kankurō exclaimed with gritted teeth as he sent a scathing glare towards the newcomer. "You treat him like a weapon… I don't know what it's like to live with a person who would kill you indiscriminately, but only because I'm the one in those shoes. I've been discriminated against my whole life and sometimes I just wish that I could lash out at all of those who hurt me… but shunning your younger brother won't help him live his life." Fū retorted as she glared back at Kankurō who positioned his puppet into a defensive prone position. His fingers were curled and ready to manipulate his remote-control weapon at a moment's notice.

"Why are you doing this?" Sasuke asked as he wearily gazed at Fū who he could tell was a very strong girl. "Just looking out for people like me… It just so happens that I'm doing you a favor. Go on ahead and get to Gaara for me." Fū said with the usual smile on her face fading away. The dark skinned Jinchūriki girl felt strongly about this subject. She's never met another Jinchūriki before, but her caretaker took the time as he was looking after her to explain that there were eight other individuals out in the world with the exact same condition as her.

Ever since becoming aware of this startling revelation Fū has had the innate desire to meet the other few people in the world like her. Only they would truly be able to understand her on a level no one else could. So, to see that another of her kind was being mistreated so badly to the point he was being groomed and conditioned to be a weapon for his village… well it didn't sit right with the happy go lucky girl who has faced her own fair share of prejudice and discrimination. The hatred is all the same and she never knew how badly the other Jinchūriki had it until now.

"I won't let you go near him!" Kankurō disrupted as he manipulated his puppet to launch a hail of needles at Fū who didn't flinch in the fast-moving projectiles coming her way. Sasuke who had his Sharingan active saw this onslaught of steel coming his way and while he could attempt to counter this assault he thought it better to dodge and conserve his energy. Karin was of the same mindset since she wasn't much of a fighter, but she did have very fast reaction speed and decent mobility at her disposable so using her natural gifts the red head jumped away to safety leaving her new and impromptu friend to face the attack head-on.

" **Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu!"** Fū exclaimed as she generated a swirling mass of wind in the palms of her hands that she unleashed in a strong gust of wind that knocked the incoming needles far off course in a harmless manner. Sweating a little since he now knew Fū had a Wind Nature Chakra Affinity Kankurō was sure he was in for an uphill battle. He also knew he would need to quickly go all out and take down all three opponents at once. **"Secret Black Move: Poison Cloud Cover!"** Kankurō intoned as he sent his puppet up into the upper canopy of the trees with one goal in mind.

That goal quickly became known once a noticeable purple haze of wispy smoke started to descend from the air above them. Kankurō's puppet could be seen shooting out of the poisonous fog with a blade jutting out of its elbow. Fū narrowed her eyes at this as she understood what Kankurō was trying to do. The smoke would slowly fall to the ground leaving no room for the victim to escape. You couldn't jump up and above the trees as the fog was there and the longer you waited where you were the quicker the poisonous mist would fall on you. _'Great plan, but not good enough. I just need to disperse that cloud just enough to get some sun light in here.'_ Fū calculated as she formed hand signs.

A great plan… but to bad Kankurō was fighting a kunoichi with an affinity for Wind Nature Chakra. Angling her hands down and straightening her fingers out to make her hands look like knifes or if she were to karate chop someone Fū then quickly proceeded to generate a veil of Wind Nature Chakra around her hands. Throwing her hands out in a wide arc Fū generated thick and sharp crescent waves of wind in multiple burst. **"Wind Style: Slicing Palm Waves Jutsu!"**

While shocked Kankurō could still recognized the danger his puppet was in, so he yanked hard on the semi visible chakra strings attached to the wooden construct which pulled it out of the way of the incoming attack. While a good move Kankurō wasn't fast enough as the puppets legs were cut off from underneath it which held several weapons inside of them. The blade of wind traveled up into the air and cut the fog of poison down the middle which allowed a brief intermission of sunlight to shine down into the trees which was exactly what Fū wanted.

"Uchiha, Karin close your eyes." Fū called out in warning while in the middle of a fast chain of hand signs. Karin did as she was told while Sasuke was a little more reluctant to comply as he was more curious to see what the strange girl was up to. **"Secret Technique: Scaled Powder Jutsu!"** Fū unleashed a billowing cloud of what appeared to be glitter from her mouth that sparkled in the air for all to see. Kankurō and the others didn't see what the harm of this technique was until it passed through the rays of sun light seeping in from the parted poison cloud. The second that it did the glittering mass exploded in a bright flash of pure white light that blinded Kankurō who wasn't observant enough to cover his eyes. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut in pain as his sensitive eyes caught a brief flash of this unorthodox and useful move. The dark-haired boy noted that he couldn't copy the dark-skinned girls move which led him to believe that this was some king of Jutsu unique to her.

Fū grinned in triumph as her signature Jutsu landed its mark without a hitch. She knew now was her chance to strike. Weaving several more hand signs Fū's cheeks expanded slightly as she gathered a peculiar substance within her mouth. **"Secret Technique: String Shot Jutsu!"** Fū launched a thick silvery white rope of insect web like string from her mouth that flew through the air unhindered until it wrapped itself around Kankurō's puppet. The sticky webbing entangled itself into the joints of the mechanical puppet grinding its mobility to a halt. With a swing of her neck Fū launched the immobile weapon into the side of a nearby tree where the webbing's adhesive properties bonded it to the great tree leaving Kankurō now without his only true weapon.

Kankurō's face was contorted in a painful grimace as he rubbed at his eyes that were burning him from the intense flash of light they just had to consume. He's never been subjected to a flashbang of such magnitude before and now he was blinded for the time being which was the worst-case scenario for the puppeteer who was not very good at close range. Most puppeteers weren't, and this fact wasn't going to help him here.

Fū who was looking to end this battle jumped from the tree branch she was on in the direction the incapacitated teenage boy was in. To his credit Kankurō heard the rustling of trees and the commotion Fū was making as she attempted to close the distance between them and knowing he had little choice but to defend himself the conventional way he pulled out a handful of kunai and timed his launch to when he knew she would be in midair and unable to dodge. "Fū watch out!" Karin shouted out as a well spring of concern for her newfound friend erupted from her heart. The girl couldn't dodge this simple and common attack and to make matters worse there was nothing in her immediate vicinity for her to substitute with. Kankurō's plan happened exactly as he wanted it to as his kunai flew through the air straight at Fū who couldn't move out the way. Kankurō was confident he would hit his mark, but he didn't account for Fū's unique and innovative way of maximizing her mobility.

The dark-skinned girl launched a string of her adhesive webbing at a nearby tree which she yanked hard on that sent her swinging out of the way of the otherwise impossible to dodge attack. "No way…" Karin whispered in shock while Sasuke's eyebrows were raised in surprise. He had to admit that Fū's maneuver was very creative and innovative.

Fū had a wide smile on her face yet again as she swung through the trees with a carefree attitude. Fū traversed the tree tops with several more string shots until she was face to face with Kankurō who she skillfully drop kicked into a nearby tree, where his back slammed painfully into the bark of the dense tree in a noticeable thud. Without a pause in her step the teenage girl entangled the Hidden Sand Genin with more of her unique silky threads that she used to bind him to the tree.

"It's time you went to sleep." Fū said as she placed her hand against the cocoon of webs trapping the young man. **"Secret Technique: Leech Life Jutsu."** The silky silver sheened webs wrapped around Kankurō's body turned a sickly lime green color that immediately started to suck Kankurō's chakra reserves dry in a rapid succession. The boy groaned in pain and discomfort before his head fell limp. He didn't have that much chakra to begin with and using a puppet is a strenuous task in and of itself, even if he didn't participate in his match from earlier.

Kankurō was unconscious from chakra exhaustion.

The chakra that Fū exhausted in her fight seeped back into her as she stole Kankurō's chakra from out of his body. The amount she took from him was just about enough to replenish her reserves which didn't take that noticeable of a dip to begin with since she was a Jinchūriki.

"Well that takes care of that… maybe next time you see your brother you'll treat him better." Fū said in a subdued tone of voice. She didn't know she'd be affected so badly by the treatment of her fellow kinsmen, but now that she's gotten a taste of this prejudice she could honestly say to herself that she hated it. She was a ditzy and carefree girl by nature, but she was very sharp and cunning as well as highly intelligent when the situation called for it. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have survived as long as she has. Fū could see the fear in the back of Kankurō's eyes as he spoke of his younger brother. He was terrified of his own little brother. Traumatized by a life of terror and uncertainty because his brother was turned into a human weapon. It was very sad to see and Fū hoped that Kankurō would come around to eventually view his brother as his family after the red head somehow gets some help.

Fū didn't know how Gaara would get the help he'd need, and she was equally uncertain of how she could possibly help but the happy go lucky girl knew she had to at least do something to say that she at least tried. But trying wasn't good enough for Fū. If she could… she would find a way to help.

"Fū are you okay?" Karin asked as she landed next to the slightly older girl who smiled at the red head and slung her arm around the 12-year-old girl's shoulder. "I'm just fine Karin… I just had to teach this guy a quick lesson. Maybe after this is all over he'll treat his younger brother better. None of them deserve to live this way but their lives won't change as long as those around them aren't willing to work for it." Fū explained as she looked to her right and saw Sasuke land on the branch next to her.

"I don't know what your intentions are, but I suppose I could say thank you for the help… what do you plan on doing now?" The Uchiha thanked in a subdued manner. He wasn't used to thanking people but after months of developing his newfound friendship with Naruto he's been slowly regaining that humanity he lost in his childhood. Saying thank you and being polite were concepts that were slowly coming back to him in full.

"I want to meet Gaara and ask him to be my friend… and perhaps do something to help him through the tough time he's in. That's all…" Fū explained simply to Sasuke who had a brief flicker of confusion cross his eyes. "Tough time… what do you mean?" Sasuke asked as he wasn't aware of Gaara's backstory. Naruto never got a chance to talk to his teammates about his encounter with Gaara in Rock Lee's room. Only he knew that not everything was black and white with the homicidal Jinchūriki.

"He's being used as a weapon… I can tell just by how this whole set up is. If I had to guess he was groomed to be a human weapon for his village to use. That's why his siblings are so afraid of him. The Hidden Sand want to use him to destroy your village. He's a lot stronger and dangerous than you may realize. But you see it's not his fault. He was born this way and now he's being used by those around him. Gaara is not exactly the enemy you think he is." Fū pleaded her case in a passion filled voice that actually moved Sasuke to consider the strange girls words. This wasn't something he would normally even consider but something about what Fū was saying was getting to him.

"Sasuke… I know you barely know me as it is, but do you think you can help us, this really means a lot to Fū for some reason and I'd like to help her in anyway that I can. She's now helping me so it's only right I return the favor." Karin spoke up as Sasuke looked to the red head he met back at the Forest of Death's battle tower. She introduced herself to everyone there and seemed to have some kind of connection to Naruto which his teammate later explained was because he saved her life. She then repaid that kindness by helping Team 8 pass. As far as Sasuke was concerned, Karin was okay in his books.

The last loyal Uchiha sighed in exasperation before he shook his head in agreement.

"Ok. I'll help you… but I'm still going to take down Gaara. If Naruto were here I'm sure he'd agree." Sasuke answered as he shrugged his shoulders a bit in a nonchalant attitude. Weather they came with him or not made no difference in Sasuke's eyes, he was still going to catch up with Gaara and beat him.

"Well it just so happens that Naruto is on his way. I can sense him two miles out behind us and closing. He has a squad of your friends with him. I believe it's Sakura, Shino, Shikamaru, and three other individual I don't know about. They also have an animal with them so they're probably tracking us by smell." Karin observed as she could sense their chakra signatures traversing the thick forest of the Land of Fire heading straight for them. "You can sense them that far out there?" Sasuke asked in curiosity. "I'm a Sensory Type Ninja." The red head responded simply.

Karin would have said more if she didn't suddenly tense up in surprise. "What is it?" Fū asked in concern once she noticed Karin's facial expression change. "They're being chased!" Karin exclaimed as Sasuke tensed a bit in slight concern for his teammates. "I count nine enemy ninjas following them and they're all Jōnin level. Six Special Jōnin, two regular Jōnin, and the last is an Elite Jōnin and he's hanging back further away from his squad." Karin explained as Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger. His teammates were in trouble and now he was conflicted on what he should do.

Should he go back to warn them and rendezvous with his team or should he go ahead, and hope Naruto can handle the situation. It was a very hard decision to make and one he couldn't make on such short notice. "I'll send him a message warning him of the danger. We should get ahead and stop Gaara before he goes any further. Karin can you tell were he's going?" Fū stated as she walked over to the trunk of the tree they were standing on. "Yes, he's heading straight for a large group of Jōnin and Chūnin 3 miles away from here. Judging by how far away it is from the Leaf I would assume that is were their main base is. Far enough away from the Leaf to be detected easily, but close enough that they could launch their invasion and not have to travel very far." Karin estimated with a frown on her face.

"I understand… Then we need to stop him before he gets to that base." Fū said as she had a frown marring her face as well. She didn't plan on getting mixed up in a full on potential war but when it became known to her that Gaara was just like her it spurred her into action. Fū was a stubborn girl by nature and once she set her mind to something she never gives up on it. Helping out her kind was something she couldn't simply ignore. Intervening in a war she has no part in could get her and her village in serious trouble if she were discovered but this was a task she had to do.

" **Ninja Art: Wave Transmission Jutsu."** Fū whispered as a ripple like wave of distorted air pulsed off of the tree she laid her hand against. It sounded like howling wind as it passed by Karin and Sasuke's ears, but they didn't pay much attention to that fact. "It's done… I sent him a message and it should be reaching him soon. He's number nine and if he's anything like what we all saw during his match then he should know what to do. So, let's get moving." Fū said wit a cheerful smile blooming to life back on her face. She held confidence in Naruto's ability to lead his team to victory and if necessary face that threat. She's wanted to meet him for a long time now ever since she first made eye contact with him back in the Written Exams room. She just never got the chance. Fū could sense the absolutely monstrous amounts of chakra within Naruto's body and she could even tell that it was mixed. She just didn't know with what.

"Right…" Sasuke mumbled as he took one last look at the direction his teammates were coming from. He hoped they would be okay.

* * *

 _ **Hidden Leaf Village**_

Twenty down.

Shoko was on a role right now. Enemy ninja were falling to Shoko's blade one by one. Our favorite purple haired kunoichi had a dark murderous look in her eyes as she cut into two Sound Chūnin at once. There screams didn't even reach her ears as she cut the head off of a third Sound Chūnin who tried to sneak up on her. Shoko held no light in her eyes as she killed any who came near her indiscriminately and without mercy. It was to the point that she's barely used a single Jutsu since leaving Kakashi and the others at the Stadium. She's just been cutting people apart at speeds that the enemy just couldn't perceive.

Many of these critical kills came from Shoko intercepting enemy ninja who were trying to ambush the Genin and low ranking Chūnin who were escorting the many civilians in the village to the safety shelters. Shoko would cut through the invaders before either they or the unsuspecting Genin and civilians on the streets below would sense, let alone see what was happening. Shoko saw the massive brown Three Headed Summoned Snake crushing houses and city blocks underneath its massive frame in the outskirts of the village. If it traveled further into the land and made it to the dense city scape in the center of the village then the fallout would be catastrophic.

Shoko was determined to not let such a thing happen. She would cut the snake down to size long before it could get to the denser areas of the village. Luckily right now it was in the country side of the village were the fertile farmland was located. Many of the major clans owned property in this section of the village such as the Yamanaka Clan who have massive flower gardens growing for their shop to use in its various sales which included medicinal herbs that were donated and sold to the hospital and other private companies to use.

The Aburame and Akimichi Clans also owned property in these areas as well and it goes without saying that they make the most of their allotted space. Shoko knew that damage was kept to a minimum thanks to the current location of the snake and she planned to keep things that way.

"Shoko! Wait up!" A familiar voice calls out which manages to snap the powerful woman out of her killing spree. "Anko?" Shoko blinked as she saw her fellow purple haired best friend land on the roof besides her. She was accompanied by a few Jōnin and Chūnin with her in a squad and they were heading in the direction of the stadium were a large sinister looking dark purple colored barrier could be seen from miles away creating a rectangular prison on top of the coliseums main roof. Shoko knew that the Hokage was trapped with this powerful barrier and Orochimaru was the one behind all of this.

"What are you doing out here? What's that giant barrier around the stadium?" Anko asked as adrenaline was pumping through her veins by the gallons. Blood was on Anko's signature trench coat and it was fresh. The woman had fresh blood on a kunai in her hand as well which clearly indicated to Shoko that her best friend just got done dispatching several enemy ninjas judging by the amount of blood splattered on the tan trench coat and how it was splattered in various patterns all over the fabric. The rest of Anko's impromptu makeshift squad also had scratches and bruises littered across their bodies. This group has been busy.

Shoko quickly explained the situation as she understood it to Anko who had a deathly grim look on her face as she looked between the giant snake in the distance and the Chūnin Exam's stadium on the other side of the village. Her worst fears were coming to pass, and she felt powerless to stop it.

"Where's Naruto in all of this? Is he safe?" Anko asked in concern as she tried to catch her breath. This was a lot for her to take in and it was starting to overwhelm her emotionally. "He's fine but he has a mission to do now. He's tracking down the One Tailed Jinchūriki, Gaara I believe is his name. It would appear that the Hidden Sand wanted to have Gaara unleash Shukaku right here in the middle of the village in one clean and unexpected swoop. Hundreds would have been killed instantly just from the release of such a creature." Shoko explained as she put the pieces together in her mind quickly once she saw Temari and Kankurō carry Gaara away. To be honest the thought of a Tailed Beast being unleashed right in the middle of the village struck a very dangerous and sensitive nerve within her soul. It hit to close to home for the emotional woman and she didn't like what this scenario implies. It was all to familiar.

"That's dangerous! He could get himself killed!" Anko shouted as it looked like she was about to go on an emotional filled rant that Shoko's no doubt had in her mind ever since watching him run off. The senior woman was quick to calm Anko down and placate her nerves with soothing words. "It will be ok. He has Aria with him and the girls. He's going to be going all out and if he can stop Gaara before he unleashes his Tailed Beast then he can most definitely come out on top. If worst comes to pass and Shukaku is unleashed I will personally battle it and put it in its place, and I'll do that as soon as I'm done handling this snake." Shoko said soothingly as she towered over Anko with her superior height and placed a comforting hand down on the shorter and younger woman's shoulders.

"Everything will work out I promise." Shoko said sweetly as she watched some of the tension leave Anko's body. "I'm going to swing by the stadium first and see if the area is secured. Once that's done I'm going after the little squirt and the others. I'm not leaving him out there all alone with an unstable monster." Anko said with a determination bubbling up from deep within her. Her eyes were a little misted over in emotion as she thought about what could be befalling her surrogate family in all of this chaos and confusion. The snake summoning Special Jōnin knew that Shoko wanted to be by Naruto's side right now, but she had a duty to do. The village needed someone powerful enough to protect it and with the Hokage himself trapped within a strong barrier fighting off the mastermind of this whole invasion that responsibly unfortunately fell to Shoko. Dino and Danzō were no where to be seen right now so the call to arms fell to Shoko and the senior Elite Jōnin of the village to step up to the plate in the absence of their revered and beloved leader.

"Are you even willing to put Orochimaru off to the side to follow your heart on this?" Shoko asked as she watched Anko instinctively place a hand on top of her dormant Curse Seal. The woman grimaced in discomfort from unpleasant memories, but that haze was quickly lifted from her mind and replaced with raw determination as she gazed into Shoko's eyes and saw the woman silently wrestling with the same demons as her. To put aside your own selfish and justified wants and goals to do what was right and follow your heart and sense of duty. It was the crux of all great Shinobi who eventually come to this crossroads within their lives. The decision that they eventually make always ends up shaping them as individuals for the rest of their lives and determines either their downfalls or rise to greatness.

"Yeah… even that bastard Orochimaru… I can put him on the back burner for a just a little while. Just long enough to make sure the brat and the mini brats are okay." Anko said with a cheesy and emotional grin. She was shelving a lot of her emotional baggage to the side to make this mature decision. It was a lot to ask of anybody, especially for someone like Anko who has undergone her own fair share of pain and traumatic suffering at the hands of the Snake Sannin.

"Okay… I won't be too far behind. Once I secure the village I'll be right behind you and we'll put an end to the threat of the Jinchūriki and Orochimaru and his Ninja. Once this is over I'm sure the Hidden Sand will surrender once they realize that the real Fourth Kazekage, Rasa was most likely murdered and replaced by Orochimaru himself. We can do this." Shoko encouraged with a small smile on her face which Anko easily returned as she gave her close friend a warm hug of gratitude.

"My squad and I just finished mopping up an entire platoon of enemy shinobi. There were even a few super naturals in the mix which isn't good. I lost three of our Jōnin back there and five of our Chūnin in exchange for their group being wiped out." Anko warned as she pulled away from the hug a bit to convey this message. Hearing this unsettling news Shoko's grip on her beautiful sword tightened in response to this. "I understand… but don't worry, they'll be no match for me. I'll root them all out." Shoko said as her voice deepened with a promise of carnage and violence dripping from every word she spoke. A pleasurable shiver went up Anko's spine at hearing this as a purr escaped the flirty woman's lips.

"Be careful… and here, for good luck." Anko prayed as she leaned up and caught Shoko's lips with her own in a quick peck that caught the powerhouse woman by complete surprise. The rest of Anko's squad was just as shocked by this bold move on Anko's part but the grin on her face blocked her mind from noticing any of those incredulous looks. "Anko… why would you do that out here? I didn't think we were public like that?" Shoko said with a demur and bashful blush on her face. She was under the impression that her and Anko's on and off complicated relationship was more of a private affair between the two genuine friends that sometimes just simply crossed the line of friendship with each other on mutual agreements. But apparently that wasn't the case today.

"Oh, who cares about semantics like that. I'm just doing that because judging by that tone you just used and the look that was creeping up in yours eyes just now, you're planning on cutting lose. I just wish that I can stick around to see it." Anko explained with a purr as she pulled away from the older woman and joined back up with her battered and worn out squad. "I plan too. I'll do all I can to put a stop to this invasion… and if a few heads have to roll and some blood needs to be shed in order for that to happen then so be it." Shoko said as she eased up on the mental cap that she has on her immeasurable chakra reserves that are most definitely and indisputably Kage level in capacity. Her power rippled out of her in waves which could be felt half way across the village easily by even those who weren't Sensory Type's like Karin. The giant brown three headed Snake perked up in noticeable surprise as it turned to give Shoko it's full attention.

Several platoons of enemy shinobi of both the Sand and Sound could be seen grouped up with the giant summon in a show of force. They looked every bit the part of what an invading army should be, and Shoko was standing ready to appose them.

"Good luck." Anko said with a small thumb up and a surprisingly gentle smile that was quickly and violently ripped off of her face in a hurry to make space for a giant grin in response to Shoko's own parting words. "Thanks, they'll need it."

* * *

 _ **Two Blocks Away**_

Balalaika was a happy woman right now. The carnage, the chaos, the killing. It was music to her ears and seeing Shoko cutting through her enemies left and right was the icing on the cake for her. _'Her son has it… that fire in his eyes. The spirit of a warrior. The only question is… are you rediscovering yours Shoko. Are you becoming the woman you once were again?'_ Balalaika thought to herself with a purr of sensual approval once she saw Shoko unleash her potent Chakra for all to feel.

' _It would seem that you are… to bad Karasuba wasn't here to see this. She'd lose her mind in joy.'_ Balalaika chuckled quietly to herself as she felt Shoko's potent chakra wash over her in waves. "Stroke that fire Shoko… make it bloom the same way hers did. Don't let it go out again because at the end of the day only I'm allowed to crush that so-called Will of Fire of yours." Balalaika purred as she shivered in pleasurable approval. The woman had to put an effort into restraining her inhuman chakra reserves so that Shoko wouldn't sense her and become distracted. She wanted to see what her old rivals friend could do again after all of these years.

The Kingpin of the Hidden Stone took a puff from her cigar that was in her mouth and looked behind her in amusement to see the mangled and crushed corpses of nearly three dozen Hidden Sand, Sound, and Leaf Shinobi alike who were all consumed by large boulders and stones that were constricting around their bodies like caskets. Blood was everywhere but none managed to reach the blond-haired woman who was sitting on the edge of a buildings roof.

"Entertain me my puppets."

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Team / Land of Fire's Emerald Forest**_

They were making good time, at least they hoped they were. They've been running for nearly 30 minutes now and they still have yet to catch up with their teammate. They just hoped everything was fine with him by the time they got there.

"Guys! Sasuke has come to a stop and he's with someone." Pakkun informed with his gruff voice as the pug sniffed the air ahead. "Who?" It was a simple response from Naruto and he was expecting a simple answer from the pug. He was worried that Sasuke would get in over his head dealing with Gaara. If Gaara lost control, then even Naruto wasn't so sure what he could possibly do to stop a rampaging Jinchūriki. He only hoped he'd make it in time to help his teammate.

"I think it might be one of the Hidden Sand Genin, they look like they're going to fight… wait, hold on! Two other signatures are moving in on them at a high rate of speed." Pakkun exclaimed as he sniffed the air at a furious pace. "Two more?!" Shikamaru questioned in both surprised and curiosity. If two more unknown individuals were closing in on Sasuke and they were far closer to him then that spelled trouble. "Any chance they're friendly?" Naruto asked as he stretched out his senses to try and detect what their scout dog was sensing.

"I don't know about them being friendly, but they also concern me. One of them has a massive chakra reserve that is comparable to your own Naruto, and the other is… wait that can't possibly be right…" Pakkun explained before he trailed off in confusion as he sniffed the air once more. "What is it Pakkun?" Naruto asked in concern as the others looked to the dog in curiosity as well. "This can't possibly be right… this other individual is very similar to you Naruto as well. She has a chakra signature very similar to your own." Pakkun explained as he sewed in an undertone of uncertainty in his tone of voice. It would seem the pug had thoughts and theories swirling around in his mind about whatever was bothering him, but judging by his personality and demeanor the little pug would never really want to share.

' _Someone similar to me… two people at that but the second one sounds familiar. The only person that comes to mind off the top of my head is Karin. Is it her? Why would she be way out here?'_ Naruto questioned within his own mind at the possibility of the red headed girl being way out here in the middle of a battle.

"It looks like a fight is going on and that strong chakra signature is fighting off the Hidden Sand Shinobi. It's not looking good in the sand boy's favor." Pakkun updated as he jumped through the tree tops at a fast pace. The seven-man group of Genin plus a witch and two kids were keeping pace with the tiny dog and they were blazing a trail through the trees at a blistering pace. They understood the importance of this impromptu mission and the severity of the consequences if they were to fail.

"We need to get there fast and back Sasuke up. Who knows what's going to happen." Shikamaru stated as Naruto nodded in agreement. "If this person fighting against the enemy is also a threat then what would you have me do master?" Aria inquired in concern as she kept pace with the four shinobi easily while keeping a vigilant eye out for any danger. She wouldn't let anything happen to her family or Naruto's friends.

"We'll take them out together Aria. It will be fast and swift. I already know you can handle me in emergency situations, so this person should be even easier." Naruto spoke as he made direct reverence to the Land of Wave's incident in which he unleashed the Nine Tails Chakra and went on a rampage. It was Aria out of everyone there who stepped up to the plate and for the most part single handedly subdued him and brought him back under control. It was on that day that he learned Aria was growing very powerful and she was quite fearless to do what she did. Her devotion to him and the family was truly awe inspiring.

"Guys! It would seem like that battle is over, the strong chakra signature took out the Sand Genin in no time flat. Sasuke is still okay in all this." Pakkun updated as he grumbled a bit at how fast that skirmish transpired. It really was no contest in Pakkun's mind.

"Already!?" Sakura exclaimed incredulously as that notion couldn't possibly be right. That battle didn't last long at all. Nothing short of a few minutes at most. That was extremely fast. "Indeed. I sensed the brief usage of ninjutsu, but it was quick and sparse." Pakkun informed as he narrowed his eyes once his sensitive ears picked up on a peculiar sound wave passing by his ears. "Hold on guys stop!" Pakkun shouted as he came to an abrupt stop in the trees forcing the rest of the group to grind to a halt.

"What is it Pakkun?" Naruto questioned as he got into a defensive position along with the others. "I just picked up on a coded message passed along through some kind of sound based transmission technique and it was coming from those unknown individuals with Sasuke." The little tracker dog informed which didn't help ease the tension within the group. If anything, it only made it worse. After being encouraged by the others to share what he found Pakkun informed the group of what the message entailed.

"They are on our side and is only interested in stopping Gaara. So, it is Karin and she's with that green haired girl I saw back in the written exams. To think she'd be so strong…" Naruto mumbled in morbid curiosity as he now had an unknown sensation and notion of meeting Fū. He felt like he had some form of connection with her now, and that didn't even begin to describe the feeling he got about Karin. She felt extremely familiar to Naruto and he doesn't know why. He felt a strong connection to the red head that he just couldn't understand.

"That's the least of our worries though. We've got an even bigger problem on our hands." Shikamaru pointed out as he casted a wary gaze back in the direction they were coming from. They were being followed… the irony didn't escape their notice but now wasn't the time to be laughing. This was a serious situation that they were going to need to solve and fast.

"We're being pursued by an enemy squad. What should we do. A diversion using Shadow Clones won't slow them down for long and we all cant stop to face them in a head on battle. That would take to long if all of them are Jōnin." Naruto theorized as he turned to the rest of his group for consultation. They needed a solution and they needed it right now.

"We don't have time to set a trap, that wouldn't really slow down a group of Jōnin." Sakura put in as she had a frown on her face. Her heart was racing even more than before now that the revelation that they themselves were being chased has come out. Sakura would be lying to herself if she were to say she was ready to face a full team of Jōnin. She was still a Genin and not a particularly powerful one at that. She wasn't at the top of her generation when it comes to overall skill as opposed to her two teammates and other classmates like Hinata and Neji and that fact would be a detriment if the enemy actually caught up with them.

"I know, but we need to do something and fast. Shikamaru what to you think we should do?" Naruto agreed as he turned to his genius tactician of a friend for his advice, but the lazy black-haired boy had a grim look on his face. "I'm not going to sugar coat this. One of us has to stay behind and be a distraction… and I think that should be." Shikamaru advised as he turned to his friend and looked him directly in his eyes.

"Shikamaru that's dangerous! You'll be killed!" Sakura exclaimed as the others quickly voiced their opinions on this matter as well. "Big brother, if you go I'll go." Chaos interjected with her dopey smile on her face that was actually hiding the slight undertone of worry in the young girl's eyes. Chaos looked up to Shikamaru like a brother and she wasn't going to let him go alone.

"No Chaos, stay with Naruto. I can do this on my own. Besides, you can't be too far away from each other when fighting." Shikamaru cut in as he placed a hand on the young girl's head with the tiniest smile brushing up on his face. Naruto frowned at this as he thought up a solution. "If you're going to do this then take Aria with you. You're at full strength right now and you'll be able to hold them down with your Shadow Possession Jutsu for a lot longer, but passed that point you won't be able to do much. Aria can cover for you easily and help out." Naruto suggested as the teal themed witch turned to her master in surprise. "Are you sure master?" Aria prodded as she had a look of longing in her teal colored eyes but the tender look in Naruto's eyes stopped her from continuing.

"It's ok Aria… we'll be fine, and we'll have a chance to fight. But right now, I need you to help Shikamaru in this. If all goes according to plan… you'll be back in no time to help us all out with Gaara. Your Psychic powers will be a huge help in subduing him and holding him down." Naruto explained as he patted the overprotective witch on her hat covered head. He saw that the older girl still had the tiniest seeds of doubt in her eyes, but she forced it down and gave him a nod of understanding and acceptance.

"I understand master. We'll be back before you know it." Aria said with a small smile as her witch hat lit up in illumination by her power. Shikamaru gave a nod to the team as well before he signaled for them to continue on. Soon the group was moving again but without Aria and Shikamaru with them. The unlikely pair had determined looks in their eyes… and with as much motivation as Shikamaru's face could ever properly produce.

' _Good luck guys.'_ Shikamaru thought as he awoke his chakra within. He was ready. _'Be careful master, just wait for me.'_ Aria thought as the ancient symbols and runes on her hat continued to shimmer with a luminescent light as her psychic powers were humming beneath the surface of her skull. Aria's been practicing since the incident with Gaara over a month prior. She wanted to get stronger to make sure something like that would never happen again.

' _Good luck guys… keep each other safe.'_ Naruto thought in parallel to his two friends as he didn't dare look back. He knew they would be fine. They were the type of fighters who used their brain more than their brawn and in Aria's case that fact was as literal as it gets being a supernatural psychic whose psionic abilities are generated and born in her brain. They would fight smarter and not harder, that was the key to beating a superior force and admittedly when push came to shove Aria did have some brawn in reserve to her brain. She was very powerful and that would make all the difference in this skirmish.

They would be fine. Their fight while seemingly overwhelming on paper, in real life would end up being simple.

Gaara's fight on the other hand would be anything but simple and the unexpected and as of now unknown aftermath will leave Naruto's life and the world at large forever changed for the future.

* * *

 _ **Jutsu Library**_

1.) **Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu -** A simple technique whereby when the user clasps their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale. This technique, when used as an isolated attack, has the power to easily knock over a human. Though the true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken or kunai. Their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

2.) **Secret Black Move: Poison Cloud Cover -** A wide area of effect technique that Kankuro uses that allows him to spray a large cloud of poison gas into the air using his puppet as the launcher.

3.) **Wind Style: Slicing Palm Waves Jutsu -** The user waves his hand and creates multiple blades of wind that can be thrown at the opponent. It is a relatively strong technique that requires a strong Wind Affinity along with excellent chakra control.

4.) **Secret Technique: Scaled Powder Jutsu -** The user exhales a large quantity of fine powder from their mouth, which due to its luminous quality, shines so brightly that it can temporarily blind multiple targets within its area of effect. This momentary handicap can be utilized either by the user or their allies to attack the opposition whilst their vision is still impaired. This technique can be effectively countered if the target's eyes are protected for the duration of the technique, or otherwise possess sensory abilities to compensate for the loss of sight.

5.) **Secret Technique: String Shot Jutsu -** A highly versatile technique that Fū can use being the Jinchūriki to Chōmei. Fū produces a thick bundle of silky chakra threads from her either her mouth or in-between her fingers that she can use for a limitless variety of tasks. She can swing from trees and bind targets with the silky threads that can harden to be just as tough as steel. The sticky nature of the threads also means that anything that comes in contact with the threads will become immobilized and stuck to the material until Fū releases her target. The silk due to its chakra enhanced and laced formation has a slight resistance to the average Fire Style Ninjutsu.

6.) **Secret Technique: Leech Life Jutsu -** A variation of Fū's basic silky chakra threads. When Fū uses this technique, her threads glow a sickly lime green that will drain the chakra and stamina of any who becomes entangled within the webs. The chakra is transferred back to Fū which allows her to replenish her chakra reserves and even heals her wounds without having to rely on her Tailed Beast's automatic healing factor.

7.) **Ninja Art: Wave Transmission Jutsu -** With this technique, the user is capable of creating a wave, by touching a solid substance, like a wall, that lets them communicate with their allies. When in use, the wave seems to create a howling wind-like sound.

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 _ **Author's Note (A/N):**_ There it is guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the many surprises it brought. The sand siblings are being pursued by Sasuke who is hot on their trail. Karin and Fū are in this again and they have a prominent role in this chapter. Karin has abandoned the Hidden Grass Village in a moment of inner debate with Fū coming in right after to offer her a hand of friendship. Fū has revealed that she has a large amount of knowledge on Jinchūriki and her ability to sense them. She understands Gaara's situation which makes her an interesting wildcard in the grand scheme of things and her first set of actions were to fight Kankuro and beat him easily as a means to prove a point. An unlikely team is formed between the three which no one could have predicted.

Shoko is plowing through enemy ninja left and right with a murderous aura around her showing off just how powerful of a shinobi she is. Anko gives her the update to what is happening around the village with Shoko doing the same in return. THis leads to some character development and a special moment between the two women. Balalaika is also shown enjoying the show so to speak and her interest doesn't bode well for anyone in her path.

Finally, Naruto and the others are warned of the fact they are being pursued by their enemies so it's decided that Shikamaru and Aria will stay behind. What will happen in the future that will change the future? Only time will tell.

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Next Chapter: _**Chapter 62 (The Third Hokage's Battle)**_

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 _That's the end of Chapter 61 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it._

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 ** _Published:_** 12/10/2017


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